Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has appointed UK travel and tourism public relations consultancy Hills Balfour to represent the UK PR for its property Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa in the Maldives following a competitive multi-way pitch.

Open since 2009 and located just south of the equator on Villingili Island, on the southern-most tip of Addu Atoll, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa offers guests a stylish and luxurious experience in a spacious and boutique-style environment.

The natural dense vegetation of the island sets it apart from many other Maldives resorts - the three-kilometre-long island features 12 hectares of lush vegetation, towering banyan trees, 17,000 coconut trees, 45 species of plants, three natural lagoons and nature trails for guests to explore. 

Levent Tekün, director of sales & marketing at Shangri-la’s Villingili Resort & Spa, commented: “We chose to work with Hills Balfour because of its leading expertise in the travel and tourism industry, as well as its ability to offer both corporate hotel PR and cutting edge social media initiatives.

“We are delighted to be working together and believe that this partnership will help our property go from strength to strength in the UK market.”

The hotel boasts the only golf course in the Maldives, designed as a fun, recreational nine-hole golf course for all abilities.

Amanda Hills, chief executive of Hills Balfour added: “We are tremendously excited to have been given the opportunity to extend the reach of Shangri-La’s public relations strategy across both the consumer and corporate media. 

“The popularity and identity of the hotel brand is well established within Asia and we look forward to positioning the property to become one of the most sought after and luxurious hotels in the world.”