The Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai opened last Thursday with a multimillion-dollar star-spangled party, and a spectacular display of lighting and pyrotechnics.
Having spent $1.5 billion, the owners of the Atlantis hotel, which they hope will become the new symbol of excess in a region already replete with towering statements of wealth, splashed out $20 million on its opening.
In the lobby of the Atlantis about 2,000 guests sipped Dom Pérignon. Outside, A-list celebrities from Robert De Niro to Lindsay Lohan walked the red carpet.
The “Bridge Suite” ranks third in terms of most expensive hotel rooms in the world, at $25,000. Even with its large price tag, the suite currently has a five-year waiting list, and requires guests to stay at least four nights in the suite. It is located in the span that connects the two Royal Towers.
This is the hotel’s presidential suite, which has ten rooms with more than 5,000 square feet (460 m²) of living space. The Bridge Suite comes with its own butler and cook, and the kitchen has its own entrance so that the staff never bothers the guest. The suite include gold chandeliers, a baby grand piano, and balconies on both sides.
The architecture and décor feature murals, sculptures, and fountains. The Great Hall of Waters lobby has a 70-foot (21 m)-high domed ceiling covered in golden shells, and opens on one side to the Marina. The other side leads to underwater streets filled with fish and Atlantean artifacts. The top four floors of the Royal Towers are known as the Imperial Club.
