Atlantis, The Palm is a luxury hotel resort located at the apex of the
Palm Jumeirah in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
. It was the first resort to be built on the island and is themed on the myth of
Atlantis but includes distinct Arabian elements. The resort opened on September 24, 2008 as a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
between
Kerzner International Holdings Limited and
Istithmar World.
Hotel
The 1,544 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. Atlantis, The Palm is also known as the culinary destination in the region where guests can take their pick from a collection of 35 world-renowned restaurants including Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, Street Pizza,
Hakkasan,
Nobu, En Fuego, Seafire Steakhouse & Bar and the award-winning underwater restaurant, Ossiano.
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 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. The floor-to-ceiling windows includes 65,000 marine animal aquarium in Dubai and will be amazed as sharks, rays and fish glide right past your bed.
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, 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.
Launch
The hotel was officially opened on 24 September 2008.
Days before the opening ceremony, the hotel's grand lobby caught fire and became engulfed in flames which caused concern over the hotel's opening. Work was done to repair the damage caused and the hotel opened on time.
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 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
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
has yet to announce the status. The launch party costed an estimated £15m in total, with
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
earning £2m for a 60-minute performance for the hotel's 2,000 guests.
Reception
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
gave the hotel a 8/10, commending the underwater theme and facilities available. A 2024 review by
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
gave the hotel a score of 9/10, complimenting the architecture and appeal to all age groups.
Controversy
In October 2007, the hotel received a shipment of 28
bottlenose dolphins from the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
, to be used as part of their
aquarium
An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
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
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
). 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
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, 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.
The hotel faced controversy in 2010 following the captivity of a
whale shark
The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter feeder, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known Extant taxon, extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of . The whale shark holds many records for ...
, nicknamed Sammy, in an aquarium exhibit for 18 months.
The female juvenile was caught off a coast in
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali () is a port town south-west of Dubai. The Jebel Ali Port is located there. Al Maktoum International Airport has been constructed just outside the port area. Jebel Ali is connected to Dubai via the UAE Exchange (formerly Jebel Al ...
in August 2008 after appearing in distress.
At the time, whale sharks were listed in appendix 2 of
CITES
CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...
, stipulating that they can "only be held for scientific purposes provided that it does not harm the survival of the species". The captivity sparked outrage among animal rights groups and activists, including
PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.
Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...
and actress
Pamela Anderson.
Gulf News
''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. First launched in 1978, it is distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf countries. Its online edition was launched in 1996. Thro ...
launched a campaign with thousands of supporters calling for the release of the shark. Atlantis would release a press release, stating:
"After several months of planning, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai has returned a female whale shark to the waters of the Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
from where she was rescued. The Atlantis Fish Husbandry Team utilised their experience and skill to save the animal in compliance with all CITIES regulations."
Ali Bin Saqr Al Suwaidi, president and founder of the Emirates Marine Environment Group, another group involved in the campaign, confirmed the shark was set to be released.
Scepticism surrounding the release persisted afterwards due to a lack of images being circulated, with Steve Kaiser, vice president of Marine Science and Engineering at Atlantis, denying the claims of Sammy still being held in captivity.
Gallery
Image:Atlantispic3.jpg, One of the roof designs. The hotel has seven ceiling murals by Evans & Brown, a decorative painting studio based in San Francisco, California.
File:Vereinigte Arabische Emirate - Dubai - Palm Jumeirah und Dubai Marina - im Vordergrund das Hotel Atlantis - panoramio.jpg, Aerial view of Atlantis The Palm
File:Atlantis, The Palm (Hotel Lobby Lounge).jpg, Lobby Lounge
File:Atlantis, The Palm (Hotel Lobby Corridor).jpg, Lobby Corridor
File:Atlantis, The Palm (Hotel Aquarim).jpg, Hotel aquarium
File:Aquaventure Beach-Dubai UAE-Andres Larin.jpg, Aquaventure Beach
File:Aquaventure Water Park-Dubai UAE-Andres Larin.jpg, Aquaventure Water Park
See also
*
Dubai World
Dubai World () is an investment company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Government of Dubai across a wide range of industry segments and projects that promote Dubai as a hub for commerce and trading. A ...
*
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
*
List of hotels in Dubai
*
Atlantis Paradise Island – similar looking hotel by Sol Kerzner
*
Atlantis Sanya
*
Atlantis Resorts
References
External links
*
{{Developments in Dubai
2008 establishments in the United Arab Emirates
Aquaria in the United Arab Emirates
Hotel buildings completed in 2008
Palm Jumeirah
Resorts in Dubai
Seaside resorts in the United Arab Emirates
Skyscraper hotels in Dubai