Atlantis The Royal Grand Opening

Dubai’s enduring appeal as a multifaceted destination has positioned the city as a global hub for tourism, business, and investment. If we add the allure of pleasant weather and a strong focus on hospitality, it comes as no surprise that Dubai ranks first globally for its 76% hotel occupancy rate, which includes sleek high-rise towers with captivating vistas, romantic resorts, and ultra-luxe palaces.

Atlantis The Royal is the newest addition to the city’s hospitality offering, and it is ready to shine and make its mark.

The striking new venue is set at the apex of Palm Jumeirah, promising to reshape the concept of ultra-luxury travel for the local and international elite.

Last week marked the unveiling of the long-anticipated $1.5 billion resort, which was celebrated in spectacular fashion. The lavish opening was attended by 2,000 guests, including global celebrities and royalty. The exclusive, invite-only grand opening saw fireworks, gala dinners, and superstar Beyoncé’s performance taking centre stage. This was probably the biggest launch Dubai has seen since the original Atlantis opened in 2008.

A Look Inside The Royal Resort

Soaring 43 storeys high above the Arabian Sea, the 406,000 square metre ultra-luxury resort is a unique addition to Dubai’s luxe hospitality attractions, crowning the city’s skyline. With 795 rooms and 44 suites dotted with butler service and private infinity pools, the scale of this megastructure is something else.

Designed by the world’s leading architects, the 500-metre-long, 178-metre-high hotel takes pride of place at the tip of The Palm, with an eye-catching Tetris-like architectural design. Made up of six towers linked together by a 90-metre-long skypool on the 22nd floor, the hotel makes the most of compelling aesthetics and premium stays. The 22nd floor is part of a unique outdoor experience called Cloud 22, featuring plunge pools and private cabanas complemented by the most captivating views over the Palm island.

Atlantis The Royal will delight guests with premium attractions such as the first permanent water and fire fountain in the region along with the largest jellyfish aquarium in the world, 17 restaurants, and bars curated by eight celebrity chefs, and a bespoke Awaken Spa.

The aquarium is part of Heston Blumenthal’s debut bar at the venue, called Resonance, where you can admire the 21-foot tall aquarium containing 4,000 jellyfish. The spa features a chronotherapy lounge and a hammam sensorium, as well as a halotherapy salt room. Apparently, the wellness club has a pavilion where you can meditate with dolphins, while shops in the hotel sell Picasso art.

As part of the hotel’s check-in experience, guests receive complimentary gold-plated toothbrushes, razors, combs, and a ‘menu’ of seven pillows. So, if you have a hard time deciding which one to rest your head on, you can choose from miniature versions of seven types, such as memory foam pillows for the head, feet, and body, “cool down” option, or buckwheat pillow.

It doesn’t get more experiential than this when it comes to extreme luxury.

Inside The World’s Most Lavish Grand Reveal Party

The hotel’s most affordable room rate starts at $1,350, and it’s $170,000 a night for a suite. On this note, Beyoncé was an apt choice as the headline act for the launch party of what is dubbed the world’s most luxurious hotel.

Beyoncé took to the stage for a one-hour live show which had a fireworks show as a finale, as well as a fire and water show. The guest list included other stars such as Halle Bailey, Jay Z, and Kendall Jenner, all seen at the resort’s famous Cloud 22 rooftop lounge while supergroup Swedish House Mafia wrapped up the night to the beat of electronic house music.

The Royal’s Grand Reveal event was more than just a star-studded gathering. The ultimate “Feast of Dreams” culinary event took guests through a world-class gastronomic indulgence with bites curated by six Michelin-starred chefs whose restaurants will open along with the resort’s official opening in February.

The exclusive epicurean dining adventure was delivered by culinary icons Nobu Matsuhisa, Ariana Bundy, Gaston Acurio, and Jose Andres, all under the roof of Gastronomy, the buffet restaurant at Atlantis The Royal. Featuring several live cooking stations that serve up a treasure of culinary delights from around the world, Gastronomy is where the dance of flavours and freshest ingredients fill the air with a feast that caters to the most refined palates.

The Royal Atlantis is known for its innovative food and beverage concepts, so we can expect the new world-class restaurants and their award-winning celebrity chefs to make a grand entrance at the venue. Two of the first restaurants to open are “Dinner by Heston Blumenthal” and “Jaleo” by José André.

Atlantis The Royal – A Key Part of Dubai’s Tourism

Dubai has launched a hotel far beyond the realms of traditional five-star hospitality. Atlantis The Royal comes as the crowning jewel of modern hospitality in the emirate, and its opening coincided with Dubai’s new announcement of an $8.7 trillion economic plan. Moreso, the hotel is reinforcing the recently announced UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims for 40 million annual hotel guests.

The new Atlantis The Royal received a royal visit last week from Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who stated that the hotel is “a new architectural masterpiece” for Dubai’s tourism sector. The resort supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 which aims to consolidate Dubai’s position as one of the top three global cities for tourism and investment.

Atlantis The Royal officially opens for guests and bookings on the 11th of February.