Mihad Mohamed of Amilla Maldives: Developing His Successful Career through Service, Training and Collaboration
For Mohamed Mihad, who works as the Airport Manager of Amilla Maldives, the process of serving the guests does not cease even after they have left the resort. If the guest misses their international flight, then his team will still make sure that accommodation is arranged in Male or Hulhumale and that assistance is provided at the airport when the guest returns for their next flight.“We will not let them go even if they miss their international flight,” he says. “We will be with them.”
This shows how Mihad tries to make sure that the guests receive personalized hospitality at all stages of their experience. It is important to stay in touch and maintain connection with the guests as well as provide reassurance and communication.Such devotion and commitment have brought him the recognition and made him the winner of the prize Airport Representative of the Year in Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026. This is something he is immensely proud of and he expresses his gratitude to the managers of Amilla Maldives Resort & Residences as well as other airport representatives for supporting him in his job.
"I am proud of getting this award," he says, addressing his thanks to his team for this success.
Mihad held many important positions in the resorts in the tourism sector of Maldives throughout his career in the hospitality industry. Having gained all the necessary experience as an airport manager in Four Seasons Resorts Maldives and as a front office manager in Kuda Huraa and office manager in Male of Cheval Blanc Randheli, he managed to gain important knowledge concerning guest relations, operations management and efficient service delivery. When speaking about the experience that has helped him become a good leader, Mihad mentions the professional training. He is grateful to the period he has spent at Four Seasons as he managed to learn much from there.
“They raise the bar of Maldivians to the next level,” he adds.
In Amilla Maldives, preparation and training are still part of his routine tasks. As early as several days prior to the arrival of the guests, the airport team prepares for their arrival. Based on the profile of the guest and their specific requirements, a personalized welcome is prepared by the team. Be they return clients, honeymooning guests or first-time visitors of the Maldives, the airport team prepares accordingly.“Actually, we start a few days ahead,” Mihad states. “We check their profiles and then we prepare based on what they need.”This is especially relevant when dealing with guests who have special needs. In case of wheelchair bound guests, the airport team works with airport authority, airline and Manta Air. Based on the requirements of the guest, the airport team may make necessary preparations such as getting an appropriate plane and communicating with resort staff so that everything is ready upon arrival.
Mihad highlights that his team is thoroughly trained for such instances.
“Proper communication” is one of the principles that he often stresses out as an important part of successful airport operations.Similarly, when receiving VIPs and other famous people who wish for privacy, it is necessary to work with seaplane operators and resort representatives for organising the transfer quietly, but making sure that the guests have all the needed assistance. There are other difficulties that have to be overcome when managing airport operations, but that are not present in the case of the resort operations. For example, while island-based teams can count on additional assistance from their colleagues during busier periods, airport representatives have to deal with overlapping arrivals and departures with no immediate assistance.
“It is hard to get that when we are working at the airport”, Mihad explains.
To his opinion, proper preparation and teamwork are the best solutions to these problems. Regular discussion, distribution of responsibilities and proper planning help him to ensure that his colleagues understand all the operation needs and are able to handle them during stressful times."Until their departure from the resort, we are still the same team that manages the guests and interacts with them," says Mihad. The strategy enables them to create a sense of familiarity and develop strong relations with the guests. Moreover, the same representatives will be assigned whenever it is possible to handle the arrival of these guests and check-in arrangements for their flights abroad.
Weather continues to be one of the most significant problems in the operation of the airport staff in Maldives due to the fact that Maldives depends on seaplanes.
"In the Maldives, the main issue with regards to tourism is weather – particularly when it comes to seaplane operations," explains Mihad. Domestic flight service is also provided by resort Amilla Maldives through Dharavandhoo Airport. This way Amilla Maldives helps those tourists who can experience difficulties related to the arrival on seaplane. Change in the weather conditions can disrupt the travel plans of visitors and cause problems with arrival and departure times. Visitors can miss their international flights because of changing weather conditions. It is important to remember that in such situations travelers can be annoyed with all delays and changes in plans, but Mihad believes that proper assistance can solve this problem.
"We should stay calm and be professional in this situation," notes Mihad.
In case of delay in departure and change of the date of the trip his team tries to help people with arranging accommodation in either Male or Hulhumale as well as arranging the further travel plan for them. In case of delay of the departure date, an employee from Amilla Maldives helps with check-in at the airport. With the help of professional training, teamwork, proper preparation and great care about guests, Mohamed Mihad continues to improve airport services in Amilla Maldives and the whole country.
