Sunday, Sep 21, 2008

Gulf News

Dubai: Kerzner International, developer of the Atlantis resort on the Palm Jumeirah is set to boost assets on the Palm to around $2.5 billion (Dh9.2 billion), with designs well underway for a $1 billion expansion of Atlantis, according to a senior official.

The $1.5 billion Atlantis resort only occupies 50 per cent of the land area that Kerzner International owns and there are plans to develop a mixed-use Cove Atlantis on the remaining land.

"We're working on a concept very similar to what we have in the Cove, Bahamas," Alan Leibman, managing director of Kerzner International, told Gulf News. "That's in the design phase right now."

Other elements

"It will be a Cove with other elements. It'll be mixed-use with the hotel and condos and we're right in the middle of design right now," Leibman added.

The total development value is said to be around $1 billion.

With only three days to go until the opening of Atlantis, all hands are on deck to ensure that doors open smoothly on September 24.

"We're excited. I've got to get everybody who had their doubts to see we're opening the doors. We're getting to that final countdown," said Leibman.

The first guest in the Dh92,000-a-night Bridge Suite in the Atlantis will be from Europe and is scheduled to stay four days, according to a senior official.

"It's a great booking because it's a European guest and they're bringing their family out here," Leibman said.

The Bridge Suite spans 924 square metres linking the West and East towers and includes three bedrooms and an 18-seat dining area.

The final trials are also being carried out on the rooms and restaurants before the resort opens.

Despite the fire that broke out at the Atlantis nearly three weeks ago, the resort will open on schedule. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Of the 1,539 rooms, 500 are booked for the first night, and within two days, 1,200 rooms are booked. Leibman said they were "very comfortable" about their bookings from September to December and into next year, so the success of Atlantis looks positive. "Business has been good," said the managing director.

"There's been a lot of demand for Eid. Right now, we're pretty much getting ready to be sold out for Eid, other than some suites."

Sol Kerzner, chief executive of Kerzner International, said recently that his group was looking to the Gulf region to offset difficulties in the US.

Middle East focus

"We will probably do more things in the Middle East and are considering the Far East, but at the same time, with the econ-omic environment you have to be careful ... but we are in discussions," Kerzner told local media.

Leibman said this Atlantis resort will target a different market from that of the first Atlantis, Paradise Island, in the Bahamas.

"There are more celebrity chefs here and it's geared a lot more to the European market, whereas the Bahamas is 97 per cent plus out of the US market," he said.

"They're both great quality experiences but here we have more lunch, dining experiences," he added.

© Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.

 

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