The president and managing director of Kerzner International in The Bahamas says Atlantis is expecting occupancy in the mid-90s during the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, capping off a strong start to 2012.
During the first quarter of this year, George Markantonis said the property has seen a six percent rise in bookings compared to the previous year. Strong numbers for Memorial Day Weekend, which features a Michael Douglas celebrity golf tournament and Kenny Chesney concert, has injected optimism into management going into the summer.
"Our preliminary data is outstanding. It has continued after the first quarter," he added. "Lets hope that the summer is strong. That is our x-factor. We have some compelling offers that are about to come out that should excite summer tourists."
Markantonis said the marketing strategy will be to entice families, particularly with young children.
While no additional concerts are in the works, the Kerzner executive pointed to the 2011 Miss Teen USA pageant in July, the sixth time Paradise Island has hosted the nationally televised event. Another development of note is the airing of "The Big Break", a realty show on the Golf Channel that was filmed last year.
Beginning on next year, the show, filmed entirely at the Ocean Club Golf Course, will air for a total of 10 episodes, providing the destination with much-needed exposure.
But beyond the next few months, executives at Atlantis are working feverishly behind the scenes to shore-up airlift into the country in anticipation of Baha Mar's opening in December 2014. Markantonis revealed that a powerhouse delegation, including Atlantis, Baha Mar, the government, the tourism boards and executives from the Airport Authority, will meet with American Airlines in Dallas at the end of this month to plan for the future. The high-level meeting follows a similar conference with Delta Airlines in Atlanta earlier this month.
At stake is indeed the future of the tourism product in The Bahamas.
"The reception from Delta was positive. I think the one comment that stuck out the most was they had never been approached by a united group such as The Bahamas. It was obvious we had one goal in mind. This is relationship building. Now they will go back and look at their schedules. We didn't get any promises, but we did get a positive outlook," according to Markantonis.
Don Robinson, the president of Baha Mar, estimates that the country requires 30 percent more airlift by the time the $2.6 billion mega resort opens.
That represents approximately 400,000 more seats in the market per year.
"We are aggressively becoming a world-class destination," Robinson said. "Atlantis and Baha Mar can co-exist."
As Baha Mar continues to rise in Cable Beach, Atlantis has begun work on the Royal Towers revamp, reportedly taking up a large chuck of the resort's $50 million budget for annual capital expenditures. Up to 600 rooms are expected to receive a facelift this year, with the other 600 in the Royal Towers next year.
"We don't have anything new this year. The Royal Tower will be the biggest project," he said. "There will be new attractions and restaurants, just not this year."

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