Hospitality development giant Soloman (Sol) Kerzner died of cancer on March 21st at his home in Cape Town. He was 84.
Kerzner’s six-decade career comprised the launch of at least 80 hotel and casino properties in more than 12 international locales. Following early hotel purchases in Durban, South Africa in the 1960s, Kerzner went on to establish chain Southern Sun Hotels in his home country. In 1975, the mogul kicked off a global rollout with Kerzner International. The company launched a number of resorts, including both of the One&Only resort properties in Dubai. One&Only would go on to plant flags in inviting destinations like the Bahamas, Mauritius, and the Maldives. The Sun City resort debuted in 1979, marking a milestone in Kerzner’s development legacy. Developed over the course of a decade, the property encompasses four hotels, a manmade lake, dual golf courses, and a massive entertainment center.
Kerzner’s most notable acquisition outside of the African continent took place in 1994, when he overhauled the Bahamas’s bankrupt Paradise Island Resort into the first Atlantis property. The 2,300-room resort, home to one of the planet’s largest marine habitats and the Caribbean’s largest casino, expanded into an international brand with the Palm in Dubai and the third Atlantis outpost on China’s Hainan Island.
Kerzner is survived by his children and 10 grandchildren.
