The iconic cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2 – or QE2 as she is more commonly referred to – is in for a change. The ship is to be upgraded into a floating luxury hotel with 500 rooms and is to be moored in a harbor in Asia, according to a statement released on Thursday by her Dubai owners.
The ship made her move last Thursday to Drydocks World Dubai, where she will undertake classification checks before undergoing renovation into a floating luxury hotel. Drydocks World Dubai is a maritime holding company that belongs to the Dubai government.
The relocation is the first of many changes and will see Queen Elizabeth 2 undergo conversion into “a five-star hotel with 500 rooms managed by a prestigious international hotel as an operator” in partnership with the Oceanic Group. Oceanic Group has operations throughout Hong Kong, Singapore and China.
Once she has been fully renovated and refurbished, the new look Queen Elizabeth 2 will feature an onboard maritime museum, a shopping mall and restaurants. It is as yet unknown precisely where in Asia the Queen Elizabeth 2 will be based.
Dubai World purchased Queen Elizabeth 2 for around $75 million (£50 million) six years ago, back in 2007, from US cruise operator Cunard. This was at a time when Dubai’s economy was increasing at a furious rate prior to the onset of the global financial crisis.
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