Atlantis, The Palm appoints Chief Operating Officer

An accomplished hotel executive, Zaalof was most recently Chief Executive of wasl Hospitality, owner and operator of 7 hotels in Dubai, totaling 2,200 rooms, including the flagship hotels Grand Hyatt and The Westin. Prior to that role, Serge spent 10 years with the Jumeirah Group. He will be based in Dubai and will report directly to Mr. Leibman.

In his new role, Zaalof will be responsible for overall operations of Atlantis, The Palm, and will be actively involved as a member of the executive management team in the strategic growth and development of Kerzner International.

The functional areas of food and beverage, the Atlantis Spa, Dolphin Bay, Aquaventure, The Lost Chambers, and the hotel will report directly to him.

Mr. Zaalof spent 10 years with the Jumeirah Group, building both the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Madinat Resort into leading resorts. He began his career with Jumeirah as General Manager of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in 1998.

As General Manager, he led the resort to win a number of industry awards, including Conde Nast Traveller, World Travel Awards and Business Traveller. Serge then moved to the Madinat Jumeirah where he was responsible for the successful opening of the resort and stayed at Madinat as General Manager until 2006.

Serge also led Madinat to win multiple hospitality awards, including the Leading Resort for the Middle East and Dubai as well as the Leading Conference Hotel by the World Travel Awards. He then moved into a regional role as Senior Vice President, overseeing Jumeirah's development in the Asia Pacific region.

Serge began his career in hospitality with Hilton International in 1978 with various positions throughout the United Kingdom and the United States.

He then spent 7 years with Hyatt International, gaining experience in food and beverage in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. Serge was made General Manager of the Hyatt Regency in Casablanca in 1995. Prior to joining Jumeirah, Serge spent a year as General Manager for resorts in the Caribbean and Tunisia with Allegro International.

A French native, Serge Zaalof graduated Lycee Maurice Ravel, College Harriet Baita and ETC Hilton International Basel in Switzerland.

"Atlantis, The Palm is the newest icon in Dubai and I am thrilled to join the team. I look forward to continuing to develop the Atlantis experience through excellence and innovation. Kerzner is perhaps the most exciting resort-oriented hospitality company in the world with exciting growth prospects. I couldn't be more excited to join Alan and his great team,"

commented Serge Zaalof.