History

In May 1994, Sol Kerzner purchased a languishing Resorts International on Paradise Island from entertainer Merv Griffin and began one of the fastest major construction projects in the resort industry. In December 1994 a totally transformed 1,147-room resort, inspired by an amazing legend opened on Paradise Island; Atlantis. With a 14-acre waterscape of swimming pools, waterfalls, a lazy river ride, and six exhibit lagoons including a clear underwater tunnel in a shark habitat. Atlantis began to redefine tourism in The Bahamas and beyond.

Two years later the expansion continued with the Grand Opening of Royal Towers and Phase II, an $800 million expansion, which included the spectacular Mayan Temple waterslide complex, 6 swimming areas, the world’s largest open-air marine environment with 11 million gallons of water, and the Royal Marina, host to sleek mega yachts. Over 60 A-List celebrities, including Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and various dignitaries descended upon The Bahamas for the party of the century, with a finale of fireworks showering both over and on the Royal Towers.

The 1,200-room, $650 million hotel and casino was filled with museum-quality art by renowned artists from Europe, Africa, the United States and The Bahamas, including the glass sculptures Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon by Dale Chihuly, each valued at $1 million each. Upon opening, the casino also offered a gaming industry first: a wall of windows – bringing light and the outdoors into a rejuvenated gaming environment.

In January 2001 the inaugural Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament was launched and for over 10 years, raised millions of dollars for charities, including local causes.

The popular Marina Village opened in 2005, adding a new outdoor experience of shopping, dining, and entertainment for our guests.

The vision continued in 2007 with the grand opening of the luxurious Cove Atlantis and The Reef Atlantis, a high rise luxury condo. The $1 billion Phase III expansion also included Aquaventure, which, with its iconic Power Tower and high tech water slides and The Current rapid river ride, redefined water park fun. Dolphin Cay opened as a state of the art rescue, education, and interaction facility offering an intimate and one-of-a-kind Atlantis resort experience. It is one of the largest and most sophisticated marine habitats and animal rescue-rehabilitation facilities, unlike anything in the world. It is a place where swimming with dolphins was redefined creating memories of a lifetime.

In 2007 the Atlantis LIVE premiered with Joss Stone, followed by the popular Maroon 5 in October. Year after year Atlantis LIVE has featured Kelly Clarkson, Jonas Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, Colbie Caillat, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry; just to name a few.
Atlantis hosted the 58th Annual Miss Universe pageant, which was televised around the globe. Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, David Guetta, and Kelly Rowland perform and Miss Venezuela, Stefanía Fernández, was crowned Miss Universe 2009.

Our Atlantis Kids Adventures (AKA), the coolest kids club on the planet, opened in 2009 to rave reviews. Designed to stimulate a child’s imagination, AKA is equipped with everything from high tech interactive games and Mac computers to a performance stage, a LEGO construction zone, and a culinary kitchen just for kids.

In December 2010 the Battle at Atlantis made a splash on the pre-season college basketball scene, with a successful double-header trial run, Battle 4 Atlantis was born. Battle 4 Atlantis has expanded to an eight-team tournament, having moved to Thanksgiving Week, and has established itself as the premier pre-season men’s college basketball tournament.

December 2010 heralded the opening of CRUSH, the ultimate nightclub for teens – with 14,000 square feet of cool, sophisticated, and technologically advanced amenities, including an Internet Lounge, a one-of-a-kind floor-to-ceiling gaming tree, private gaming cabanas, and a dance floor with live DJs.

The Cartoon Network’s 60 Days of Summer launched in 2007 introducing an entirely new experience for guests. The summer event was kicked off with outdoor concert performances by Jordin Sparks and Jason Derulo.

Golf Channel’s Big Break Atlantis premieres in 2012, showcasing the stunningly beautiful Ocean Club Golf Course and a cast of 12 aspiring women’s golfers. That same year the Ocean Club Golf Course hosted the Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, televised on the Golf Channel. Celebrity golfers included Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Sharon Stone, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mark Wahlberg, and Benjamin Bratt.

In 2012 Kerzner International Holdings Limited successfully completed a comprehensive global restructuring resulting in substantially all of its Paradise Island Assets, including the Atlantis Resorts & Casino and the One & Only Ocean Club, being transferred to Brookfield Asset Management Inc. The resort welcomed our new owners Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a recognized global conglomerate, to The Bahamas. Brookfield has assets under management of approximately $150 billion and has an over 100-year history of owning and operating assets with a focus on real estate, infrastructure, renewable power, and private equity. Brookfield also specifically has over $83 billion of property assets and decades of operating experience in real estate investments that span the globe.

Atlantis guests, local dignitaries, and Bahamians launched the celebration of The Bahamas 40th Independence Year in 2014 and honored Sir Sidney Poitier with a spectacular fireworks display over the newly named Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge. Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson performed.

A mere two years later in 2014 Atlantis celebrated twenty years in The Bahamas under the theme Then Now and Always. Celebrating with our Paradise Island and Florida employees who helped to make Atlantis one of the most desired places to work and vacation experiences in the world.

In 2017 the resort continues to strive to Blow Away our customers remaining the number one resort destination in the Caribbean.