The annual Hotelier of the World award, now in its 24th year, is presented to a corporate and independent hotelier and is based on polling the magazine's 60,000+ readers in some 170 countries. Announcing award recipients in this month's issue, HOTELS magazine notes, "Kerzner's story has been and continues to be about defying expectations, carving out a new niche and 'wowing' guests."

Sol Kerzner's best known recent accomplishments include the hugely successful Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and the late-2002 launch of the premier luxury brand, One&Only. A collection of award winning properties, One&Only Resorts includes the One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas, One&Only Le Touessrok and One&Only Le Saint Geran in Mauritius, One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, One&Only Kanuhura in the Maldives and One&Only Palmilla in Mexico.

Mr. Kerzner's hospitality career began in 1960 with the purchase of The Palace Hotel in Durban, South Africa. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Kerzner built The Beverly Hills Hotel, which became South Africa's first five-star hotel. After partnering with South African Breweries to establish the Southern Sun hotel chain, which became South Africa's leading hotel and resort company with 30 operations throughout southern Africa, he opened his first international hotel in 1975: Le Saint Geran.

Mr. Kerzner gained international recognition with SunCity, the most ambitious resort development in Africa featuring four hotels - including the Palace of the Lost City, a man-made lake, two golf courses, an entertainment center with an indoor 6,000-seat arena, over 1 million hand-planted trees, a casino and a series of water attractions. Sun City attracts over 3 million visitors annually and, after the country's game reserve, is the second most visited destination for international tourists. Mr. Kerzner is no longer affiliated with Sun City.

In 1994, Mr. Kerzner took his development expertise to the Americas with the acquisition of the Paradise Island Resort and Casino in The Bahamas. At the time of purchase, this 1,186-room resort was out of favor by tourists and nearing bankruptcy. Immediately after acquiring the resort, Mr. Kerzner launched a major re-development and expansion program to create Atlantis, Paradise Island. This program transformed the hotel into a 2,300-room ocean-themed resort and casino highlighted by the Royal Towers and including the world's largest open-air marine habitat, the largest casino in the Caribbean market, a world-class marina and other attractions, making Atlantis, Paradise Island one of the most successful resorts in the world.

In 1996, Mr. Kerzner designed, built and opened Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and later oversaw a $1 billion expansion, which included two casinos, a major retail mall, a 1,200-room hotel and a 10,000-seat indoor arena, creating one of the largest gaming and entertainment resorts in the United States. The Mohegan Sun is owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut.

Married with five children and six grandchildren, Sol Kerzner divides his time between his resort properties and his homes in South Africa, England and the South of France. He was the first non-American to be inducted into the US Gaming Hall of Fame and was recently given a lifetime achievement award by FEDHASA, South Africa's major tourism agency.

About The Company
Kerzner International Limited (NYSE:KZL) is a leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, casinos and luxury hotels. The Company's flagship brand is Atlantis, which includes Atlantis, Paradise Island, a 2,317-room, ocean-themed destination resort located on Paradise Island, The Bahamas. Atlantis, Paradise Island is a unique destination resort featuring three interconnected hotel towers built around a 7-acre lagoon and a 34-acre marine environment that includes the world's largest open-air marine habitat and is the home to the largest casino in the Caribbean. The Company also developed and receives certain income derived from Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, which has become one of the premier casino destinations in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Kerzner is currently developing a casino in Northampton and received its Certificate of Consent from the U.K. Gaming Board on March 30, 2004. In its luxury resort hotel business, the Company manages nine resort hotels primarily under the One&Only brand. The resorts, featuring some of the top-rated properties in the world, are located in The Bahamas, Mexico, Mauritius, the Maldives and Dubai. Additional One&Only properties are either underway or in the planning stages in the Maldives and South Africa. 

HOTELS magazine is a monthly business publication published by Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.