QE2 To Be Converted Into Asia-Based Floating Hotel

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) cruise liner, docked in Dubai since 2008, will now be converted into a 500-room luxury hotel and moved to an unnamed Asian city.

Dubai’s Drydocks World (DDW), which has taken over the management from Dubai investment firm Istithmar World, said that it has signed an agreement with Singapore-based Oceanic Group to manage the project.

Plans for refurbishment include a shopping mall, three Michelin-starred restaurants, meeting facilities and an onboard maritime museum.

“We are going to lavish many millions of dollars on this magnificent ship to restore her to the splendour of her glory days as an icon of the very best the world has to offer,” Oceanic Group managing director Daniel Chui said.

The cruise liner was purchased by Istithmar from Cunard for $100 million in 2007. Istithmar had initially planned to turn the ship into a 1,000-room luxury hotel and moor her off the tip of Palm Jumeirah, but in July last year, the company announced that the 293 metre long liner, docked at Port Rashid, would be relaunched as a 300-room hotel.

In December, several rumours floated around saying that the liner would be sold for scrap to Indiana or Chinese companies, but former owner Cunard denied the speculations.

Launched by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth more than 40 years ago, QE2 was operated for nearly 30 years by Cunard. It made its last voyage from the UK to Dubai in 2008.