Dubai by Light Touch
From the moment you step through the front entrance, Atlantis the Royal puts on a show. Water pours down inside glass walls, while fire periodically flashes up. The pressure to post to Instagram is immediate because you’ve arrived at the self-titled “most ultraluxury” resort in the world.
This isn’t the world, though. It’s Dubai, where “ultraluxury” has a specific meaning and nouveau riche aesthetics are giddily embraced. Wealth like this was made to flaunt, not accrue silently in savings accounts. Ultraluxury is over-the-top, clad with gold and marble.
That’s what the $1.2 billion Atlantis the Royal, the latest property from Dubai-based hotelier Kerzner International Ltd., delivered with a “Grand Reveal” show in January starring Beyoncé. And it’s what guests have experienced since its 795 rooms opened in mid-February.
The Lighting consultants, Light Touch, were involved in the project for the last 9 years. Lighting works for the structure’s facade, interior, landscape, and beachfront was supervised and executed by Light Touch, a firm with a fresh approach to architectural, interior, and landscape lighting design.
Unlike many resorts, the lighting design of Atlantis The Royal was developed as part of the overall architectural concept, helping to technically refine the design. Designed to create fluidity and depth across the property, the lighting is an integral part of the guest experience and impacts how the building can be seen on the Dubai Skyline, all the way through to what guests see when they look out from their balconies at night.
