Tom Roelens
General Manager and Senior Vice President, Operations, Atlantis The Royal
Tom Roelens, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Operations Atlantis The Royal, has more than 25 years of international experience in the hospitality industry and has held senior management positions in North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Indian Ocean and Europe.
Having joined in January 2020, Tom’s position places him at the helm of the world’s most ultra luxury resort, Atlantis, The Royal, where he oversees all aspects of the iconic destination enhancing financial and operational performance while sharing his passion for exceptional guest experiences. Roelens’ remit includes the 795-room resort, as well as 17 world-renowned restaurants and bars, an extensive MICE & Events offering, and retail avenues.
Prior to joining Atlantis Dubai, Tom served in a variety of leadership positions spanning 20 years with the prestigious Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. As General Manager, he led the pre-opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, successfully launched the mixed-use development and established the property promptly as the rate leader in the city. Tom opened Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives, headed up the extensive transformation of Four Seasons Resorts in Lana'i, Hawaii, and lead operations at Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach in California as well as The Regent Jakarta, Indonesia.
Tom started his career in fine-dining Michelin starred restaurants in Belgium and France. His hospitality training started at Hotel School ter Groene Poorte in Bruges, and led him to obtain an A1 Degree with Honours in Hotel Management from the Hoger Technisch Instituut in Belgium, before obtaining his Postgraduate Degree in Public Relations and Media Management at Ghent University. Tom completed his education at Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration, with certificates in Hospitality Financial Management, Strategic Management, and Hotel Real Estate Investments. He is actively involved on the Standards Advisory Committee of Forbes Travel Guide and has served as Senior Adjunct Lecturer at Taylor’s University in Malaysia.
Tom enjoys a wide range of hobbies including hiking, running, Hawaiian outrigger canoeing, and scuba diving – some of his favourite dives being in the Maldives and Bora Bora, French Polynesia. To date, he has visited over 65 countries around the world and lived in seven. He is joined in Dubai by his wife, Sara, with whom he has been travelling around the world since 1995.