The Atlantis Resort is one of the newest and most luxurious hotel complexes in Dubai. Built at the apex of The Palm Jumeirah, construction began in December 2005 and was completed by November 2008.
The Atlantis Resort consists of the two-tower Royal Towers Hotel, which has a 28-storey (east tower), 876-room tower and an 18-storey (west tower), 663-room tower, a 42-acre Aquenture water park, a two-storey conference centre, 20,000ft² of retail space and an archaeological exhibition called The Dig.
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The resort was developed as a 50 / 50 joint venture between Kerzner International and the government-owned Istithimar PSJC. The resort, which occupies a 112.5 acre site on 1.5 miles of beachfront, cost an estimated $1.5bn.
Accommodation at the Royal Towers Park
The Atlantis Resort features 1,373 guestrooms and 166 suites. The hotel has Deluxe, Atlantis and Imperial guestrooms and Regal, Terrace and Executive suites. It also includes superior suites: Bridge, Royal, Lost Chambers and Presidential.
The Imperial Club rooms of the hotel offers luxurious surroundings and select dining options.
Atlantis Resort spa
The Atlantis spa has 27 treatment rooms and a fitness centre located on two floors of the Royal Tower hotel. The Atlantis spa offers body massages including traditional Thai massage, Desert hot stone therapy, Swedish massage, Back, Neck and Shoulder massage, Sport Aqua Vitae, Herbal Fusion, Jet Lag Recovery, Detoxifying Seaweed massages, Lymphatic Drainage, Rejuvenating foot retreat, and Mother-to-be massage.
A range of therapies are available, such as Rejuvenating Green Tea Wrap, Purifying Seaweed Wrap, Sea Mineral Scrub, Marine Body Polish and Water Therapy. The spa also provides different facial therapies and salon services.
Aquenture
The Aquenture water park is spread over 42 acres. It features 27.5m high and 61m long rides, speed slides, a 700m private beach, rivers, rapids and a children’s play area. The resort has a four-and-a-half hectare tropical setting and is home to Dolphin Bay.
Atlantis also features a large aquarium The Lost Chambers, which offers an opportunity to view the underwater world with more than 65,000 marine species from regions across the world.
Transportation to and from Atlantis Resort
Transport around the resort can either be by the monorail constructed around the Palm Jumeirah. or through the excellent road infrastructure which includes a six-lane underground vehicle tunnel connecting the two sides of the resort and also running to the mainland.
Dining facilities
The Royal Towers Hotel features seven restaurants. Plato is an oriental tea lounge that serves tea, pastries and fine spirits during the evening. The Kaleidoscope offers a variety of international cusine. The Saffron offers specialises in Asian dishes including Indian naans and Malaysian rotis.
The Edge provides refreshing snacks and light lunches in an outdoor setting. The Shore is located on the beach and features outdoor bars and grills.
Shark Bites is a restaurant that has indoor and outdoor dining facilities. Splashers and Waves kiosks serve a variety of healthy and classic snacks.
Leisure activities
The Atlantis Resort has three hard-surfaced tennis courts, which can be floodlit for night games. The resort also offers a wide range of gym equipment for rent.
The Atlantis also features a swimming pool in front of the Royal Towers. The Atlantis Kids Club provides recreational programmes for children aged between four and 12 years.
Atlantis Resort contractors
The design process for the resort began in October 2003 and took 18 months to complete. Its designers and architects include Archavision International Olio, Wilson Associates and Wimberley, Alison, Tong and Goo.
Construction work on the hotel and resort was carried out by Al Naboodah Laing O’Rourke. ANLOR was responsible for concrete frames, precast external facade and bathroom pods for the Royal Towers. BK-Gulf Rotary carried out MEP for the Aquaventure park. Emirates Exteriors worked on the concrete frame for Aquaventure.
LCL MiceKraftwork worked on the guestrooms fit-out and corridors in the Royal Towers. Septech Simon Hartley carried out the process and mechanical work. Al Futtaim Engineering was responsible for elevators and permanent hoists. Al Futtaim Bodycote provided testing services, while Galadari Engineering Works was responsible for structural steelworks.
Construction of the Royal Towers Hotel
The Bridge Suite required the installation of two 75t trusses extending over 42m between the two towers. The Bridge Suite completed the steel structure of The Royal Towers in May 2007.
The construction has made much use of prefabricated precast wall panels and modules. An example of this is the bathroom pods, which weigh 3.5t and include a marble sink, bath tube, shower, lavatory, bidet, taps and tiling that was installed by crane onto the required floor and slid into place.
The project required 2,000 piles to prepare the site for the hotel’s construction. The hotel was built around four elevator cores. The construction work force required was over 7,400 employees.
The facade of the hotel was completed by late 2007 and the hotel opened in November 2008.
