Chief Commercial Officer of Atmosphere Core, Stephane Laguette

How do you ensure a seamless and personalized guest experience, considering the unique challenges and expectations of operating luxury resorts in remote islands such as The Maldives?

Our company’s core belief is: “Joy of Giving.” We think giving should be heartfelt and genuine. This belief is like our guiding star, motivating us to serve our guests, inspire our teams, and enhance the relationships with our partners, all from the heart. It’s what drives us to create, innovate, and improve our services. ‘Joy of Giving’ starts with crafting personalized holidays that meet our guests’ ideal vacation expectations. We are pioneers in offering beyond all-inclusive holidays in the Maldives, where you can enjoy luxurious island living without worrying about your check-out heavy invoice. At each of our properties, we offer an exclusive ‘Holiday Plan’ that includes a variety of experiences and services, all with a spirit of generosity. However, our mission extends further, we aim to create a unique sense of place for all guests, showcasing the rich cultural diversity and natural beauty of each of our different islands. 

As we set sail towards the next exciting phase of our growth, venturing into new and distinctive South Asian destinations, our unwavering commitment to embracing the Joy of Giving remains steadfast. This commitment fuels our ability to deliver unparalleled, personalized guest experiences.

Can you explain your approach to building and maintaining successful partnerships to enhance Atmosphere Core’s offerings? 

We make certain that our resorts remain captivating to both our guests and partners by consistently improving and enhancing the overall experience. This includes ongoing efforts in resort development, renovations, launching new properties, offering unique experiences, and hosting special events. Also, every year, we try to create a series of unique and innovative events through various partnerships. For instance, we’ve taken an innovative approach to cultivate an authentic in-house wine culture. Recently, Atmosphere Core partnered with three family-owned wineries: Champagne Guy Charbaut (France), Bodegas Viñátigo (Canary Islands in Spain), and the newest addition, Glenelly Estate (South Africa). These partners were carefully selected based on extensive research, considering their authenticity, family-owned values, and the unique expressive terroir wines that are exclusive to the Maldives. These exceptional wines are now available across all the brands within our portfolio.

Can you elaborate on Atmosphere Core’s efforts to integrate eco-friendly practices into your commercial strategies and how these efforts align with the company’s long-term goals?

Sustainability has been ingrained in the DNA of Atmosphere Core from day one. In line with our unwavering commitment, we’ve ensured that all our resorts are Green Globe certificated. Our approach to sustainability centers is built around ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.’

We diligently monitor, measure, and regularly communicate our sustainability efforts to our colleagues, media outlets, and sales partners. Atmosphere Core has one of the largest solar power generation setups in the Maldives. We have an extensive solar power installation, with 8,890 solar panels across resorts, boasting a total capacity of 11.76 Mwh of clean energy. 

Over the past decade, we’ve forged deep emotional bonds with our colleagues, partners, and guests, receiving overwhelming support at every level in pursuit of our long-term goals.

I would like to highlight the ongoing initiative at our resort, OBLU SELECT Sangeli, known as the Muraka (Coral) Project. This initiative is dedicated to preserving the ocean and coral ecosystem through coral restoration, wildlife identification, reef clean-ups, and repurposing ghost nets, among others. We’ve partnered with OceanЯ, an Irish brand specializing in sustainable apparel, to offer sustainable Rash Vests and T-shirts. Each piece contributes to removing 1 kg of plastic from the sea.

We remain dedicated to creating marketing materials in various formats to effectively convey our eco-warrior messages.

How do you ensure seamless inter-departmental collaboration for a cohesive commercial strategy and outstanding guest value?

Our strategic approach centers around the “Joy of Giving,” internally and externally. We deeply understand guest preferences and the growing trends in the travel & hospitality industry. We are more about freedom to move and experiential engagement. As pioneers in the Maldivian industry, we have achieved remarkable success with our innovative “Evolving Holiday Plans,” which seamlessly blend dining, beverages, activities, and water sports to create an exceptional holiday experience. We adapted integrated commercial tactics to create an infrastructure that elevates guest satisfaction and fosters collaboration between our corporate and in-resort teams, resulting in a unified and effective strategy.

Finally, in your industry reputation as the CCO of Atmosphere Core, once we set that aside, how would you define your personal identity?

I see myself as an open-minded individual who readily embraces challenges. I am also a lifelong student, always exploring and soaking up new knowledge.