The Atlantis

Original Article

The clock is ticking down to the grand opening of Dubai’s eagerly awaited Dh5.5 billion (US$1.5bn) “destination hotel”, The Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah.

Kerzner International, which will manage the 1,539-room complex, said recently The Atlantis would be ready to welcome its first guests on Sept 24 – a month ahead of schedule.

This aerial picture shows that the ornate hotel, standing majestically at the tip of Palm Jumeirah with its back to the Gulf, is all but complete.

A 50-50 venture between Kerzner International, based in the Bahamas, and Istithmar, a subsidiary of Dubai World, the resort will be home to a water park, dolphinarium, retail area, conference halls and 17 restaurants. Only half of the 114-acre site has been built on, leaving the developers with options for how they use the remaining space based on feedback from the public.

Room rates for the pink-coloured resort will vary drastically from US$450 (Dh1,650) a night for a standard room up to $25,000 (Dh92,000) for the 924 square metre Bridge Suite, which joins the East and West towers.

In addition to standard rooms, there are 150 suites, including two luxurious presidential suites and 35 regal suites.

The resort’s 11-million-litre aquarium will contain more than 60,000 fish, landing the owners with an estimated annual bill for fish food in the region of Dh11m.

The construction of The Atlantis involved the use of almost 60,000km of steel bars, half a million cubic metres of concrete and 100,000 lights. Daredevils are bound to enjoy the resort’s Aquaventure water park, which features the region’s tallest freefall water slide, standing nine storeys high.

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Police investigate Atlantis fire

Original Article
ubai Police are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out in the Atlantis Hotel in Palm Jumeirah earlier this morning.

Investigators believe the fire initially began after workers were carrying out work in the lobby while welding.

"We are investigating the matter and will know more later but it was only a small fire," said Brig Abdul Jalil Mahdi, deputy director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for Preventative Security.

Firemen rushed to the scene this morning and struggled for at least an hour before the blaze was controlled. The hotel was immediately evacuated and no casualties have been reported in the incident.

Meanwhile, motorists heading to work described seeing thick clouds of smoke billowing from the hotel. The road heading to the hotel was also blocked out by the police, a witness said.

A statement issued by The Atlantis, The Palm, said it was unsure of the extent of the damage. It also said: “The site of the fire appears to be localized in the lobby area of the resort.”