A mythical realm comes to life

Atlantis, the majestic 5 star Dubai hotel situated on the man-made Palm island is one of Dubai’s luxury resorts whose popularity continues to soar. It offers an experience by itself right from its breathtaking architecture to the award-winning restaurants and must-visit aquatic attractions such as Aquaventure which won TripAdvisor’s 2014 Best Water Parks in the World. Aviamost spoke to David Loiseau, Vice President, Sales, Atlantis, the Palm to know to know the property’s plans for its Russian-speaking guests  

How was the impact of the new ‘Summer is Dubai 2015 campaign’ initiative? How was its impact in terms of occupancy, in particular Russian/CIS tourists?

Markets such as Eastern Europe, India, China and GCC have been very present in Dubai during summer. Russian tourists are not travelling a lot during the summer months because of the very hot weather. The most popular period for our Russian guests to travel is March, April, during the CIS holiday periods and of course the Russian Christmas period.

What are your expectations for the new season starting in September onwards?

Russia continues to be our second most important source market.  Our guests are a combination of families, couples and travellers looking for high end luxury and exceptional service. We have taken strategic measures to offer appealing promotions to the Russian market, which have been very fruitful in terms of reducing the impact on our business in a major way.

What unique services do you offer to appeal to the Russian/CIS market in the last quarter?

With its enviable location on the crescent of The Palm, Atlantis is the first fully integrated entertainment destination resort in Dubai. Guests seeking an unforgettable luxury experience are transported into a dazzling, imaginative world, encompassing a 46 hectare site that includes a seemingly endless stretch of private beach, luxury designer boutiques, 23 dining choices including three world renowned chef restaurants, an exciting nightlife experience with a renowned Nightclub that has a 3000 capacity, award-winning ShuiQi Spa, not to mention, an open-aired marine habitat of 65,000 marine animals, an extensive private beach, and extensive fresh and salt-water pools and lagoon exhibits.

In addition, guests staying at the resort have complimentary access to 17 hectares of water themed amusement at Aquaventure, the Middle East and Europe’s No.1 Waterpark and the mysterious Lost Chambers aquariums, perfect for inquisitive children.

To assist families, over 1,400 of the 1,539 guestrooms and suites in the Royal Towers boast inter-connecting doors, providing ideal accommodation for families.

This season, we are developing special packages to encourage Russian guests to visit Dubai, in particular from St Petersburg. In addition we shall be offering flash sales and seasonal offers throughout the season.

For Russian guests who have booked via tour operators and travel agents, we are already providing a complimentary upgrade to half board for all occupants sharing the same room, with a choice of 12 award-winning restaurants at the resort to dine at. This is a great value offer as a deluxe room can sleep 2 adults and two children (below 12 years).

Previously, we have also offered special promotions for the Russian and CIS markets such as early bird offers through our tour operators and special packages for our direct booking guests from the CIS market, such as the free visa offer. The Free Visitor Visa Room offer included a 10% off Best Available Rate AND waiver of the Visa fee for every person to visit and enter the UAE for every person staying in Atlantis from guests from CIS market including: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Russian travellers have been known to book holidays at the last minute, around 16 days in advance in fact, therefore, such promotions have proved to be very fruitful, families can make a substantial savings, $100 per person for the visa alone.