Atura Hotels has appointed experienced hotelier Shannon Craig as general manager of Atura Oran Park ahead of the hotel’s opening in October 2026.
The appointment will add to Craig’s current responsibilities as area general manager NSW.
She brings more than two decades of hotel leadership experience across Australia, New Zealand and the UK with EVT Hotels & Resorts, Atura Hotels’ parent company.
Craig worked most recently as general manager of Rydges Parramatta and area general manager NSW for EVT.
Her career has also included leadership roles across Rydges Wellington and the Rotorua region, Atura Adelaide Airport and the South Australia region, QT Canberra, Rydges Esplanade Resort Cairns and Rydges Kensington London.
An evolving hospitality landscape
Craig’s appointment comes as Atura prepares to open its newest hotel in South Western Sydney’s Oran Park.
As area general manager, she will lead the property through its final pre-opening phase, overseeing the transition from development to operations, recruiting and training the hotel’s founding team, establishing service standards and systems, and building relationships across local communities.
She said the opportunity to open a hotel in a region undergoing such significant transformation was particularly exciting.
“South Western Sydney has transformed remarkably. Oran Park itself has gone from a semi-rural area, best known for its motorsport history, into a thriving town centre with new housing, retail and infrastructure,” she said.
“There is a real sense of momentum here and our focus is on making sure Atura Oran Park becomes part of that community from day one. We’re building a great local team, developing strong relationships with businesses and tourism partners and creating a hotel that works just as well for the people who live here as it does for those travelling to the region.”
The property’s opening comes as Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport prepares to commence operations in late 2026.
Atura Oran Park sits approximately 20 minutes from the new airport. Shannon said the airport, alongside continued investment across the region, would create significant opportunities for the local visitor economy.
“The opening of Western Sydney International Airport will be transformative for the region. It will bring new business and leisure travellers into South Western Sydney, while continued investment is attracting more businesses and events to the area.
“Hotels have an important role to play in growing communities. They’re not simply somewhere to stay; at their best, they become places where people meet, celebrate and do business. That’s very much what we want Atura Oran Park to be.”
