Sol Kerzner is the founder , CEO and chairman of the board of Kerzner International Holdings Limited ( formerly Sun International ) . Mr. Kerzner has gained international acclaim for his imaginatively designed , high-quality resorts and business acumen . His career spans some 40 years in the hotel/resort and casino industries . He founded both of Southern Africa 's largest hotel groups , played a pivotal role in the development of the tourism industries in Mauritius and The Bahamas , and continues to develop industry leading projects in unique destinations throughout the world . Sol Kerzner , the youngest of four children , was born on August 23 , 1935 in a lower-class suburb of Johannesburg to Russian immigrants . In 1958 , Mr. Kerzner graduated as a chartered accountant from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and immediately joined one of Durban 's largest firms , where , by age 25 , he was named a junior partner . Mr. Kerzner 's career in hospitality began in 1960 with the purchase of The Palace Hotel in Durban . Following the success of that and a second hotel , Mr. Kerzner bought and developed an underdeveloped site north of Durban , an area with little apparent tourist appeal . Contacts from his accounting days backed his revolutionary concept of a complete resort with entertainment and sporting facilities and a variety of specialty restaurants and bars . The result was the Beverly Hills Hotel , the first five-star hotel built in South Africa . It opened in December 1964 and within a year was acclaimed as a premier resort for local and international tourists . Following the Beverly Hills , Mr. Kerzner built the 450-room Elangeni , overlooking Durban 's beachfront . And , in 1969 , in partnership with South African Breweries , he established the chain of Southern Sun Hotels , which by 1983 was operating 30 luxury hotels with more than 5,000 rooms . In 1975 , Mr. Kerzner opened his first international hotel , Le Saint Géran , in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius . While in South Africa , Mr. Kerzner developed Sun City , the most ambitious resort development in Africa . This project included the development of four hotels , 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 , two golf courses , and a series of water rides and attractions . In 1994 , Mr. Kerzner made his first major acquisition outside Africa through the purchase of the Paradise Island Resort in The Bahamas . This 1,150-room resort and casino had fallen into bankruptcy . Immediately after acquiring the resort , Mr. Kerzner launched a major re-development and expansion program turning the Atlantis , Paradise Island into a 2,300-room resort and casino that also includes the world 's largest man-made marine habitat , the largest casino entertainment center in the Caribbean , a world-class marina and other attractions . In 1996 , Mr. Kerzner opened the Mohegan Sun gaming resort in Connecticut , occupying 240 acres on the Thames River . This was as a result of negotiating a unique agreement with the Mohegan Indian Nation . Recently , the property has been expanded through a $ 1 billion investment and is now one of the two largest gaming and entertainment resorts in the United States . Kerzner is extending its Atlantis brand globally with the development of Atlantis , The Palm , Dubai . An approximately 2,000 room , water-themed resort expected to open in 2008 , currently being constructed on The Palm , Jumeirah , a multi-billion dollar leisure and residential development in Dubai . In the United Kingdom , Kerzner is currently developing a casino in Northampton and received a Certificate of Consent from the UK Gaming Board in 2004 . Throughout his career , Sol Kerzner has been bestowed with a number of global awards , including Hotels Magazine 's 2004 Hotelier of the World , Las Vegas Hotel & Restaurant Show 's International Hotelier of the Year for 2005 and a lifetime achievement award from the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa . In 1992 he was the first non-American to be admitted to the U.S. Gaming Hall of Fame . E-mail to a friend .
Kerzner was born in Johannesburg , Johannesburg , in 1960 . His first hotel purchase was Le Saint Géran , in 1935 . Kerzner was the first South African in the U.S. Gaming Hall of Fame .