New Palm hotels are no threat says Atlantis COO

Business at the Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, will benefit from the line-up of big-name hotel brands opening at the destination this year and next, according to the hotel’s COO Serge Zaalof.

While 30 low-rise, themed resort hotels had been planned for the iconic Palm back in 2001, the onset of the recession meant that the Atlantis has been the sole hotel on the development since its opening three years ago. But now One&Only The Palm and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray have opened their doors, and Rixos will launch its Palm property in December with residences set to follow.

However, Zaalof said that the Atlantis hotel is not under threat from increased competition posed by the number of additional luxury hotel rooms that have- and will continue to come online.

“The hotel brands opening are good for Dubai and will help to create The Palm as its own destination,” he told HotelierMiddleEast.com

The other hotels will help the Atlantis to offer its Aquaventure Water Park, ‘swimming with dolphins’ experiences and numerous signature restaurants, such as Nobu and Locatelli, to the increasing number of guests to The Palm, Zaarlof added.

“So we take this as very positive and actually Dubai is doing very well since November last year,” he said. “We are looking at the future with a smile.”

Richard Devadesan, SNTTA Emir Tours manager – MICE, also deemed the new hotel projects positive for the Palm’s prospects as a destination.

“More than anything else, I think it’s beneficial for the end-user to make a choice from a bigger pool of offerings” he said.

In addition to those already named, Mövenpick’s Royal Amwaj is taking allocations from December.

Next year, Fairmont will debut with a brief of targeting group and leisure business sector: “We will have a robust kids’ club, as well as a great suite product and 36,000 sq ft of meeting space,” said the group’s vice president for regional hotel sales Kent Cooper.

Also to come is Mövenpick’s Oceana Resort, the Sofitel Spa resort, the Habtoor Island Resort and Spa, and Hilton, while confusion still surrounds an ETA Star project involving Taj Hotels & Resorts – the Grandeur residences, which were due to open this year, followed by the Taj Exotica next year. The hotel group has declined to comment on the status of this project.