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Motors |	Jobs |	Property |	Dating |	Wine |	Feedback |	E- 
editionsWednesday, September 24 2008 This Afternoon  16°C  This  
Evening 11°C  5-Day Forecast
Pictured: Inside the £800m Dubai hotel boasting a £13,000-a-night  
suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:52 AM on 24th September 2008

Comments (41)  Add to My Stories

It's the latest word in Gulf excess - a sprawling £800million resort  
boasting a £13,000-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South  
Pacific, all atop a palm tree-shaped island.

Environmentalists have long criticised both the island and some of the  
features of the Atlantis hotel, set to open tomorrow.

Analysts wonder, separately, if global financial turmoil could someday  
crimp Dubai's big tourist dreams.

But Dubai is not blinking: the 113-acre resort on an artificial island  
off the Persian Gulf coast is among the city-state's biggest bets that  
tourism can help sustain its economy once regional oil profits stop  
flowing.

Enlarge
Sea view: A bedroom looks onto the giant aquarium

Enlarge
Water pleasure: Journalists watch a stingray swimming in the aquarium  
at a press preview

Enlarge
Fantasy island: The Atlantis hotel has been built on an artificial  
island off the coast of Dubai

'You don't build a billion-and-a-half dollar project just anywhere in  
the world,' said Alan Leibman, president and managing director of  
Kerzner International, the hotel operator that teamed with Dubai  
developer Nakheel on the resort.

With its own oil reserves running dry, Dubai hopes to woo those eager  
to make money and those who know how to spend it - even as much of the  
global economy sours.

For years, the emirate - one of seven semi-independent states that  
make up the United Arab Emirates - has been feverishly building  
skyscrapers and luxury hotels.

A swirling glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly graces one of the lobbies

Enlarge
Even the corridors are sumptuous

A key piece of the strategy has been to cultivate an image in the West  
as a sun-kissed tourist destination despite its soaring summer heat,  
conservative Muslim society and relative dearth of historic sites.

Fueling the interest are belief-defying projects such as an indoor ski  
slope, the as-yet-incomplete world's tallest skyscraper and a growing  
archipelago of man-made islands such as the Palm Jumeirah - the  
smallest of three such projects planned.

Much of the focus at Atlantis, modeled on a sister resort in the  
Bahamas, is on ocean-themed family entertainment.

Enlarge
Bathtime - with water cascading from high up in the ceiling

Enlarge
... Or you might prefer to soak up the splendours of the aquarium  
while you bathe

The resort contains a giant open-air tank with 65,000 fish, stingrays  
and other sea creatures and a dolphinarium with more than two dozen  
bottlenose dolphins flown in, amid controversy, from the Solomon  
Islands.

But the hotel's top floor aims squarely at the ultra-wealthy. A three- 
bedroom, three-bathroom suite complete with gold-leaf 18-seat dining  
table is on offer for £13,000 a night.

Dubai's development has long been criticized by environmental  
activists, who say the construction of artificial islands hurts coral  
reefs and even shifts water currents. They point to growing water and  
power consumption.

Enlarge
Special guest: One of the dolphins flown in from the far-off Pacific

Enlarge
A tourist takes a picture of her husband as he slides down the Leap of  
Faith chute at the Atlantis resort

Last year, environmental groups and some residents of the Solomon  
Islands protested the decision to sell the dolphins, plus the 30-hour  
plane flight needed to get them to Dubai.

Developers seem undaunted. For the moment, the resort shares the  
sprawling island only with rows of high-end houses and construction  
sites. But other international names are set to move in.

Donald Trump plans to open a hotel straddling the center of the palm,  
and the storied QE2 ocean liner will become a hotel and a tourist  
attraction docked alongside the island tree's 'trunk'.

Another hotel suite gives a more traditional view of the actual sea

The decor is uncluttered but exotic

An 1,800-seat theatre nearby will house a permanent Cirque du Soleil  
show beginning in summer 2011.

'Palm Jumeirah in and of itself will become one of Dubai's major  
tourist attractions,' said Joe Cita, chief executive of Nakheel's  
hotel division.

Boosting the number of attractions on the island will not only entice  
more visitors, he said, but also persuade them to spend more time and  
money in the city.

By 2010, Dubai aims to attract a staggering 10 million hotel visitors  
annually, up from about 7 million in 2007. Atlantis alone will  
increase the city's hotel capacity by 3 percent.

Enlarge
Fish food: Diners can also gaze at the stunning sea life in the giant  
aquarium

Enlarge
Colourful murals line the upper walls

So far, demand appears strong. The Middle East had the highest hotel  
occupancy rates in the world during the first half of the year, with  
Dubai leading the region at 85.3 percent, according to professional  
services firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Dubai also had the highest room rates in the region, although revenue  
growth is slowing, Deloitte noted.

Atlantis' backers are optimistic they can fill its 1,539 rooms despite  
the economic uncertainty wracking some of the world's richest  
economies. Their focus is on well-heeled travelers from Europe,  
Russia, Asia and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Enlarge
An eye-catching oven is the centrepiece of this restaurant area

An alcove gives onto a quiet, discreet dining room

'People will still take family holidays,' Leibman said. 'Dubai is  
still good value when you're paying in pounds, (or) you're paying in  
euros.'

Nakheel and Kerzner are both privately held companies and do not  
release sales data. Leibman said demand from tour groups looks strong  
well into the first part of next year.

Yet Marios Maratheftis, head of regional research for the Middle East,  
North Africa and Pakistan at Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai, said  
there is 'good reason' to be concerned that global financial problems  
could hit Dubai's tourism industry. Nevertheless, he said, the city's  
long-term outlook remains positive.

Another dining area provides a moody retreat

Enlarge
The hi-tech entrance of Italian celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli's  
restaurant at the hotel

Kerzner has grown increasingly close to Dubai in recent years. In  
2006, the company took itself private in a £2 billion deal partially  
bankrolled by a division of Nakheel's state-owned parent, Dubai World.  
Nakheel retains a large stake in the company.

Meanwhile, Nakheel's hotel division has expanded rapidly. The  
company's holdings include New York's Mandarin Oriental, the  
Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, and the W Hotel in Washington.

Its parent also owns a minority stake in MGM Mirage Inc., and is  
teaming with the casino operator and Kerzner to build a massive  
multibillion-dollar casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

But don't expect to find roulette wheels at Dubai's Atlantis. Islamic  
prohibitions against gambling ensure casinos remain off-limits.

Enlarge
Jumeira Palm Island seen from a helicopter. The Atlantis Hotel is in  
the distance

Enlarge
Luxury on tap: A view of the seven star Burj Al Arab Hotel and Palm  
Island Jumeirah and the Atlantis Hotel in the background

ooroo

If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door.

Anon.

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