Golf Inc - May 2008 - (Page 34)

The world’s most innovative resort developers LEADER PROFILES These high-stakes entrepreneurs have shaped the future of international resort development A t least one is a household name, an instantly recognizable celebrity all across the globe. Others operate behind the scenes, controlling billions of dollars of capital in virtual anonymity. But all have one thing in common: They think big — extremely big — when it comes to development. All have shown a remarkable ability to identify trends and to take advantage of fast-changing circumstances, no matter how risky the investment. When looking at the individuals who dominate the international development stage today, a handful of people stand out. Their entrepreneurial credentials are unmatched, and as a result they have attracted some of the golf industry’s most high-profile names to their projects. Here are five of the world’s most innovative resort developers: |Sol Kerzner| Kerzner International Limited The success of Sun City in the North West Province of South Africa gave hotel and gambling magnate Sol Kerzner widespread acclaim in the development world. Kerzner, now 72, his Kerzner International Limited company and its luxury management company, One&Only, are at the forefront of international resort and destination development. Kerzner’s hallmark has been finding distinctive locations and providing a unique resort experience at each. He formed an international brand by developing Atlantis, Paradise Island, a 2,900-room ocean-themed destination resort in the Bahamas. Kerzner will be extending the Atlantis brand into the United Arab Emirates this September with the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, a 1,539-room, $1.5 billion development. It will be the first resort to open its doors on Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island in Dubai. “This is an exciting time for Dubai and for Kerzner International,” Kerzner said. “Atlantis, The Palm is situated as the new gateway to this incredible region.” Kerzner’s international reach is widespread. The company is currently developing a 600-room destination casino resort in Morocco that will open in 2009 and under the One&Only brand, it has properties in the development stages in South Africa, Zanzibar and Costa Rica. |Jose Luis Hernandez de Arce| Po l a r i s Wo r l d Jose Luis Hernandez de Arce is best known in the development community as president and managing director of Polaris World, a group of massive resort developments in Murcia, Spain. The development revolves around a series of world-class golf courses by Nicklaus Design. Polaris World will eventually feature nine Nicklaus courses, with three already up and running, a fourth scheduled to open in 2008 and five others in the early planning stages. With the success of Polaris World tied directly to the popularity of golf, the development has established its own private golf academy. Polaris World’s golf course resorts are all surrounded by real estate developments. Hernandez de Arce expects to have 10,000 houses built in Murcia by 34 Golf Inc. April 2008 2009 and hopes to eventually expand the company’s development operations to Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece and Morocco. Hernandez de Arce, who holds a masters degree from the University of Murcia, founded Polaris World in 2001, seeking to bring the golf course community business model that had long been successful for developers in the United States over to Europe.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Golf Inc - May 2008

Golf Inc - May 2008 Contents Editor's Column: Golf Inc.'s Green Awards Charlton Leads Architects Learning Curve for Global Business Woodward Named to GCSAA Post Americas: Pete Dye Designs Curacao Course Europe/Africa: 27-hole Project Near Prague Asia/Australia: New Hong Kong Daily Fee Economic Slump Makes it Easier for Golf Operators to Find Workers Homebuilders Cut Back on Golf Development as Sub-Prime Meltdown Roils Markets How a Southern California Project is Healing a Scarred Environment Is "Just One" the Answer? Rise of the Mega-Resorts Who are the World's Most Innovative Resort Developers? European Resort Operators Shift Attention to Untapped Areas Wait for Masters Visit Finally Ends

Golf Inc - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.