Queen Elizabeth 2 to open as a floating hotel in Dubai

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is docked in Port Rashid in Dubai. (Photo supplied)

DUBAI: The Queen Elizabeth 2, a world-famous cruise liner with a history spanning five decades, is set to partially open as a floating hotel in Dubai on Wednesday.
PCFC Hotels — part of the Dubai government’s Ports, Customs and Free Zones Corporation — has reinvented the vessel into a 13-deck hotel complete with 13 restaurants and lounges.
The ship been restored to her former glory — maintaining interior design features such as period furniture, paintings and famous memorabilia. The original porthole windows add a maritime feel to the modernized guest rooms and many of the restaurants have retained the same names.
Adjacent to the hotel lobby is the QE2 Exhibition — an interactive museum that showcases what the QE2 was like during the 1960s.
From smaller cabin-style standard rooms, starting at 17m², to the 76m² royal suites, the QE2 will offer a selection of 13 room and suite categories for passengers to experience.
The gem in the hotel’s crown are the two royal suites named after the Queen’s mother and grandmother. These suites offer a private veranda, conservatory and dining room, as well as a luxurious bedroom.
Visitors will also be able to dine in the ship’s original restaurants including The Chart Room — a sophisticated and historical lounge; The Golden Lion — a traditional English restaurant; The Pavilion — a family restaurant with an expansive terrace overlooking the marina; Lido — the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant; The Grand Lounge — a cabaret-style lounge with a weekly entertainment program; and the Yacht Club.
The hotel’s signature restaurant is The Queens Grill which offers a selection of British fine-dining dishes as well as a tasting menu that recreates a classic selection of dishes from 1969.
Hamza Mustafa, CEO of PCFC Hotels, commented: “To finally open the QE2 is a dream come true for my team and I… We have dedicated more than 2.7 million man-hours into transforming this legendary ocean liner into the multi-faceted tourist destination that she is today.”
The grand launch of the QE2 will take place in October 2018.