The History of the Atlantis Hotel
Atlantis Palm Hotel is located in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. It was built on the artificially created, palm-shaped island called the Palm Jumeirah by Sol Kerzner's hotel and gaming company, Kerzner International Holdings, in conjunction with Istithmar PJSC. The hotel was based on the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, which was also developed by Kerzner International.
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The Atlantis Palm opened in September 2008 and is considered the flagship resort of the Palm Jumeirah Island. The 113-acre resort cost a whopping $1.5 billion and features a top-floor suite, known as the Bridge Suite, which fetches $25,000 a night. The hotel features 1,539 rooms, which go for an average of $454 per night.
The Influence of the Royal Tower Hotel
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The progenitor of the Atlantis Palm Hotel was the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Also a creation of Sol Kerzner, the Paradise Island Resort consists of six different hotels with one hotel, the Royal Tower, featuring a bridge-like structure that was adopted in the design and construction of the Palm Hotel in Dubai.
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Inspiration for the Atlantis Paradise Island Resorts
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The idea for the construction of the Paradise Island Resort and the subsequent Palm Hotel in Dubai came from Sol Kerzner's desire to build a hotel and resort modeled after the famous lost city of Atlantis. The Paradise Island Resort was meant to capture the imagination of its guests, and with its lavish design and layout has succeeded in that effort. It offers the largest casino in the Caribbean as well as a 141-acre water park know as Aquaventure, which features water slides down Mayan temples and slow-moving rivers that wind through various architectural structures, meant to imitate those from the lost city. The Atlantis Palm also features an Aquaventure water park.
Palm Hotel Fire
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On September 2, 2008, just weeks before the Palm Hotel was set to open, a large fire destroyed much of the lobby of the Atlantis Palm Hotel. Police suspect the fire was caused when workers were welding the final pieces of the hotel. A total of 270 people had to be evacuated, mainly workers who had been staying on the premises during construction, but luckily no one was injured.
Construction and Development
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The height of construction of the Atlantis Palm Hotel was in early 2007 when there were nearly 6,800 people working on the site. In 2006, when construction of the first phase began, there were nearly 4,200 workers embarking on the project. Minor construction was still ongoing in September of 2008 when the hotel opened.
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- Photo Credit atlantisthepalm.com
