An 'elite paradise': Inside the world's most Instagrammable hotel

If a resort doesn’t exist in the virtual vortex of Instagram, is it really worth your money or admiration?

Perhaps not, according to the world’s most Instagrammable hotel.

This year, the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas was voted the world’s most Instagram-worthy hotel thanks to a survey raking in more than 120,000 votes, conducted by Luxury Travel Advisor. The hotel, located in the heart of the Maldives, scored more than 20 per cent of results and bills itself as an “elite Maldivian paradise”.

So, what’s to love?

According to the resort’s director of communications, Clare Bromilow, for one, the scenery and design is so beautiful, a photo doesn’t need to be filtered when snapped.

“No filter is required at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas. The crystal-clear water, pristine beaches and luxurious private beachfront and open water pool villas [with glass-bottomed baths] all possess that wow factor,” she says.

In an era where design can only capture the attention of Instagram with striking form, it’s no surprise the hotel is brimming with distinctive, photo-worthy features, including an underwater restaurant.

With 80 villas on site, a night at the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas will set you back at least $1590.

“The enviable proximity of the house reef with its 30-metre yellow wall of coral, gastronomic feasts at the underwater Sea restaurant and wine cellar and the overwater bar and observatory viewing deck known as Sky, help to position Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas as a staggeringly beautiful resort to photograph,” Bromilow says.

As for the design, the villas draw their inspiration from the surroundings around them, with old-school building techniques like thatched palm roofs.

“The design aesthetic is a combination of meaningful style and spacious privacy. Every space has been designed to linger; from the beachfront pool villas, to the overwater pool villas, to each of the compelling restaurants and overwater spa – there is a feeling of intimacy,” she says.

It’s one thing to have innovative design, and another entirely to have a presence on social media that demands enough attention to generate bookings. Given the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas has both, business, understandably, is booming.

“Social media plays an integral role in hospitality. From guest reviews to checking in on Facebook and posting travel-trophy images on Instagram – todays travellers are wired in before, during and after their holiday. Social media is all about creating relationships with our guests and news guests,” she says.

“About 25 per cent of our bookings are as a result of our social media channels. Social media creates a dialogue with potential guests and Anantara Kihavah’s powerful visual attributes garner attention.”