Voices: Elias Pertoft on his mission as General Manager of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru, Maldives

By: Christian Stan | 3 May, 2026

Today, as General Manager of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru in the Maldives, Elias Pertoft brings a philosophy rooted in experience-led hospitality—where imagination outweighs limitation, and every guest journey is crafted with intention and authenticity.

Elias Pertoft’s path into luxury hospitality was anything but conventional. What began as a pursuit of life beneath the surface as a dive instructor evolved into a global career shaped by exploration, intuition, and a deep respect for human connection. 

From orchestrating intimate, unscripted moments in some of the world’s most remote destinations to championing sustainability as an integral part of luxury, Elias Pertoft’s leadership reflects both trust in people and reverence for place. In this conversation, Elias Pertoft shares the defining moments that shaped his career, his perspective on the evolving meaning of luxury, and how two small islands in the Indian Ocean are setting a powerful example for the future of responsible travel.

Your journey began with a plan to become a dive instructor, yet it evolved into a remarkable global career in luxury hospitality. Looking back, what were the defining moments that shaped your path?

Without doubt – my time with Amanwana when I was in charge of their cruises to Komodo and Raja Ampat. It was there that I witnessed firsthand what boutique luxury hospitality is. I fell in love with having the ability to create these unscripted, unique experiences for guests. Ultimately, when you have 130 team members and only 20 tents to take care of, you quickly learn that your limits are only really the limits of your imagination of what you can create. The opportunity to make each day stand out through magical touchpoints and surprises – is something special.

From there, Aman allowed me to shadow GMs across Indonesia and see the beauty and differences between resorts, ultimately leading to me becoming GM years later. It was an opportunity to step into hospitality from a rather unconventional path – and something that Aman did back in the day – divers, chefs, housekeepers – ultimately stepping into GM roles.

Having started your career on the water rather than in traditional hotel environments, how has that unconventional beginning influenced your leadership style today?

When you’re taking guests on incredible experiences whether diving with a whale shark or your first snorkel or dive expedition, you quickly gain a very special connection with the guest, and that has – going back to the previous recollection – really guided how I can guide the team to create something that’s personal or special for each and every guest. By knowing or sensing what guests might enjoy through that trust and what they share with you, you get to know one another very quickly. It’s personal. 

Adrian Zecha (Aman) used to say having guests to stay should feel like you’re over at a friend’s house with the best chef but he’s really taking care of you like an old friend.

I never came from a conventional path – I’ve never pretended that I know much about making a bed or cooking a meal – so ultimately have given a lot of trust and empowerment to my team – whereby we share a common goal and we work towards it together. 

I’m not here to manage the day to day – but here to inspire and see how we can take a step forward. I trust my team implicitly – so it’s about refining together and building a mutual trust in terms of how I can support them.

You’ve worked with some of the most prestigious names in hospitality, from Aman to Rosewood and Waldorf Astoria. What lessons from these experiences do you bring into your role at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru?

All of those beautiful brands have a common goal: to take care of the guests in a very personal way and ensure that their stay goes above and beyond what they expected. 

I’ve learned many things at each resort; having such a variety of destinations and brands has allowed me to be very creative and inspired from different ways of doing things. This is especially important when you’re on a remote island – since there are a hundred solutions to each or every problem and or opportunity.

The Maldives is often seen as the epitome of barefoot luxury. What makes these two island sanctuaries stand out in an increasingly competitive destination?

At Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru we have an incredibly unique island which is both intimate, personal and offers such a range of experiences and dining options. It’s rare to have only48 villas yet individual resort hosts, four restaurants, and such a variety of water sports, plus amarine lab that has been pioneering for over 20 years. The fact that we’ve chosen not to build over water (villas) but to preserve our reef has also led to snorkelling here being one of our strongest experiences; guests can snorkel the entire circumference of Vabbinfaru. On no other island can you swim around the whole place –  I’d liken it to going on a safari in a national park. Very close to us it drops 1,000m so you have a lot of migratory species, many that call the reef home, hence daily sightings of such marine encounters are common.

