Hotel of the Week: Atlantis The Royal Debuts Ken Fulk- Designed Outpost of Famed Restaurant Carbone
The celebrated dining destination features one of the world’s largest jellyfish aquariums—just the latest spectacle for the staggering property with major art installations, an unparalleled fountain show, and sweeping city views from a Dolce & Gabbana-dressed pool
Three years after its epic, star-studded opening—culminating in a dazzling water-and-fire performance by Beyoncé—the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed Atlantis The Royal continues to make a splash in Dubai’s superlative-drenched hotel universe. It accomplishes what many mega-resorts aspire to, yet often fall short of: ultimate luxury and superb service, while maintaining true “what-will-they-do-next” status.
The latest debut is Major Food Group’s now-iconic Italian-American restaurant Carbone, which opened inside The Royal’s lobby. Designed by Ken Fulk, a Galerie Creative Mind, alongside Bishop Design, the space features dazzling, over-the-top embellishments, like one of the world’s largest jellyfish aquariums, with 4,000 bred-on-site moon jellyfish spanning an entire wall. Carbone’s signature chandeliers hang from a coffered ceiling of patinated metal tiles, bathing the leather and velvet booths in a warm, golden glow.
And the unmistakable dining destination is hardly the hotel’s only new initiative. In collaboration with UAE online shopping platform Ounass, Cloud 22—The Royal’s sky pool overlooking the Arabian Gulf—is now draped in Dolce & Gabbana’s Carretto Siciliano print. Nearby, six acrylic trumpets are topped with 110 flowers made from individually hand-blown glass pieces while vapor clouds swirls from day to night. A stunning DJ booth anchors Cloud 22’s deck, its stainless steel skin traced with LED veins that pulse red to the beat.
The artful moments around the infinity pool are just a small sampling of The Royal’s myriad moments of creative expression. Upon entering, guests first encounter Droplets, the lobby’s centerpiece, representing the first drop of rain in a desert. Three aquariums double as LED art installations, radiating with a spectacular light show starring 7,200 marine animals across 32 species.
Outside, Skyblaze stands as the Middle East’s first and only permanent fire-and-water performance fountain with 1,400 choreographed, color-changing lights enhancing the spectacle that resemble liquid fireworks. The show is best viewed from the Elements Terrace, which features a sunken lounge surrounded by one-of-a-kind water candles exclusively designed for The Royal.
If everything leading up to the suite door doesn’t leave guests breathless, the four-bedroom, two-level Royal Mansion will unquestionably astound. Considered the crown jewel of the six-tower resort, the penthouse connects both sides of the building and opens through a private foyer framed by sculptural glass olive trees.
Inside, entertainment unfolds effortlessly: a sweeping terrace with infinite views of the Arabian Sea, Palm Island, and Dubai’s skyline; an infinity pool made for post-sunset dips; and an outdoor kitchen. A 12-seat dining room delivers celebrity-chef dinners, while a dedicated entertainment lounge, library, and bar bring the party home. Chopard in-room amenities and round-the-clock butler service ensure every box is checked.
Anchoring the living space is a luminous art installation—a single suspended droplet migrated from the lobby’s Droplets installation—that reflects and refracts light, echoing the resort’s water-driven narrative.
Dubai’s skyline may be filled with incredible hotels, but Atlantis The Royal continues to lead the conversation.