Back in business

The beds have been made, the ranges have been lit and the bars have been fully stocked as Atlantis, Paradise Island, reopens its doors today after being shut for nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lights at the Royal Towers and Marina Village have gone up ahead of the return of the resort’s first guests, who arrive to a resort beautifully decked out for the Christmas season.

The Royal Towers is the first to be reopened for the first phase, where the centerpiece is a wonderfully decorated Christmas tree.

Atlantis Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations Russell Miller said employees have been returning to work over the past four weeks to prepare for the hotel’s reopening, cleaning and organizing the rooms, lobby, restaurants and other areas guests will enjoy once they arrive.

“When you walk through the property, you’ll see that we have a number of sanitizing stations set up and protocols in place,” Miller said.

“As you know, we’re operating under the safety zone or bubble concept. So, every guest who comes into the country, as per the government protocol, will have to have the negative result of the RT-PCR test and when they check in, we’ll need evidence of the RT-PCR test, plus the travel health visa.

“But in the bubble, they will not have to have any additional tests. So, if they’re not here beyond five days, they’re not required to have the fifth-day test. They can enjoy the facilities, all the amenities we have in place and just have a great vacation without any additional test requirements.”

Employees and vendors are required to take an antigen test once per week and show their results every day when swiping in for work.

It’s a part of the resort’s strict protocol Miller said is in place to protect both guests and staff.

“Everyone returning (employees) has to come through the security checkpoint,” he said.

“We have physical distancing markers, temperature checks and scanning machines in place. So, we think as we ramp up and we get closer to the full levels of staffing, we’ll have no issue processing that.”

Deep cleaning and sanitizing were the order of the day yesterday as employees ensured the hotel was as clean as possible to create a welcoming and safe environment for guests.

In Marina Village, vendors were seen unpacking boxes and stocking stalls as restaurant employees prepped for reopening.

The marina, just outside the Coral Towers lobby, had only one vessel in yesterday, a tell tale sign of the slow tourist activity in the country.

However, Russell said while the resort’s executives anticipate a slow reopening, they also expect things to pick up toward the end of the year and beginning of the first quarter of 2021.

“We’re optimistic,” said Miller, who did not disclose the specific occupancy level for reopening day.  

“It’s going to start out slow, but then it’s going to gradually build up. So, by Christmas or new year, we think we will be at a good level of occupancy and we’re hoping for the first quarter to take off and be successful for us.”

The resort closed in March, as the first cases were confirmed in the country.

As a part of its first phase of reopening the Royal Towers East, the Harbourside Marina and Marina Village will also reopen, along with some restaurants and other amenities for guests to enjoy.

The Reef residential-styled studios and suites are scheduled to reopen on December 17.

Miller said you can feel the excitement as you walk through the resort as employees are happy to get back to work.

“The team members are all onboard, excited and enthused,” he said.

“We’re all just ready to go. We want to get back to business. We’ve been out of operation for the past nine months and we’re ready to get back into business and take care and welcome all of our guests back.”

Atlantis is the largest private employer in the country with a staff complement of over 7,500 employees.

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