Dhawa Ihuru is more accessible; the team takes wonderful care of families with a small and very personal kids club. It’s a brilliant set up: 48 beachfront villas all with private garden leading down to the beach, naturally, with a lot of repeat guests. Whilst we have just one restaurant and one bar, there are many other epicurean experiences for guest, as well as excellent watersports, a very experienced spa team, and Abdullah, our in-house resident artist that can teach you how to make beautiful creations from driftwood and other materials that are recycled throughout the process. These classes are complimentary. 

The reef at Dhawa Ihuru is quite spectacular: a beautiful shipwreck just off the jetty that was sunk 26 years ago, and this reef is also one of the closest reefs ever to the beach. Guests are literally three steps away from beautiful large coral heads and a little more action at the drop off. An easy swim for anyone beginner level and up. Guests tend to spend most of their day in the water. It’s aAso such an educational experience for those travelling with families, especially if they also choose to go on a snorkel with our resident marine biologist.

Conservation appears to be at the core of your philosophy. How do you translate this belief—that luxury and sustainability are one and the same—into the daily operations of your resorts?

Both islands are run in a highly sustainable way; we really take care of the nature around us and make sure we make a positive impact on the day to day. At its core, the marine lab, taking care of the coral reef around the two islands. But also on a guest service basis, we only have water bottled on the island, no plastic. We have solar on both islands that produce a considerable proportion of the electricity that we use. Our gardening team looks after the beaches and many plants and palm trees, even during dry months (and all waste water is recycled). Our hydroponic gardens produce salads and herbs – as with F&B across our resorts, we try to source as close to home as possible. Is there anything better than fresh sashimi for lunch aboard our yacht, for example? Sustainably caught, a matter of minutes prior.

Whoever comes to these beautiful pristine islands wants to make sure that they have a positive impact, hence letting guests be a part of coral planting, cooking classes from the garden, really highlighting how they are part of our journey. Each guest that comes through also contributes to our sustainability fund that supports projects around the world. For guests, it’s about being part of the team and not just being a bystander – protecting our Earth, our oceans, for future generations. We need to act in the very best interests of the nature around us in order for guests to appreciate the experience.

The house reef around your properties is considered among the finest in the Maldives. How are you working to protect and regenerate this fragile ecosystem?

We have a marine lab team of five scientists and marine biologists that have been working now for 20 years to take care of the reef and also support its regeneration by coral planting and by collecting eggs when the coral are spawning and ensuring the success rate is supported. Just recently – protecting an Olive Ridley sea turtle nest that hatched on the beach for the first time since 2015.

From your perspective, how has the conversation around sustainability in luxury travel evolved over the past decade?

I think it’s non-negotiable nowadays regardless of which brand you’re representing. Obviously there are those like Banyan Tree that are at the very forefront and have been doing this for over 30 years. But other brands have started to follow and start what we inspired. What was once a novelty – having bottled water on a remote island – most resorts are doing this now. Solar power, washing etc. are just basic standard practices – now it is also about supporting not just the coral and marine life but crucially the local communities. Inspiring next generations – e.g. our partnership with the university.

The Maldives is also one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. How do you see the current environmental challenges affecting the islands, both in the short and long term?

Climate change is now something that everyone has front of mind. More and more of the younger generations are becoming interested in conservation and how to preserve this beautiful nation – we’ve opened our eyes to it. Even the fisherman in the Maldives soon won’t have many reefs to fish on if we don’t take care of it.

With the Maldives growing as a destination, the importance of conservation becomes ever more important. A big focus for the Maldives is to expand in terms of solar versus diesel generators, refine the way that it is taking care of its waste, and also to make sure that more and more of the Maldivian youth are involved in conservation work around the nation.

In practical terms, what measures are resorts like yours taking to address rising sea levels, coral bleaching, and biodiversity loss?

Coral restoration plays a huge role in mitigating the impacts of this sea level rise. Although we cannot prevent this rise, what we can do is rejuvenate the coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds that surround and protect these islands, in the hopes that it will slow down the progression of beach erosion, which the maldives is hugely suffering from. Many islands, such as ours, will grow coral in protected nurseries, either sexually or asexually, to later outplant onto the top reef, to act as a natural barrier to incoming tides and wave action.

