Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
Gulf News
Dubai: Nakheel will not operate the Queen Elizabeth 2 when the former luxury liner is transformed into a seven-star hotel in three years, officials say.
Nakheel will not operate the hotel and is in talks with major hotel operators to see which will run the hotel when it is complete.
While no names were revealed, it will be "most likely" a hotel operator that Nakheel already has done business with, according to Manfred Ursprunger, chief executive officer of Nakheel Hotels, QE2 Enterprises.
The world famous ocean liner QE2 will sail into Dubai tomorrow, proving that life begins at 40.
The 293-metre long QE2 will make its way to Dubai drydocks where it will spend two to three years being renovated.
Air conditioning
As she had come to the end of her 40-year life as a cruise ship, a whole range of plumbing and electrical work needs to be done.
An adequate air conditioning system will have to be installed due to the climate and all windows will be double-glazed to protect the interior from condensation. Being on the Palm Jumeirah and an historic vessel in its own right, the QE2 will be a seven-star hotel.
There are now 11 public decks on the vessel. It will comprise 200 rooms which will all be a minimum of 50 square metres.
Of these, around 10 per cent will be suites, Ursprunger said.
"Room rates will be [decided] at the time when the ship comes online and will be of the ultra-luxury hotel resort [style]," Ursprunger said.
Theatre
There will also be 130 one-bed, two-bed and three-bed apartments for sale which will range in size from 80 square metres to 250 square metres.
Prices of these apartments are not yet known but being part of Palm Jumeirah and, more specifically, on this historic vessel, they are likely to be just as amazing as the QE2 herself.
Aboard, there will also be a 500-seat luxury theatre which will host productions rivaling those in London's West End and Broadway in New York City.
"We want to take people back to the time when people travelled across the Atlantic," Ursprunger said.
There will also be a 5,000 square metre indoor and outdoor wellness centre and spa.
Other features include five restaurants and three-star Michelin chef Michel Roux will be in charge of the menus.
The interior will be designed in keeping with how the QE2 looked in her glory days. So there will be an atmosphere of old world glamour.
At maximum capacity, the ship will be able to hold 1,500 guests, including guests just visiting for dinner.
Capacity for overnight guests will be between 800 and 1,000.
The ship will form the centrepiece of the QE2 precinct, linked by approximately four gangways. The precinct incorporates a land area, complete with residential units and a yacht club.
The hotel is due to open by 2012.
Queen size offerings
- Hotel QE2 will have a seven-star rating- 200 rooms |
- Around 10 per cent (20 rooms) will be suites
- 30 apartments available to buyers- 500-seat West End/Broadway style theatre
- 5,000 square metres indoor and outdoor wellness centre and spa
- 5 restaurants
- 10 public decks
Total guest capacity 1,500
- Total overnight guest capacity 800 to 1,000
- Hotel QE2 will be linked to land by 4 gangways
- QE2 is 293 metres long
- Renovation to take 2 to 3 years.
- If you want to glimpse the QE2 as she makes her way to Mina Rashid, head down to Jumeirah Beach around 3pm tomorrow, or the stretch of beach between the Grand Hyatt and the fish market.
- A flotilla is also being sent out to greet the QE2 as she arrives, including British naval vessel HMS Lancaster.
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
