After buying the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise liner for $100 million five years ago, Dubai has settled on a use for it. The plan is to turn it into a floating hotel fitted with many of the storied vessel’s original furnishings.
The ship will remain in the city state’s downtown Port Rashid facility to serve as a tourist magnet alongside a proposed maritime museum and an expanding cruise ship terminal complex. The plans are a twist on a more ambitious previous proposal to significantly overhaul the ship and convert it into a luxury hotel docked alongside one of the sheikdom’s manmade palm-shaped islands. Developers shelved those plans when Dubai’s economy tumbled into crisis.
The chairman of the Dubai state company that owns the ship, Istithmar World, said he expects the 300-room hotel to open within 18 months. Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said that the company realized visitors want to see the QE2 as it originally looked, so does not expect to carry out major renovations or remove fixtures still onboard.
This past New Year’s Eve, an event planning company hosted a black-tie bash onboard that included live music, fireworks and a laser light show. That was the first time the ship had hosted a large group of guests since it pulled into port.
WE SAID THIS: Dubai just keep adding to their list of things, what has not been done there?