The funky yet luxurious Atlantis2 is soon to hit Dubai. (Photo: Royal Atlantis)

After 6 years of development, the Atlantis2 project will be completed in late 2020 and welcome guests into a new world of luxury and opulence.

Since it launched in 2008, the Atlantis, The Palm has been a synonym for Dubai’s extravagant luxury and ground-breaking architectural feats.

Now, a sequel might soon replace the original as one of Dubai’s top addresses for opulence and over-the-top amenities.

Dubai’s newest icon

Set nearby the original, the Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences on Dubai’s Palm is already receiving its finishing touches and will be ready to open its doors in late 2020, well ahead of its planned opening date.

Designed by the Kerzner Group, the $1.4-billion-megaproject has a distinctive design consisting of two towers which look like glass Lego constructions and are connected by a ‘spa bridge’. This unique concept has won numerous awards already, without even being completed and opened yet.

Lead architects KPF describe the striking look as “a series of discrete human-scaled blocks arranged for optimal views, stacked to span overdramatic voids.”

A new definition of luxury

The project is divided into two towers, one of which accommodates a resort while the other is home to elegant residences. The connecting bridge offers pools, lounges and cabanas.

In all, the resort has 795 rooms and suites on 43 floors and includes private clubs, 17 restaurants and bars. Michelin-starred chefs including Heston Blumenthal and Jose Andres will have venues there and spoil guests with elaborate culinary offerings.

The residence tower features 231 apartments ranging from two to five bedrooms with prices beginning at $2 million. Many flats will feature terraced gardens and infinity pools and all residents will have access to a private beach.

Additional amenities include a traditional hammam, fitness centres and a spa.

Timothy Kelly, managing director of both Atlantis hotels, is particularly proud of the new property’s distinctive water features.

“In the lobby, you are greeted by a 10-meter-tall sculptured feature that floats on water and is designed to emulate the first rains of Dubai each season,” says Kelly. “The lobby will be home to three stunning aquariums, one of which will be the largest jellyfish tank in the world.”

A crowded marketplace

Anyone following international hotel markets knows how crowded Dubai already is and how challenging it can be to make a hotel work there. But the upcoming Expo 2020, which will bring the Emirate around 25 million visitors is enticing investors to build more hotels.

“We’re seeing ambitious development goals from hotel properties in Dubai with the aim of opening in time for Expo 2020,” says Claudia de Brito, editor of Hotelier Middle East magazine.

“More than 2,500 hotel keys (rooms) entered the Dubai market in the first half of this year…half of those keys were in luxury developments.”

To stand out in such a market, hotels are reaching for ever-fancier indulgences. The FIVE Jumeirah Village Dubai resort, for example, is dotted with private pools and jacuzzies which the newly-opened Jebel Ali Lake View Resort has a championship-standard golf course and Amazon Alexa-activated voice assistants in every room.

At the Royal Atlantis, the management team knows of the fierce competition but also believes in growth among key visitor markets, a stance which is supported by hospitality industry analysts.

“Dubai’s predominant source markets such as India, Saudi Arabia, Europe, China, and Russia all have healthy increases in the number of millionaires…and luxury-seeking travellers,” says Rupprecht Queitsch, CEO of the International Hospitality Consulting Group.

“As luxury takes on new shapes, such new hospitality offerings can be (oriented) to these quickly growing markets.”

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