The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

ATLANTIS is looking ahead to its next 30 years, with its top executive yesterday stressing that the resort’s long-term success will depend on continued investment in its 6,000-plus workforce, operations and guest experience.

Speaking at the resort’s 2026 second quarter Amethyst Awards, which recognise outstanding team members and managers, Audrey Oswell, its president and managing director, said its 30th anniversary in 2028 will be a milestone but “not a finish line” as it continues working on projects that will extend through the anniversary year.

“We’re coming up on 30 years, our 30-year anniversary in 2028,” she said. “It’s not that far away.” Ms Oswell said that several projects currently underway are not expected to be completed until that year. She added that the longevity of the Atlantis brand has been built not only through major developments and headline events, but through thousands of operational decisions made by employees across the resort.

“The future of this company is not being decided in a boardroom,” she said. “It is being decided every day by all of you in the 10,000 small moments that none of us will ever fully see together.” 

Ms Oswell described Atlantis’s more than 6,000 employees as the “real engine” of the company, spanning hotel operations, marine and water park operations, food and beverage, casino, engineering, golf course, the water plant, security, landscaping, laundry, warehousing, human resources, legal, finance, information technology, marketing, entertainment and guest activities.

She said the resort’s ability to maintain its reputation and remain competitive depends on employees continually identifying ways to improve operations rather than accepting existing practices as sufficient.

“That is the real engine of this company,” Ms Oswell said. “It’s not the big reveal or the next big concert. It’s the thousand small refusals to accept that’s just how we do it here.”

She pointed to improvements such as a faster guest check-in processes, reliable air conditioning, new food and beverage offerings and employees identifying and fixing recurring problems as examples of the type of innovation that can influence the guest experience and, ultimately, the resort’s long-term performance. For Atlantis, Ms Oswell said, innovation also means ensuring repeat visitors have a different experience each time they return.

Her comments came as Atlantis continues to operate against a backdrop of significant activity and disruption, including construction and renovations, severe weather and electricity disruptions. Ms Oswell acknowledged that the resort has experienced an “unusually busy year”, with periods of heavy arrivals resulting in extended shifts for employees.

“There were actually days earlier this year when the number of hotel arrivals looked like a dam,” she said, adding that some employees worked shifts so demanding that a single night or day off was not enough to fully recover. Despite those pressures, Ms Oswell said employees continued to deliver the level of service expected by guests.

Ms Oswell also tied Atlantis’ 30-year history to its workforce, noting that some employees have been at the resort for decades and that, in some cases, employees’ parents also worked at Atlantis. She said the resort is now seeing guests return with their own children after previously visiting with their parents.

“That is not a marketing achievement,” she said. “That is a legacy, and you are the ones who build it, shift by shift, guest by guest.” Ms Oswell said maintaining that legacy will require Atlantis to continue investing in training, developing employees and preparing its next generation of leaders.

“It survives on whether we keep training, keep questioning, keep building people up so that the next generation of leaders in this company are already sitting in this room here today,” she said.

Ms Oswell said the event is intended to recognise employees across the resort, regardless of their role or length of service.

The quarterly Amethyst Awards typically attract more than 100 nominees from across the resort’s divisions, she said, with the programme designed to ensure representation from different departments and areas of the operation. Ms Oswell said the awards also serve as a source of motivation for the wider workforce, with employees attending both as nominees and to support their colleagues.

Among this quarter’s recipients was Warren Curtis, general manager of Amber Restaurant, who has spent 42 years with the company. Mr Curtis attributed his recognition to “hard dedication” and long-term commitment to Atlantis.

“It truly shows that, hey, you know, something I’m committed to this organisation, this great home at Atlantis,” he said.

Keenan Carroll, assistant director at The Cove and Reef, was recognised as one of the managers of the quarter. He said his willingness to assist colleagues and help develop those around him contributed to his selection.

“I’m a person that I’m willing to help out and do whatever I can to build up those around me, and to lend a hand wherever needed,” he said.

Donnalee Skippings Hamilton, director of marina water park operations, was also recognised with a leadership award. She attributed the recognition to hard work, longevity with the resort, developing her team and maintaining a strong relationship with returning guests.

“I’ve been here for a pretty long time, and I’ve been displaying growth in my team members, and I’ve been getting a lot of return guests that are happy at Atlantis,” she said.

Ms Hamilton also highlighted Atlantis’s internal training and development programmes as important to her professional growth. Although she did not have the opportunity to complete a college degree, she said the resort’s extensive training programme, including its Atlantis University and Learning and Development department, has helped prepare employees for leadership roles.

“We are lined up for the entire year, and we’re doing them periodically, so that it prepares us and it keeps us focused and it keeps us able to be developed and develop our team,” she said.

As Atlantis approaches three decades of operations, Ms Oswell said the resort’s next chapter will ultimately be determined by how effectively its employees continue to deliver on the brand’s promise.

“A brand does not survive three decades just on its history,” she said. “It survives on what the person in the hallway does at 2pm on an ordinary Tuesday when nobody else is watching, but they do it because they know it’s going to surprise and delight our guests.”