Change in Management Company as of 9/9/14 at Atlantis

tschwa2 · Feb 26, 2015

I was just rereading the press releases from the Marriott- Atlantis loan/agreement and saw that the management of Atlantis was transitioning in September from the old owner Kerzner (who still had the management contract through September 2014) to a group run by the new owner- Brookfield Hospitality. Has anyone who went down last Fall or this winter noticed any differences? I imagine they also manage the restaurants on property as well. What about any improvements going on to the property due to the fresh infusion of cash?

komosatp · Feb 27, 2015

tschwa2 said:
I was just rereading the press releases from the Marriott- Atlantis loan/agreement and saw that the management of Atlantis was transitioning in September from the old owner Kerzner (who still had the management contract through September 2014) to a group run by the new owner- Brookfield Hospitality. Has anyone who went down last Fall or this winter noticed any differences? I imagine they also manage the restaurants on property as well. What about any improvements going on to the property due to the fresh infusion of cash?

While the company changed, the people didn't. George Markantonis was in charge under Kerzner and remains in charge under Brookfield.

There was an extensive discussion of this change on this thread a while back.

There was a commitment from Brookfield to invest in Atlantis, when the ownership changed. Atlantis' default and change in ownership was a political football in the Bahamas, and the government required some concessions from the owners/investors to have the transition in ownership go smoothly.

I'm headed down in mid-April and will report back if I see anything new.

komosatp · Feb 27, 2015

Just noticed two changes at Atlantis.

1. Atlantis now charges a $45per room per day resort fee, that includes wifi internet access. Scroll down to wireless internet access. HRA not included.

2. There are new variations on the meal plan: there are now Value, Atlantis and Reef/Cove plans. The 'Value' and 'Atlantis' plans now give you the choice between two course (appetizer or dessert) or three course (appetizer AND dessert).

I also noticed that the 'meetings' part of the website is promoting "All Inclusive Packages". I'm guessing this is to anticipate what will be offered at Bahamar, more than any change in strategy based on new ownership/management.

GregT · Feb 27, 2015

komosatp said:
Just noticed two changes at Atlantis.

1. Atlantis now charges a $45pp/pd resort fee, that includes wifi internet access. Scroll down to wireless internet access. HRA not included.

2. There are new variations on the meal plan: there are now Value, Atlantis and Reef/Cove plans. The 'Value' and 'Atlantis' plans now give you the choice between two course (appetizer or dessert) or three course (appetizer AND dessert).

I also noticed that the 'meetings' part of the website is promoting "All Inclusive Packages". I'm guessing this is to anticipate what will be offered at Bahamar, more than any change in strategy based on new ownership/management.

$45 per person, per day is a huge resort fee -- my family of five would pay $225 every day -- wow.

But to confirm, HRA doesn't pay that fee (yet)?

Thanks for the updates!

Best,

Greg

DeniseM · Feb 27, 2015

I don't see how the hotel could charge fees at Harborside.

GregT · Feb 27, 2015

DeniseM said:
I don't see how the hotel could charge fees at Harborside.

Has anyone ever analyzed the contractual access between HRA and Atlantis to understand how the hotel could change it? And is it perpetual/non-cancelable?

Just curious -- thanks very much!

komosatp · Feb 27, 2015

GregT said:
$45 per person, per day is a huge resort fee -- my family of five would pay $225 every day -- wow.

But to confirm, HRA doesn't pay that fee (yet)?

i just checked and its on the room, not per person. I will correct above.

HRA does not pay this fee. The fees HRA owners pay to Atlantis are determined by an access agreement. It grows with the Bahamian CPI, per the agreement.

GregT said:
Has anyone ever analyzed the contractual access between HRA and Atlantis to understand how the hotel could change it? And is it perpetual/non-cancelable?

Just curious -- thanks very much!

it perpetual. And it's been reviewed and discussed extensively here:http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140714

jw0 · Feb 28, 2015

We went last fall and did not pay this fee.
I thought we already paid something to atlantis in our yearly MFs?
-J

GregT · Mar 1, 2015

komosatp said:
i just checked and its on the room, not per person. I will correct above.

