Qe2 To Open As Floating Hotel In Dubai

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) has relaunched as a floating hotel, restaurant and exhibition in Dubai this week.

The cruise liner made her maiden transatlantic voyage in 1969 from Southampton to New York. The ship was retired in 2008 following 1,400 voyages and is now docked permanently at Mina Rashid in Dubai.

QE2 opened yesterday, 18 April 2018, and will be opened in stages, the first of which will be the 13 restored rooms and suites, five of the planned 13 restaurants and bars, and the adjacent QE2 Heritage Exhibition.

Accommodation on the 13-deck liner has been restored, maintaining design features but has also modernised. Several of the original restaurants have also retained the same names and décor. The liner will have 13 bars and restaurants in total: the Chart Room, a historical lounge and bar; the Golden Lion, a traditional English pub; the Pavilion, a family restaurant with a terrace overlooking the marina; Lido, the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant; the Grand Lounge; and the Yacht Club offering afternoon tea. The hotel’s signature restaurant is the Queen’s Grill, offering British fine-dining dishes and a tasting menu recreating classic dishes from 1969.

Adjacent to the hotel lobby is the QE2 Exhibition detailing the liner’s 39-year history. The QE2 will be fully opened in October 2018.