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QE2 hotel project on hold in Dubai
May 27, 2009 by Malcolm Oliver By Keith Hamilton, Southampton Daily Echo, 27th May 2009
LOOKING forlorn, forgotten and unloved, Southampton’s former queen of the Atlantic swelters under the glare of the fierce, unremitting Dubai sun as temperatures climb to 109F.
This is how the one-time Cunard liner QE2 looked just two days ago, tied up at a berth in Dubai’s container port where she has been languishing ever since she arrived in the Emirate in November last year. Partly hidden behind a row of container carriers, QE2 appears to be deserted.
For 40 years, she was a familiar sight at Southampton docks in between voyages criss-crossing the globe, but ambitious plans to convert the former liner into a luxurious floating hotel and tourist attraction seem to be on hold.
Dubai, like much of the rest of the world, is in the grip of recession, and has seen dramatic cutbacks and the postponement of many high-profile projects.
Little progress seems to have been made transforming QE2 since she has been in the Middle East, although her government-backed owners, Nakheel, insist that the conversion is still set to go-ahead.
Plans for QE2 include the creation of 200 hotel rooms as well as the development of 130 apartments.
Malcolm Says: Very few ships have ever become successful hotels. Even Long Beach’s ‘Queen Mary’ has had maintenance issues and has struggled to generate a profit over the years. Many ship fans are now beginning to think that scrapping the QE2 would have been kinder. Even if the renovation does happen, she will no longer be the QE2.
Tags:
Dubai,
QE2,
Queen Elizabeth 2
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