HRA does not pay this fee. The fees HRA owners pay to Atlantis are determined by an access agreement. It grows with the Bahamian CPI, per the agreement.

it perpetual. And it's been reviewed and discussed extensively here:http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140714

Thank you - very helpful!

komosatp · Mar 9, 2015

komosatp said:
While the company changed, the people didn't. George Markantonis was in charge under Kerzner and remains in charge under Brookfield.

Just saw a story that Markantonis is no longer the GM at Atlantis. He stepped down two weeks ago, or so, to be the GM of The Venetian in Las Vegas. Story here.

The former COO under Markantonis was named new GM, so *not* a major change in management.

komosatp · Mar 9, 2015

komosatp said:
Just saw a story that Markantonis is no longer teh GM at Atlantis. He stepped down two weeks ago, or so, to be the GM of The Venetian in Las Vegas. Story here.

The former COO under Markantonis was named new GM, so *not* a major change in management.

The new guy, Paul Burke, has strong Starwood connections. From the Story:

Burke has served as a senior executive in the hospitality industry for over 30 years and has an extensive background in operations while successfully managing substantial and complex businesses. Previous positions also included experience with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and ITT Sheraton Corporation. He holds an MBA from Farleigh Dickinson University and a BS from Concordia University.

SueDonJ · Mar 9, 2015

komosatp said:
The new guy, Paul Burke, has strong Starwood connections. From the Story:

Why does that make a difference, if you're saying it does? I would guess that if either hotel company has management influence at Atlantis it'll be Marriott's because Atlantis isn't under the Starwood umbrella anymore, it's under Marriott's. (Searching for "Bahamas" using the Starwood booking engine doesn't return anything, while searching marriott.com brings up the Atlantis Beach, Coral and Royal Towers, and the Cove and the Reef.)

Harborside is, of course, a totally different story because it's a Starwood-affiliated timeshare.

DeniseM · Mar 9, 2015

I don't believe Atlantis was ever under Starwood management, so maybe he's saying that this will lead to better relationships between the hotel and timeshare.

SueDonJ · Mar 9, 2015

I thought prior to the Marriott affiliation Atlantis at least came under the Starwood umbrella, book-able through starwood.com? I could certainly be wrong ...

DeniseM · Mar 9, 2015

SueDonJ said:
I thought prior to the Marriott affiliation Atlantis at least came under the Starwood umbrella, book-able through starwood.com? I could certainly be wrong ...

No - the hotel wasn't Starwood managed or bookable through them. That's a common misperception, even among SW owners, because of Harborside being located on the same campus.

SueDonJ · Mar 9, 2015

DeniseM said:
No - the hotel wasn't Starwood managed or bookable through them. That's a common misperception, even among SW owners, because of Harborside being located on the same campus.

Ah. Thanks for the correction.

DeniseM · Mar 9, 2015

The consumer reports about Atlantis, are sometimes horrible - hopefully Marriott can get them whipped into shape.

SueDonJ · Mar 9, 2015

DeniseM said:
The consumer reports about Atlantis, are sometimes horrible - hopefully Marriott can get them whipped into shape.

Hopefully, but the Marriott influence over its "Autograph Collection" hotels (which is how Atlantis is now affiliated) is the least strong among all Marriott-affiliated hotel collections. The main thing for us Marriott people is that we can earn and use Marriott Rewards Points for Atlantis stays, so that's why we're keeping our fingers crossed for some improvement through influence.

komosatp · Mar 9, 2015

SueDonJ said:
Why does that make a difference, if you're saying it does?

Not saying anything I guess. Other than the new GM of Atlantis probably has old friends and/or enemies that still work for Starwood. You never know where old relationships can pop-up and influence current events.

Change in Management Company as of 9/9/14 at Atlantis

tschwa2

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komosatp

komosatp

GregT

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DeniseM

GregT

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komosatp

jw0

Tug Review Crew: Rookie

GregT

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komosatp

komosatp

SueDonJ

DeniseM

SueDonJ

DeniseM

SueDonJ

DeniseM

SueDonJ

komosatp