Keith Johnson joins Anantara Maldives as Cluster Director of Food and Beverage

Anantara Hotels & Resorts has appointed Keith Johnson as Cluster Director of Food and Beverage in the Maldives, overseeing F&B operations across Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, Anantara Veli Maldives Resort and Naladhu Private Island Maldives.

Johnson took up the position in August 2026, bringing more than a decade of experience in restaurant and hotel food and beverage operations across the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. His career has covered hotel operations, restaurant management, pre-openings, concept development and multi-property F&B leadership.

In his new role, Johnson is responsible for developing and executing the cluster’s F&B strategy across restaurants, bars, in-villa dining, destination dining and events, with a focus on revenue, profitability, guest satisfaction and brand positioning. His responsibilities also include oversight of budgets, forecasting, P&L performance, F&B costs, labour productivity and revenue optimisation.

He will work with the resorts’ General Managers, Executive Chefs and commercial and finance teams on culinary and beverage concepts, while also leading areas including menu engineering, beverage strategy, inventory management, cost control, waste reduction and sustainable sourcing. His role extends to recruitment, coaching, succession planning and leadership development across the F&B teams of the three properties.

Before joining Anantara, Johnson was Cluster Director of Food and Beverage at Modon Hospitality in the UAE from February to August 2026. In that position, he led F&B strategy across a portfolio of hospitality properties and supported restaurant development, new concepts and several pre-opening projects.

He previously served as Food and Beverage HOD for a JW Marriott pre-opening project in Kuwait, where his responsibilities covered F&B strategy, concepts, financial frameworks and service standards across restaurants, bars, banqueting, events, room service and culinary operations. Prior to that, he was Acting Director of Food and Beverage at Grand Hyatt Kuwait, overseeing teams across five revenue centres.

Johnson’s earlier experience includes serving as Restaurant General Manager at Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah from January 2023 to August 2024. He also held General Manager positions with Côte Restaurants, Ego Mediterranean Restaurants, Mitchells & Butlers PLC and The Restaurant Group in the UK.

His new cluster encompasses three Anantara properties in South Malé Atoll, each catering to a different segment of the Maldives market.

Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort is a family-focused property with 110 beach and overwater villas, located around 30 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport. Facilities include an overwater spa, surf school, water sports centre and children’s activities. Its dining portfolio includes Fushi Café, Aqua and the overwater Sea.Fire.Salt., while guests can also access selected dining experiences at neighbouring Anantara Veli.

Across the lagoon, Anantara Veli Maldives Resort is an adults-only retreat comprising 67 overwater, ocean and beach villas. Its culinary offering includes contemporary Japanese dining at Origami, South Asian cuisine at Cumin, Thai restaurant Baan Huraa, Dhoni Bar and private Designer Dining experiences. Guests at Veli also have access to additional restaurants and facilities at Anantara Dhigu, which is a short pontoon ride away.

Naladhu Private Island Maldives offers a more secluded experience in South Malé Atoll, centred on individually designed houses, personalised service and bespoke experiences. Dining at the private island includes menus tailored to guest preferences as well as private experiences ranging from beach dinners and island picnics to meals in secluded settings around the island.

Johnson’s appointment places him at the head of the food and beverage operation across a cluster that spans family, adults-only and private-island hospitality, with his remit covering both the commercial performance of the outlets and the continued development of dining concepts and guest experiences across the three resorts.

Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort Anantara Veli Maldives Resort Naladhu Private Island Maldives