mujunaeem

[mujunaeem]

Maldives; Close your eyes and imagine - Part 1

This is a fictional story originally published in Dhivehi Observer on 31st July 2004. Story written…

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[mujunaeem]

Maldives; Close your eyes and imagine - Part 2

This is a fictional story originally published in Dhivehi Observer on 31st July 2004. Story…

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[mujunaeem]

Maldives; Close your eyes and imagine - Part 3

This is a fictional story originally published in Dhivehi Observer on 31st July 2004. Story written by Muju Naeem, Edited by Andrew Finn.

Part Three

A Retrospective

It is the twentieth year of the new Maldives. The tyranny of Gayoom is not even a…

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[mujunaeem]

5 Killer Strategies to Dominate Social Media's Big 3: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Source: socialmediatoday.com via Muju on Pinterest

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[mujunaeem]

Accusation of being a thief

Now that the owners of Stingray Beach Inn has taken my hard work without giving me my due compensation for the work done, they have started circulating stories about me to save their face.

It has recently come to light that I am being labelled as thief who stole from the owners of Stingray Beach Inn hence my “dismissal” from the job as they calls it.

My question to the owners of Stingray Beach Inn is, if I have stolen from you all at all, please tell me how much I stole from you. And how was it stolen?

I have with me a full copy set of all documents of the business including their accounts statements and so forth. These accounts document all transactions that took place that the management wanted to document. All accounts that they obviously did not want to be documented was left out.

A lot of the expenses at Stingray Beach Inn during construction was not documented and spent as and when necessary without accounting them properly.

It is my belief that these records were badly kept for purposes of cheating a Russian based foreign investor of the hotel.

Regardless, what remains to be seen is that, myself and my wife are yet to be paid for our work at Stingray Beach Inn.

[mujunaeem]

Met this little dude named Sharif today while I was at badhige.com

He talks a lot, is always curious and asks a lot of questions.

He is highly likable kid.

The kid could also potentially be a genius web developer.

[mujunaeem]

How Stingray Beach Inn screwed Me

Stingray Beach Inn. Purpose built mid-market boutique hotel (10 rooms - SME) in Maafushi, Maldives.

Working on this project I;

1. Developed brand identity for hotel

2. Developed Business concept,

3. Did all marketing works,

4. Created and managed social media presence,

5. Built and administered website,

6. Listed with booking agents (Agoda.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com and Venere.com).

I also did the following works;

7. Developed management framework and organizational structure,

8. Developed an administrative systems

All these works were done in the space of less than 3 months.

Estimated cost of work = Appox. MRF 100,00

During this time I did not receive any payments for the work I did.

MY STORY - THE DEAL

I began working on the hotel project with Ibrahim Musthafa (Ibbe) (https://www.facebook.com/ibrahim.maafushi) and his brother Ali Muruthala (Ayya) upon their persistent request to help them out with the project. I agreed once they offered me a pretty good deal to take on the job. 

The deal was; I manage the property and for that I was offered 10% operational profits to be paid monthly for a period of 1 year. After which it was supposed to be reviewed.

I was also supposed to be provided with accommodation, food, and basic daily expenses. Happy to tell you that this part of the agreement was honored by the owners somewhat reluctantly. The total sum of which comes to MRF 4700 which was paid by both the owners on various dates after constant “gentle reminders”.

During this period myself and my wife spent thousands of our own money to travel to Maafushi, and other basic necessities required to live.

HOW IT ENDED

The agreed date for the opening of the hotel was June 20th 2012.

On the night of 19th June (the night before the scheduled date of opening) Ibbe approaches me very solemnly in a secluded spot on Maafushi Island. He wanted to meat alone on the holhuashi (a seating arrangement on the beach for people to gather and discuss issues and basically hang out as well).

At the meeting he informs me that his brother Ayya feels that it is no longer possible to be working with me. I was shocked and felt almost as if someone had pulled the ground from under me. I had given up other employment opportunities that came my way to work with my presumed friends whom I have known for more than 3 years by now. During this time that I was in Maafushi island, I had no other income source and all my time and effort was committed fully to this hotel project that has become very dear to me.

In shock and disbelief at what I was hearing I asked calmly, what are the reasons for this unbelievable decision. Ibbe tells me that he has no say in this, and that it was Ayya who was deciding this.

At first he was reluctant to tell me what was the reasons for this decision.

At this point I asked Ibbe if it had anything to do with;

1. my working abilities - Reply => No

2. the level of attention that I was paying to the work => No.

