wild
places | wild happenings | wild
news
make a difference for our wild places
home | links | search the site
make a difference for our wild places
home | links | search the site
|
wild
places | wild happenings | wild
news
make a difference for our wild places home | links | search the site |
| all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews |
|
wild
news on wildsingapore
|
| Today
Online
18 Oct 06 Kerzner's sweet deal Bid promises jobs for 8,000, gourmet food at Atlantis Jasmine Yin jasmine@mediacorp.com.sg Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 06 Kerzner-CapitaLand's Atlantis Sentosa to complement offerings of VivoCity By Johnson Choo Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 06 Sea creatures, robotics major players in Kerzner-CapitaLand's Atlantis Sentosa By Yvonne Yong Kerzner-CapitaLand have revealed details of their bid to build Sentosa's new integrated resort. At a cost of S$5.28 billion, Atlantis Sentosa will be a bigger and better version of the award-winning Atlantis Bahamas resort, utilising 21st century technologies and edutainment. The major attractions of Atlantic Sentosa are based on an oceanic theme,'It's all about the sea, and celebrating the sea - but bringing technology in to take it to a new level', says Tobin Prior, President, International Division, Kerzner International. Aquasphere, the world's largest Aquarium at 10 million gallons, will blend the real with the surreal, containing 1000 species of coral and fish, whale sharks, the world's largest jellyfish exhibit, an 8m high fully submersed Aquadome, a 4D Theatre and Glass Sea Elevators. Aquaventure, a water theme park the size of nine football fields, will have 14 rides in four areas such as The Crab Playground and Squid Tower Slide Complex. The world's largest living coral reef, The Coral Lagoon, will allow not only snorkellers and divers to get up close to underwater creatures and coral, but also those who prefer to stay dry by having a 'walk-through' experience at a depth of 10m. One of the highlights of Atlantis Sentosa will be the robotic creatures at Robotanical Gardens, a futuristic conservatory where nature meets technology. 'There'll be robotic plants that will interact with people and some robotic creatures which will interact with people and have artificial intelligence - it will just create a much more fun environment for people', says Prior. Boasting a 3,000 seat amphitheatre, Prior says visitors will not be able to differentiate between real and artificial. The architecture of Atlantic Sentosa is also a major draw. 'The Sails of Sentosa', glass structures standing 90 metres tall, is intended to make Singapore's skyline iconic and the resort one of the great wonders of the world. "Our hope is that it becomes kind of an awe-inspiring adventure to go and see - we've created something that really can only exist at this location on Sentosa?and for people to come and see it they get a true connection to Sentosa Island, sea life and the Atlantis resort," says Tensho Takemori, partner from architect firm Frank O Gehry and Associates. "I don't think anything that our firm has ever done before has looked anything like this, I think we're definitely stretching the ground for ourselves which has been a great experience, and it's very much tied with how it fits into the landscape of Sentosa." There will be four hotels with 1800 rooms at the resort. The casino will span 15,000 square metres, the lake 2.6 hectares and there will be a marina for yachts to berth. Kerzner-CapitaLand have also called in the who's who of culinary expertise such as Gordon Ramsay (British), Nobu Matsuhisa (Japanese/International), Alan Yau (Chinese/International) and Joel Robuchon (French) - to head the fine dining experiences at Atlantis Sentosa. Key members of the resort development team include robotics experts Walt Conti and Dr Rodney Brooks, marine life experts who set up the Georgia and Waikiki aquariums, and the Arnell Group for brand creation and marketing. If successful, the consortium estimates an opening date of 2010 for Atlantis Sentosa, with an estimated 10 million visitors within its first year of opening. - CNA Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 06 Kerzner-CapitaLand's Atlantis Sentosa to complement offerings of VivoCity By Johnson Choo SINGAPORE : Kerzner-CapitaLand has unveiled more details of its proposed integrated resort at Sentosa. The consortium is going big on the theme park component but small on retail and food & beverage. That's because Kerzner-CapitaLand wants to complement the offerings of VivoCity just across from the island, to provide a different experience at the two destinations. Most of the F&B outlets and shops of Atlantis Sentosa will be located at The Sails at Sentosa, the main attraction and arrival point. Kerzner-CapitaLand believes complementing the offerings of VivoCity will make it more attractive to visitors. "What we're proposing is a fully integrated resort - bringing in these thrilling rides, slides and these amazing