TIMOTHY KELLY Executive vice president and managing director at Atlantis Dubai

On Atlantis The Royal

What’s arriving in Dubai in the fourth quarter of this year is a resort that comes along in the world maybe a handful of times a decade. What makes it special is that it’s a combination of both residences, as well as hotel accommodations. I think that this is a resort that is overdue for our market, from a maturity perspective and a preparation perspective. It has villas in the clouds, where you’re 31 storeys in the air. There’s more space outdoor than within the suite too. This is luxury at a new level.

On the culinary offerings at The Royal

It will have 17 restaurants. In this destination alone, we have eight celebrity chefs. We will have the same amount of restaurant seats at Atlantis The Royal that we do today at Atlantis The Palm – about 4,000 restaurant seats in total.

On its unique positioning

Our wellness programme is broken into three pillars. One is the traditional wellness [space] and has a 50,000 sq ft spa fitness facility. We also have a medical clinic which is our second pillar, and our third pillar is our regenerative medicine programme. Regenerative medicine focuses on anti-ageing, stem cell therapy, oxygen facial and peptide therapy.

International expansion plans for Atlantis

Our plan for Atlantis is that we’re looking to expand and grow the brand. We’re looking internationally for the right place that can really house an Atlantis.

We’re looking for [factors such as] climate and a coastal area, in most cases. We’ve looked at everything in the Americas, North and South, we’ve been looking in Asia, Vietnam and Bali as well. Regionally, maybe even in Saudi, and then somewhere along the Mediterranean too. But Atlantis is not an easy build. It’s something that requires a lot of vision and time. It’s a five-year process from design to delivery.