Voice of Luxury: Atlantis Dubai's Timothy Kelly

Q. Atlantis The Royal opens soon. How is it looking?

A. The opening of Atlantis The Royal is our biggest focus at the moment. This is an extraordinary property, and resorts like this only come around a handful of times each decade.

The building was conceptualised as the ‘deconstruction’ of the traditional sculptural towers associated with Dubai, taking the form of individual parallelogram-style shapes, each offering their own bespoke experience.

We describe it as the most ultra-luxury experiential resort in the world in that it’s very modern and sophisticated in its presentation, but still captures the energy and essence of Atlantis.

The resort will house 795 rooms and suites, 44 of which include private infinity pools. The property will introduce a further 17 restaurants to the destination, including eight by celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, Gastón Acurio and José Andrés, as well as a world-first pool beach club by Nobu.

Q. When will it open and when will you be releasing rates?

A. We are currently coordinating the Grand Opening plan now and our intention is, in the fourth quarter of this year, to host one of the most unforgettable openings the world has ever seen. We are aiming for reservations starting in late summer.

Q. What are your plans for Atlantis The Palm?

A. Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal together form Atlantis Dubai, the world’s leading entertainment destination separated by the largest waterpark in the world. One of our strategies in Atlantis Dubai is to keep building and creating so we always have new experiences and spaces for returning guests.

We recently announced a new South American restaurant concept at Atlantis The Palm, set to open in October, and we are relocating Nobu to the top of the building, opening the largest Nobu restaurant in the world.

We will continue our journey to become Aquaventure World, which will see our waterpark transition into the number-one theme park in Dubai. We also have some amazing initiatives planned as part of our Atlantis Atlas Project sustainability programme.

We will be honouring our pledge to eliminate single-use plastic bottles by next year as we have built our own water bottling plant. We are also concluding a Solar Panel Project that will reduce our carbon footprint.

Most excitingly, over the past year, $1 from every marine mammal interaction went to the Atlas Project fund. From next month, we will be awarding our first set of projects, which will see Atlantis invest in initiatives that protect wildlife in the UAE and Arabian Gulf.

Q. How have sales been so far this year?

A. Atlantis The Palm has experienced a robust start to the year with average occupancy of more than 80% from January to May.

In March, the resort performed at the highest level in our history with great revenues in our rooms, restaurants and waterpark. We have generated business from over 130 countries, with the UK as the top market for us followed by [continental] Europe.

Q. How is the UK market performing?

A. The UK is the single largest source market for Atlantis The Palm and continues to be of great strategic importance for us, representing almost 30% of our business. Compared to 2019, the UK market is up 45% for the first five months of 2022.

Q. How important are trade sales?

A. We work very closely with the travel industry and cannot thank the trade enough for their incredible support. Trade continues to be a significant driver of business, accounting for more than 50% of UK bookings so far this year.

Q. What is your trade strategy for this year?

A. Education and engagement are key pillars for us when collaborating with trade partners.

Last year we launched the Atlantis Trade Resource Page, a dedicated online resource for all partners to access the most up-to-date news in one central place, including suite toolkits, a half-board dining guide and other information.

We also recently launched our Global Booking Rewards Programme to enable us to thank our trusted, handpicked partners for their continued loyalty.

Q. What trends are you seeing among luxury clients?

A. There remains a hunger and demand for travel, with guests averaging a longer length of stay [5.3 days, up from 4.8] as well as the desire to upgrade to higher room categories.

Dubai welcomed 7.28 million international overnight visitors in 2021, representing 32% year-on-year growth. We are optimistic that tourism will only continue to grow in 2022.

Q. Finally, what does the word luxury mean to you?

A. Luxury means creating experiential journeys that cannot be found anywhere else. It is about thoughtful, intuitive and engaged colleagues, empowered to deliver service that respects our customers’ time to ensure that they optimise their holiday.

It is a feeling that leaves you satisfied and yet yearning for more.