aquatic experiences. This is the Atlantis experience," says Tobin Prior, president of International Division of Kerzner International Holdings. "What we really trying to do, on top of that, is take what we've developed and achieved with the Atlantis brand and take it to the next level, and create an experience for the future with Atlantis. So we are layering onto that, some amazing technological innovations that'll create a much richer experience," he adds. While Kerzner-CapitaLand is not, at this point in time, prepared to share with the public the design of its robotic community, the preliminary video footage shows that these are not your garden-variety of machines, but very advanced robots with artificial intelligence that can interact with the public. Central to the Atlantis Sentosa architectural design is the 90-metre tall "sails", and a marine aquatic theme park that will occupy a major portion of the property. "The combination of Sentosa in Singapore (is about) our exploration into the sea life and working with technology & visions for the 21st century and beyond.... In addition to the attractions that we have described, we believe that the resort is integrated, giving a full experience for people who come here," says Tensho Takemori, architect and partner at Gehry Partners. Kerzner-CapitaLand says pricing for both its entertainment and hotel accommodation will be kept affordable to reflect local market conditions. It is aiming to attract 10 million visitors in the first year with a projected 30 percent growth over five years. - CNA /ls Today Online 18 Oct 06 Kerzner's sweet deal Bid promises jobs for 8,000, gourmet food at Atlantis Jasmine Yin jasmine@mediacorp.com.sg NINE renowned chefs such as Joel Robuchon and Nobu Matsuhisa will run the kitchens at Atlantis Sentosa, if Kerzner International wins the bid to develop Singapore's second integrated resort (IR). These chefs, who include Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay and Santi Santamaria, have agreed to set up shop at the proposed $5.28 billion development by the Bahamas-based casino operator, which has submitted a futuristic bid for the site. There will be more than 30 food and beverage outlets, including local restaurant Jumbo Seafood, BreadTalk's Food Republic and a Fifa Sports Cafe. Besides tantalising taste buds, the consortium will also sweeten employment figures by offering more than 8,000 jobs at the resort in its first year of operations, with at least 75 per cent of jobs going to locals. This figure is set "to grow to over 9,000 jobs within five years" and these are "direct, full-time employees", Kerzner's president (international division) Tobin Prior said at a media conference yesterday. This is comparable to Genting International's bid, which will hire more than 10,000 people at its IR, if it wins. More details of the Kerzner-CapitaLand proposal--which is driven by the latest robotics technology--were unveiled yesterday, a day after the consortium's presentation to the Government. Atlantis Sentosa is to house nine major attractions, like The Sails at Sentosa, a massive glass sculpture at the heart of the casino resort and a 10-million-gallon aquarium that is touted to be the world's largest and most technologically-advanced, as it combines real and robotic underwater life. Examples of marine life that visitors can meet include giant octopuses, beluga whales, whale sharks and moray eels. There will also be a 10-m-deep coral lagoon with 750 species of fish--the world's largest living coral reef exhibit--for visitors to snorkel, dive or walk through in glass-panelled tunnels. Fans of water rides can have their fill of fun at the 12-acre Aquaventure, with its 14 water rides. A two-storey, 15,000-sq-m casino will be located under the Gardens of Robotanica, which will have natural and robotic flora and fauna. Also planned are spaces for conventions, a grand ballroom and nine meeting rooms, for over 4,000. Analysts such as Merrill Lynch's Sean Monaghan said the Kerzner-CapitaLand and Genting-Universal proposals are "two credible bids" but the latter "offers the lower potential risk". The former "carries a far higher execution risk" because it is "an interesting but very high-tech entertainment complex which is not proven", he said. Commenting on this, Mr Prior pointed out that Kerzner has dealt with--and delivered--high-risk projects before. He said: "We're not trying to go with stuff that's never been done before. We're trying to use the amazing technology--to make it a richer experience." Have something to say about the project? Kerzner International (Singapore) Hill & Knowlton (SEA) Pte Ltd Amy Kong DID: (65) 6390 3376 HP: (65) 9452 7626 Email: akong@hillandknowlton.com.sg CapitaLand Julie Ong DID: (65) 6823 3541 HP: (65) 9734 0122 Email: julie.ong@capitaland.com.sg Government Feedback Channel Website reach@reach.gov.sg links Related articles on Sentosa IR |
| News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes. | |
website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com |