3. the amount of attention I was paying to the task => No.

4. my speed at doping tasks => No.

5. my overall performance on the project => No.

So it was non of these. So it must be something else and much more relevant to the work we were doing. I must have really fucked up, I thought. Upon further insisting, Ibbe tell me that I might think the reasons Ayya mentioned might be trivial but they are not for Ayya.

And then he tell me, very reluctantly and softly - I can barely hear his voice. That I had not turned off a light one time. And another time I had left the ashtray in the office. And that this was not all the reasons, and that there were more. Which he wouldn’t say regardless of however much I insisted.

I asked to meet Ayya to discuss what Ibbe has just told me. I called Ayya on his phone and he did not answer. I left an SMS on his phone requesting to discuss certain things that have come to light recently. He did not answer that either.

The following morning. The date where we was supposed to declare the hotel ready for business, I go and meet Ayya. He tells me that he has no time right now to talk with me, and that he would talk to me that evening.

A little later, I over hear Ayya talking with his 20 year old son. They were both making fun of me and my wife. Gloating as if they were the most cleaver people in the world proud of what they have done.

Come evening, Ayya has not had “time to talk to me”. Ibbe tells me later that Ayya has told him that he is “not angry” (Why should he be angry at me? Shouldn’t I be the one who should be angry?) with me, but Ibbe should figure out a way to part ways with me. Ayya was not going to see me at all.

At this point heated exchanges or argument did take place, I must admit. After all I have not done all my work for a place to sleep, food and coffee money.

Ibbe refused to stand up for me and fight for me with Ayya. He was not being my friend. I came to realize that I had been used and abused. And they have a hotel all ready for operations that would potentially earn somewhere around 4 million MRF annually.

SPECIAL MENTION

All interior design works and concepts developed bv @HamyLathyf (https://www.facebook.com/hamy.lathyf).

She did;

1. Designed the hotel brand logo

2.Hand painted 3 wall murals (8 feet by 6 feet each)

3. Made all the bed linens in the hotel - 44 single bed sheets, 44 pillow cases, 22 cushion covers, 10 bed bands (double bed) and 22 single bed bands

4. Picked the fabrics used for the linens in the rooms.

5. Picked color scheme for all colors used in the interior of the hotel. (Note: Exterior of the hotel color was chosen by Ayya)

6. Odd jobs here and there.

Estimated cost of the => Approx. MRF 50,000

She was also not paid for the work.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

I am demanding that I be paid for the work that I have done in making this hotel operational.

Until such payment is made, I am holding on to following items;

1. Stingray Beach Inn Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/stingraybeachinn

2. @stingrayinn Twitter account - https://twitter.com/#!/StingrayInn

3. Company Blog - http://blog.stingraybeachinn.com/ (http://stingraybeachinn.tumblr.com)

4. Agoda.com listing - http://www.agoda.com/asia/maldives/maldives_islands/stingray_beach_inn.html

5. Expedia.com listing - http://www.expedia.co.in/Maldives-Hotels-Stingray-Beach-Inn.h5222076.Hotel-Information?

6. Hotels.com Listing - http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?tab=description&hotelId=412734&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&roomno=1&validate=false&previousDateful=false&reviewOrder=date_ne

7. Venere.com listing - http://www.venere.com/inns/maafushi/stingray-beach-inn/

8. Tripadvisor.com page - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g2553632-d3151141-Reviews-Stingray_Beach_Inn-Maafushi.html

9. Company email accounts

I do believe its my right to be not taken advantage of that and that my work should be paid for. Its against the Constitution of this country to not pay for somebody for work that they have done.

Until Ibrahim Musthafa and Ali Muruthala makes payment to myself and my wife for the MRF 150,000 owed to us for work that we have done, they are guilty of criminal abuse of the employment law in this country and guilty of breaking the constitution.

WHO IS THIS IBBE?

(https://www.facebook.com/ibrahim.maafushi)

Ibrahim Musthafa is the ONLY MDP Councillor in Maafushi island. He got elected to the island council under the MDP banner promising justice, equality and development in his island. But he was the only MDP member in the 5 man council and he found it difficult to work in that environment. So he stays home and takes the salary and does nothing on his elected job. Now that he gets paid by the people, he stays home and is developing a hotel as a private business. And even at that, he had me (his supposed friend) come and help him do all the work (he walks around the project mostly fiddling with the electricity - he did the electrical work at the hotel). And then screw me in the end. Its people like him that give MDP and hard working Maldivians a bad name.

