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Industry News
ATLANTIS,
PARADISE ISLAND TO ADD CONDO HOTEL
Kerzner International
Limited, a leading international developer and operator
of destination resorts, casinos and luxury hotels,
announced that it has entered into a second supplement
to the 2003 Heads of Agreement with the Government
of The Bahamas enabling the Company to proceed with
the next major phase of development at its flagship
property, Atlantis, Paradise Island.
The amended Phase III project will include the following
components:
- A 600-room luxury all-suite hotel.
This hotel will be built in lieu of the 1,500-room
hotel tower contemplated in the supplement to the
2003 Heads of Agreement. The Company anticipates
it will commence development of this project during
the second quarter of 2005. The proposed all-suite
hotel will be situated west of the Royal Towers,
adjacent to one of the best available beach sites
in the Caribbean.
- A 400-unit condo hotel. The Company
expects to partner with Turnberry Associates, one
of the premier real estate development and property
management companies in the United States. The development
cost associated with this condo hotel project is
expected to be $200 million. The Company anticipates
that this condo hotel project will be funded on
a non-recourse basis based on pre-sales. The Company
expects to commence pre-sales of the condo hotel
by the first quarter of 2005. Investors interested
in purchasing a condo hotel unit should contact
Condo Hotel Center at info@CondoHotelCenter.com.
- No changes to other previously
agreed elements of the project. These include a
significant expansion to Atlantis's water-based
attractions and development of 100,000 square feet
of additional group and meeting facilities, the
Marina Village and additional timeshare phases.
Butch Kerzner, Chief Executive Officer
of the Company, commented, "We have listened
to our current customer base, reviewed the continued
strong demand for the Atlantis experience and concluded,
with the Government, that the 600-room all-suite hotel
will encourage visitation to The Bahamas of a new,
more affluent leisure and gaming customer. The all-suite
hotel will add a new tourist segment to our business
and continue to differentiate our product offering."
Butch Kerzner continued, "The
all-suite hotel will also complement other key elements
of the Phase III expansion, including the expanded
water attractions, the meeting and convention space
and the Marina Village. Construction of these elements
of Phase III remains on track for the end of 2006."
Phase III will also bring the addition
of world-renowned chefs and restaurants to Atlantis
guests and The Bahamas. Nobu, the internationally-acclaimed
new style Japanese restaurant conceived and run by
heralded chef Nobu Matsuhisa along with partner Robert
DeNiro, will replace Five Twins in the Atlantis Casino.
At the Marina Village, which is anticipated
to open as early as August 2005, the renaissance of
Cafe Martinique will be guided by acclaimed chef Jean-Georges
Vongerichten. Carmine's, a popular New York restaurant
that serves home-style antipasti, pastas, seafood
and meat entrees designed for sharing, will represent
a new family dining option.
Other dining and food establishments
planned for the Marina Village include Bimini Road,
a fun Caribbean experience serving flavorful island
fare, and a modern steakhouse with a traditional butchery,
wine market and bar.
The Company also announced the development
of Ocean Club Residences, an 88-unit ultra-luxury
condominium project at Ocean Club Estates, the residential
development adjacent to the Ocean Club Golf Course.
Ocean Club Residences is expected to cater to the
highest end of the luxury residential market.
The Company expects to commence pre-sales
before the end of the year and, subject to the level
of pre-sales, will break ground on this project in
2005. The Company will develop this in partnership
with a local developer.
It is anticipated that the investment
in The Bahamas through the revised Phase III development
projects will exceed the $1.0 billion contemplated
in the 2003 Heads of Agreement. Exclusive of the Harborside
timeshare projects, the condo hotel, the golf course
on Athol Island and Ocean Club Residences, the Company's
investment is expected to be approximately $650 million.
Under the Heads of Agreement, the
Company has committed to complete substantially the
600-room all-suite hotel by December 2006. The supplement
also contemplates the completion of the condo-hotel
during 2007.
If the Company does not proceed with
the condo hotel and the previously announced golf
course on Athol Island, casino tax concessions and
the joint marketing contribution from the Government
would be reduced beginning in 2009 in accordance with
an agreed schedule.
For more information on the Atlantis
Paradise Island condo hotel, contact Condo Hotel Center
at info@CondoHotelCenter.com.
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