25°7′49.5934″N 55°7′1.7393″E / 25.130442611°N 55.117149806°E / 25.130442611; 55.117149806 Atlantis, The Palm is a luxury hotel resort located at the apex of the Palm Jumeirah in the United Arab Emirates. It was the first resort to be built on the island and is themed on the myth of Atlantis[1] but includes distinct Arabian elements. The resort opened on September 24, 2008 as a joint venture between Kerzner International Holdings Limited and Istithmar World.[2]

Atlantis, The Palm
Hotel chainAtlantis, The Palm
General information
LocationJumeirah Palm, Dubai
Construction started2006[3]
OpeningSeptember 24, 2008 (2008-09-24)
ManagementKerzner International Resorts
Height93.0 m (305.1 ft)
Technical details
Floor count22
Design and construction
DeveloperKerzner International Resorts
Other information
Number of rooms1,548[4]
Number of suitesSuites (Regal, Terrace, Executive)
Super Suites (Royal Bridge, Grand Atlantis, Underwater, Presidential)
Website
www.atlantis.com/dubai/atlantis-the-palm
[5][6][7]

Hotel

The 1,548 room nautically themed resort has two accommodation wings, consisting of the East and the West Tower. It is complemented by the Aquaventure water park and the Lost Chambers Aquarium, home to over 65,000 marine animals.

Underwater rooms

The Poseidon and Neptune Underwater Suites at Atlantis The Palm are two of only a tiny handful of underwater hotel rooms around the world, and regularly appear in lists of the world's most unique accommodation.

Measuring 165 m2 (1,780 sq ft) in total, the upper, entrance floor is at ground level while the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom are submerged. The almost floor to ceiling windows in both the bedroom and bathroom face out on to the resort's Ambassador Lagoon, home to a multitude of exotic sea creatures.[8]

Development

Atlantis The Palm, opened on 24 September 2008 as a joint venture between Kerzner International Holdings Limited and Istithmar World. In April 2012, Istithmar World acquired Kerzner's 50-percent stake in the property for US$250 million. The property continues to be managed by Kerzner International Resorts. The Conceptual Design Architects were Northpoint-South Africa. The architect of record was design firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo (WATG) an international firm specializing in Luxury Hotels. The principal contract for the project was awarded to Laing O'Rourke,[9] a multinational construction firm based in United Kingdom. Laing O'Rourke was responsible for the design and construction phases of the 23-story hotel and water park.

Official launch

After the construction of the hotel carried out by Laing O'Rourke it was officially opened on 24 September 2008.[10]

Days before the opening ceremony, the hotel's grand lobby caught fire[11] and became engulfed in flames which caused concern over the hotel's opening. Around the clock work repaired the damage caused and the hotel opened on time.[12][13]

As part of the opening, a light show of moving images was illuminated onto the hotel. 100,000 fireworks, around seven times the amount that were used for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, were let off, lasting 15 minutes. The display of fireworks across the full 5 km (3.1 mi) stretch of The Palm lit up the entire island and Atlantis, The Palm. Custom-made shells shipped in from across the globe created a light spectacle taking off from the 716 firing locations around the island, including 400 balconies at the resort. Display creator Fireworks by Grucci claims the display set a new world record, but records curator Guinness World Records has yet to announce the status.[14] The launch party costed an estimated £15m in total, with Kylie Minogue earning £2m for a 60-minute performance for the hotel's 2,000 guests.[15][16]

Dolphin controversy

In October 2007, the hotel received a shipment of 28 bottlenose dolphins from the Solomon Islands, to be used as part of their aquarium exhibit, called Dolphin Bay. The move was decried by several environmental groups, particularly for the fact that the export of dolphins had earlier been banned by the Solomon Islands government (after a similar controversial shipment to Mexico). Hotel managers have said that though the dolphins are being trained to interact with visitors, they will not appear in any sort of show or circus-like performance. They have also stated that the health of the dolphins is paramount; because the bottlenose is not an endangered species, their shipment did not pose a problem. The deal was done with the approval of the United Arab Emirates and Solomon Island governments, through the company Solomon Islands Marine Mammal Education Centre and Exporters Limited (who had overturned the earlier ban in court). The amount of money paid for the dolphins has not been disclosed.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.atlantisthepalm.com Archived 2009-05-24 at the Wayback Machine Atlantis
  2. ↑ Ahmed Hussein (November 25, 2008). "Landmark project Atlantis, The Palm officially launched amidst grand ceremony". EstatesDubai. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Reporter, Shakir Husain, Staff (9 October 2006). "Construction of Atlantis resort project set to peak in February". Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Hotel Rooms and Suites Atlantis The Palm Dubai". www.atlantisthepalm.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  5. ↑ "Emporis building complex ID 112406". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Atlantis, The Palm". SkyscraperPage.
  7. ↑ Atlantis, The Palm at Structurae
  8. ↑ Underwater Hotel Rooms in Dubai
  9. ↑ "Atlantis, The Palm. Dubai. United Arab Emirates". Archived from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  10. ↑ CW Staff (10 June 2010). "UK giant Laing O'Rourke denies ME withdrawal". Construction Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  11. ↑ Cronin, Sean. "Atlantis bosses say fire-hit resort will open on time". Arabian Business.
  12. ↑ "Atlantis fire casts doubt on opening". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  13. ↑ Harnan, Eugene (2008-09-02). "Police investigate Atlantis fire". The National. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  14. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/atlantis-fireworks-display-seeks-place-in-guinness-book-1.17275 Archived 2014-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Atlantis fireworks display seeks place in Guinness Book of World Records
  15. ↑ Bhatia, Shekhar (21 November 2008). "500 chefs, 4,000 lobsters and Kylie - recession Dubai style". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  16. ↑ "Wow! Kylie Minogue to be paid £2million for 60-minute set at Dubai hotel opening party". Evening Standard. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  17. ↑ 28 dolphins on way to Palm hotel Archived October 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Gulf News (16 October 2007).
  18. ↑ Wild dolphins adapt to indoor life Archived October 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Gulf News (27 October 2007).
  19. ↑ Kho, Nancy Davis (January 5, 2011). "Evans & Brown murals commissioned worldwide". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
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