This story on Stingray Beach Inn's blog:

http://blog.stingraybeachinn.com/post/25645512397/how-stingray-beach-inn-screwed-muju-naeem

The Making of Stingray Beach Inn:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.411704822184257.91758.387256204629119&type=1

The Stingray Room by Hamy Lathyf:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.435304096490996.95188.387256204629119&type=1

[mujunaeem]

Why Maafushi Island?

Maafushi Island has seen immense growth in the last couple of years. And not without reason or cause.

The island has some distinct advantages that some of the other local islands simply just don't have for themselves to develop into little affordable tourism hubs in the middle of Indian Ocean.

Maafushi, one of the worst affected by the great Indian ocean tsunami of 2004, set it  self apart in the post tsunami rebuilding process.

Today, unlike many other local islands in the Maldives, Maafushi island boast some of the best infrastructure that is around in the inhabited islands of the Maldives.

The islanders have worked tirelessly to achieve its current developments status through developing its infrastructure.

Today the island boast;

A good electricity grid

A sewage system

Transport system - island ferry and government ferry connecting the island with capital Male' for passengers and supply

A brand new harbor

Desalinated and piped water into every household

Local internet service provider - iCom

Solid mobile network from Dhiraagu and Wataniya

Good roads - although not yet paved

In addition to the above, the local community is open to visitors and investors, allowing for the current growth to take place in such a brief amount of time.

For any other island to successfully compete with Maafushi island, they need to have the right infrastructure developed in the first place before they can start dreaming of moving ahead with other investments.

Nearby, Guraidhoo island, Thulusdhoo island and Gulhi island is trying hard to compete with Maafushi with their tourism investment. But Maafushi has a serious advantage that they just don't have.

The future looks bright for this tiny island!

[mujunaeem]

Investing in Maafushi Island

The last few years has seen an incredible push from the government and private sector to see a budget tourism market develop in the Maldives.

Up until now, Maldives has been the exclusive domain for the rich and famous (except for the occasional guest house scattered here and there). Staying in the Maldives was just simply too expensive.

2009 saw the most critical piece of the puzzle fall in to place. The government gazetted a mid-market tourism regulations - called "Guest House Regulations", that would eventually set the ball rolling for one island in particular - Maafushi Island, located in South Male' Atoll, just 35 minutes away from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport by speedboat.

Locals have been dreaming since the dawn of Maldives luxury tourism to share a piece of the pie. Now that the regulations are in place the market was wide open for much more smaller investors to come in to the picture.

For an investor to get into the local island tourism, or more specifically Maafushi island, one is able to come in with what I call an "entry level investment" in the Maldives tourism industry - not more than a million Rufiyaa. Of cause one is free to invest any amount they want, but with a million Rifiyaa in hand, one can carve their place comfortably in the Maldives tourism industry through investing in Maafushi island. But at the rate Maafushi is developing this would not be the case for long.

Under the new regulations, White Shell Beach Inn was the very first property developed and opened in the Maldives or Maafushi for that matter. They opened in 2009.

But White Shell saw many obstacles in its path to its current situation. Mainly this was to do with marketing and branding (I will write more on this subject in a future blog posts). Three years later, White Shell is going for a second round of investment with its new multi-story hotel currently under construction in Maafushi.

So what changed in those three years for White Shell, Maafushi Island or other investors? Big online booking engines like Agoda.com, Booking.com and Expedia.com was the game changer.

By late 2011, 3 of world biggest online booking engines were keeping Maafushi Island occupancy at an average of 60% to 70% inspiring more investors to invest heavily in Maafushi Island.

While the price of real estate has gone up in the last few years in Maafushi Island, it is still very much up for grabs. Male' big fish investors has yet to make a move into the island. I doubt it is because they don't know about our little gem here in Maafushi, but they are waiting and seeing how the picture will pan out in the future.

Maafushi islands big test would come at the peak season this year, when the island gets ready to cater for almost 300 tourists by year end.

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 15. Isle Beach Inn / Status: Under Construction

[mujunaeem]

#Maafushi island - changing the face of #tourism in the #Maldives - making it affordable for everyone.

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 14. Not Yet Named / Status: Under Construction

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 13. Not Yet Named / Status: Under Construction

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 12. Holiday Lodge/ Status: Under Construction

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 11. Picnic Inn / Status: Under Construction

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 10. Stingray Beach Inn (@stingrayinn) / Status: Under Construction (opening in June 2012)

[mujunaeem]

Maafushi Hotel 9. Kaani Beach Hotel / Status: Under Construction