Prior to joining Kerzner International, Max served in a variety of leadership positions within the Ritz Carlton brand in Turkey, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.

WITH MORE than 20 years of experience in luxury hospitality, Massimiliano Zanardi joined Atlantis, The Palm in October 2019 as the resort’s General Manager and Senior Vice President, Operations.

No stranger to Kerzner International, Massimiliano Zanardi, who goes by the name of Max, made his first foray into the group as General Manager for One&Only, Portonovi, Montenegro in 2015 where he was in charge of pre-opening set-up functions until 2017. During this time, he also served as an integral member of a task force team at the group’s flagship property, One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives. Following on from his tenure at One&Only Resorts, Max’s inherent ability to make things happen saw him taking the reins as Managing Director of Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, Morocco. There he successfully repositioned the 254-hectare golf, spa and casino resort, elevating it to achieve fantastic results in guest satisfaction and profitability, as well as in employee engagement.

Prior to joining Kerzner International, Max served in a variety of leadership positions within the Ritz Carlton brand in Turkey, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. In his capacity as General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul, Max won the coveted title of #1 Best Employer of Turkey (Hewitt) and was instrumental in helping the property to achieve one of the highest Gallup scores – which connect employee engagement with performance – within The Ritz-Carlton’s international portfolio.

Aside from a Degree in Hotel & Hospitality Management, Max also has a string of other qualifications under his belt including diplomas from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, London, The Aspen Leadership centre, Maryland, and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he focused on Innovation for Entrepreneurial Marketing.

A natural polyglot, Italian-born Max speaks six languages. Passionate about motorbikes and motocross, his other hobbies include kayaking, sailing, trekking, history, cooking and interior design