However due to warming oceans and the increasing number and intensity of bleaching events in the Maldives, these efforts may be stunted, as much of the coral will bleach and potentially die. Our best chance to protect the natural reef is to ensure the corals have the fewest possible number of stressors. At Banyan Tree we ensure that no pollutants, waste water, food waste, plastics etc. get into the sea water. This massively reduces the amount of stress placed upon the reefs allowing them to focus on combating heat stress alone. Our nurseries will be lowered into cooler water, and away from high UV intensity, as a further preventative measure from bleaching.

Persistence in maintaining, protecting and rejuvenating these reefs is our only way to ensure we do not lose the biodiversity of these coral reefs. With a healthy coral reef, we will see the flourishing of all the species that make up this diverse ecosystem.

Having lived and worked across diverse destinations, how would you describe the unique rhythm and lifestyle of the Maldives compared to other island destinations?

I believe there’s something to be said about the Maldivian generosity of of spirit genuine hospitality; in my experience, these are among the warmest island people that truly enjoy living in harmony with the ocean. Everyone loves fishing, spending time in the water, whether snorkelling or diving. There’s an immense sense of pride for this beautiful nation that they’ve grown up in. A genuine culture and connection to the ocean.

Your career includes leading ultra-exclusive experiences, such as private yacht journeys. How do you bring that same sense of personalisation and discovery into a resort setting?

It’s about getting to know the guests that come to see us and guiding the team on how we create those really memorable experiences. To come back to my love for the ocean and exploration – all the way back from being a dive instructor – and I believe that our islands here are unmatched when it comes to discovery and exploration. A marine safari goes through the seasons: manta rays, turtles laying eggs, whale sharks, coral. Guest stays are persoanlised according to their passion points – whether that be sailing, wellbeing, culinary, diving, family time. The best part: there are always different ways to explore and enjoy the Maldives, regardless of the time of year that you come.

What role do local communities play in the success and sustainability of resorts in the Maldives?

A huge one. Our team is largely Maldivian – they’ve grown up here and love to share their culture and beautiful islands with visitors. It is my belief that we must continue to encourage more and more Maldivian youth to join hospitality; they are on an amazing journey of showcasing the beauty of their country. Hospitality is a very youth-driven industry – a first role can be learning from a chef in the kitchen, and we need to continue to inspire the younger generations. We see this with a brand like Banyan Tree that now has more than 100 resorts worldwide, hence presenting a very real opportunity to see the world in the same way that I’ve done. It is a very inspiring career path, and one that we should encourage and support more and more local communities, especially youth, to take advantage of.

Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of tourism in the Maldives? Do you see a shift toward more responsible, experience-driven travel?

As tourism grows, we need to ensure that the tourism industry has a net positive impact on the environment and the communities in order for it to continue to grow sustainably. Impact-led, transformational travel – regenerative travel.

Luxury is what is rare: what you don’t have at home, whether it’s walking barefoot on the beach or picking the salad that you’re going to eat – it is these rare experiences that we’re more and more willing to spend on.

Insights from Elias Pertoft on Sustainable Luxury

What innovations—whether in sustainability, guest experience, or design—are you most excited to explore in your current role?

The educational part. It is a wonderful venue to learn about nature and marine life firsthand through the eyes of our marine biologists or our team going out on a cruise looking for gentle giants (manta rays) – it is an opportunity to learn first-hand through the experiences – and to be leading the change, not just a part of it. Inspiring guests to change their habits and become more aware of nature around us. 

On a more personal note, after two decades spent across oceans and islands, what continues to inspire you about this industry?

I love to continue to explore – I am always amazed by cultures and nature around the world wherever I take up the lead and get to know – it never ceases to amaze me how people are both very similar but also very different in a beautiful way – in terms of how you live and how you appreciate your surroundings. Every place has a different solution – even if similar problems – and we can learn so many different things knowledge-wise from living on islands for so many years. How you find the marine creatures that are migrating; how we take care of the resort – it is very innovative in a way because it is done so differently around different corners of the globe.

Finally, if you had to define the essence of a perfect stay at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru in one idea or feeling, what would it be?

Definitely that feeling of walking barefoot around an island, often at sunrise, jumping in the water to see the ocean full of life – and the connection with beautiful Maldivian people with such warm hospitality – that become friends in no time.