emirates-romanians.MyForum.ro

simma · Junior Data inscrierii: 16/Noi/2008 Mesaje: 16

READ THE COMMENTS AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE

From The Times November 21, 2008

Crisis? What crisis? Dubai's Atlantis hotel opens with £13m party
Sonia Verma in Dubai

There was no evidence of the global financial crisis as tycoons and celebrities streamed into Dubai last night for the world’s most expensive private party.

Having spent £1 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 £13.5 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. After the pop singer Kylie Minogue performed on stage the sky lit up with the world’s largest fireworks display, seven times greater than this year’s Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing and extravagant enough to be seen from outer space.

The price tag for the party even embarrassed Sol Kerzner, the chairman and chief executive officer of Kerzner International, who built the resort on the man-made Palm Island in partnership with Nakheel, a state-owned developer. “If I had to do it all over again, I might do it recognising the fact that we’re living through a bit of a tough economic environment,” Mr Kerzner, a South African billionaire, told The Times.

The maddest hotel in Dubai
Dubai is good at extravagance, but this one really takes the gold-plated biscuit: a mega-resort based on the Lost City of Atlantis

The timing for Mr Kerzner’s imposing hotel is not ideal. The emirate is groaning under heavy debt and banks have tightened lending, delaying new developments. Gulf stock markets have sunk to historic lows and analysts are radically scaling back economic forecasts for the region.

Since it opened its doors to paying guests six weeks ago, the hotel has been nearly 80 per cent full, Mr Kerzner said. Nightly rates range in price from $800 (£550) for a basic suite to $35,000 per night for the hotel’s signature suite, which features floor to ceiling views of Dubai. The 1,539-room hotel has two towers set in 130-acre grounds that feature an aquarium with 65,000 sea creatures.

High life
$35,000: cost of one night in the Bridge Suite
58,000 km of steel bars were used in the hotel’s construction, more than nine times the length of the Great Wall of China
46 hectares: the size of the Atlantis resort, equal to 64 Wembley pitches

· Have your say

Vulgar, ostentatious and totally over the top. Yes Dubai has no soul, no regard for basic human comforts . Perhaps one should take a closer look at those poor lababorer who built this mamoth complex that feeds ones vanity. Dubai's obsession with 'best in the world' is seeing ludicrous heights.

sandra, dubai,

Sorry! This is a sin in all religions, esp. Islam. I am worried about God's lesson that will come sooner or later to correct the minds of such fools.

Fouad Attia, Cornelius, United States

Why are people hating so much?
If something spectacular like this would have happened in New York, everyone would be up in arms about the so-called "American Dream".

Assiri, London, UK

Well what sublim timing to open such a resort. As the Arab world creaks under massive debt and loss making Oil revenues we will see how long this lasts. Dubai is such a souless place I never unerstood how or why it is a luxury destination. As they say 'you can't buy class' or profits!!

Billy, Bangkok, Thailand

The fact that Kylie Minogue was paid £1.3m for an hours performance is also ridiculous! How can that be justified?

margot, fife,

a sand castle made next to sea, guess what next,
yes u guessed it right.what an obscene amount spent on fire works,when millions of children are sleeping with no food in their tummies.
oil,global warming,????

pervaiz, london, uk

I think this resort is a disgrace. Another example of man wanting to dominate nature. Did anyone think about how those fireworks affected their dolphins, and other marine creatures that are forced to be there? Most of the dolphins they have were blinded during transport because of their own urine

Shelby Proie, surfside, USA

I bet the doplins are dead from the shock of the noise from the fireworks - If they are - its no problem they will just buy or catch some more! When the world is suffereing - all they want to do is show off a man made island and an expensive hotel. Something is really wrong - but hey ,it looked cool

Elaine, Dubai, UAE

Disgusting! The praised aquarium at Atlantis is a gross example for animal cruelty out of sheer greed. A petition signed by 15.000 concerned people has not even been acknowledged by the management. Apart from this, the hotel itself falls far behind the huge expectations, quality is 4 star at best.

Eva, Dubai,

great nightlife too i hear

watkins, bangkok, thailand

How crass and vulgar. Appalling architecture, unsustainable from every aspect, hideous, tacky placemaking, yukky materialism-obsessed celebrity, and £20m of tiresome, cliched fireworks.
The place is sinking already. So at least with Atlantis they got the name right.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

Spending £1.3m on 1 hours performance is crazy when so close by people are starving. Morally wrong.

Natasha, London, UK

No mention either that property prices in Dubai have fallen 40% in the last few months.A massive crash is weeks away.Then the sea will wash away the man made sand islands and it will return to how it was.The luxury lifestyle is just an illusion.

Steveo, Leicester, eNGLAND

This is obscene and a true indication of how the world is today. Nature will have its day.

Max, Birmingham, UK

Wow! Amazing place, amzing facilities, amazing country and guaranteed amazing times! I'm saving up already!

George, Edinburgh,

...and this was the place that made a moral fuss about two people having sex on a beach...the immorral amounts of money spent on this is in a world in which people often die through hunger is simply disgusting and should highlight what utter nonsense some countires religous morals are.

Dr Smith, London, UK

We all know what happened to Atlantis...

Peter V., Brussels,

It's very sad to know this.. to many people in the world needing a plate of food...
I just don't understand...

Reis, Florianopolis, Brasil

Dubai's bubble is about to burst. This is akin to the Orchestra playing while the Titanic sank.[/b] :lol:

Kevin, Salisbury, UK

It looks like a rather naff bank headquarters! What a waste of human effort.

Paul Freeman, London, England

No mention of Atlantis laying off 1,500 workers in Nassau, Bahamas then...

Yvonne, Nassau,

there is no compertition for dubai n e more its on another level

adam m, bolton, uk

tabernaculum · Trimis: 22/07/2012 11:40 Titlul subiectului:

This information is unbelievable! I really cannot believe it is true!

noganoga · Trimis: 18/08/2012 11:58 Titlul subiectului:

Information is impressive! But I will say so in my view is slightly different, but what I will not tell you)))

ossbe · Trimis: 01/09/2012 10:54 Titlul subiectului:

Numerous people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!