Photos of QE2 Hotel Dubai - Interiors

[cunardqueen]

  Yes but then please make a honest judgement......not like some others do

The trouble these days is that everyone thinks they are an AA inspector or a Restaurant Critic or worse both. Sadly the likes of Trip advisor does a lot of harm. Where else can you write a complete pile of horse pucky and its accepted as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Granted owners have the chance to respond but why respond to complete lies. Personally l have zero time for Trip Advisor

Imagine how QE2 fared. You have two people on deck five in an inside cabin. One person being an Ocean Liner fan, the other expecting 5 star service from the most famous ship in the world.   You will get two very diferent reviews.

[cunardqueen]

I would rather see the ship overly clean than in the dirty state she was in a couple of years ago.  This is a new beginning for QE2 and we should support her and not be too critical of the effort that has been done to get QE2 shipshape and ready for business.   

Lets look at The Queens room as an example, a classic timeless room , Ideal for oboard a ship, but as a Hotel Venue pretty useless in the original format.  What they have done needed to be done to turn the room into a multi purpose venue. Granted perhaps some of the magic might have been lost, but theres still a lot of it there.

She isnt the QE2 that we know, we need to let that sink in, accept it and move onto the new Hotel QE2. We may not like what they are doing. But the owners need to attract people to the hotel QE2. Theres a whole new world of people out there waiting to try something different, and they will lm sure find it onboard Hotel QE2.
Dont get me wrong im never going to visit QE2 , but l will support her in her new future.And l do wish her and her owners the very best of good luck in that.   

[Roy Warrender]

I agree it is time to move on,and accept that QE2 has new life as a hotel .
I wonder if we looked back to the  past refurbs and modifications,  what were the reactions  to them.
It woulds be nice if the present refurb had been to an earlier condition, but which one would be acceptable           to all.

[cunardqueen]

I wonder if we looked back to the  past refurbs and modifications,  what were the reactions  to them. 

When l sailed for the first time in June 1986 and then again in April 1987 on her Maiden voyage after the big refit it was quite a transformation..

[Rob Lightbody]

My problem isn't that i can't move on, and in fact in many cases i don't believe they've been radical enough in what they've done. 

I will continue to comment with my views, despite having no intention to visit. My views will be based on listening to others who visit, and the photographs i see.

I deeply want QE2 to succeed, and for that to happen she needs to succeed or she'll be razer blades.  If i see something they're doing that i think isn't right, I'm going to say so.

[Alex Tarry]

I can’t move on either, it’s all a question of context, Dubai have saved the ship and I hope to be a regular visitor and support her and her team in every way I can.  I am grateful to the Dubai team for this and have said here more than once that she now needs to succeed commercially to be safe in the medium term.

However as the heart of QE2’s online support community we’ve been largely left out of the process of saving her, which doesn’t encourage us to be supportive.  However, I do recommend visiting, she’s still QE2, her charm and wonderfulness were strong and have survived the many changes required to make her succeed as a hotel.

We hope to be back in November...

[Rob Lightbody]

Lets look at The Queens room as an example, a classic timeless room , Ideal for oboard a ship, but as a Hotel Venue pretty useless in the original format. 

I don't agree with that.  It already was a useful multi-function room.  They should have held afternoon teas in that room, in the way they always did, with live music.  Not every day, maybe once or twice a week - the ship could have been famous for it as a thing to do in Dubai.  What it has become now is not really anything - just a space - and not a very good space compared to a real conference venue, due to the low ceiling height (which is exacerbated by the wide space being so empty).

[cunardqueen]

There was a photo somewhere showing the room with tables . From a  venue point of view and lets narrow it down there was space for a good number of tables to use as a wedding breakfast or a large scale corporate dinner. If the curtains are still in place, they would or could be used to contain the event allowing other guests to walk on either side. The lido kitchen used as a holding kitchen for the food.

The trouble with afternoon teas your quite limited, Is there enough to justify daily Afternoon teas leaving the room as it was, You really dont want to go down the road of Teas only on certain days, that just causes confussion, and a live band is only good if they are quiet, BUT They could have played up on The Britishness and gone to town with a Classic Afternoon Tea Dance. For those that dont dance offer the original dance lessons before hand.( revenue) But they need to get their marketing team (if they even have one) to get their arse into gear and get organised.
 QE2 reopens fully sometime in October and what do we know of that.... simply nothing but hearsay and claptrap

My fear is that her owners have simply no idea what they are doing. They bought a World Icon ten years ago. The world has moved on, and if they dont get their act together pretty darn quick they are going to miss the boat .
They must realise there is such a lot they can do with QE2..I could think of several things right away ..But they do need Bums on beds and people on seats..NOW         

[Lynda Bradford]

BUT They could have played up on The Britishness and gone to town with a Classic Afternoon Tea Dance. For those that dont dance offer the original dance lessons before hand.( revenue)

Myles - Forget the Britishness, the marketing team need to link into an international audience.  Dance lessons and dancing while you enjoy afternoon tea/or a ball in the evening, where they could demonstrate what they had learned, could be a huge marketing success. 

With the success of Strictly Come Dancing throughout the world, many people have been introduced/reintroduced to ballroom dancing.  Onboard Cunard ships there are many Japanese people who book the cruise so that they can dance in the Queens Room. I also spoke to women from America who booked on Cunard through a Dancing at Sea Travel Agent.  People would book on QE2 for a unique experience.  A package to stay onboard QE2 for a few nights with dance lessons included, then either the afternoon tea dance or a glamorous evening ball sounds like it could sell staterooms. 

[Alex Tarry]

I think one of the challenges for QE2 today is that her original configuration, for a full compliment of passengers just offers too much capacity for a sparsely populated hotel.  Restaurant after restaurant, multiple entertainment spaces just aren’t required for the hotel, she needs events, not only to fill her bedrooms, but also food and entertainment venues.  We saw this for the fashion event and various Ramadan activities, she just needs more!

It’s the same story on Rotterdam, her original lower deck restaurants are two spaces I’ve never seen used on her.

They are playing the British card, which might lead to afternoon tea events etc, we’ll have to see...

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

The discussion on SS Rotterdam continues here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php?topic=3232.msg99692#msg99692

[Liam Fjellstedt]

QE2 by swedishnuke, on Flickr

From the opening day

[Liam Fjellstedt]

QE2 by swedishnuke, on Flickr

[Liam Fjellstedt]

QE2 by swedishnuke, on Flickr

QE2 by swedishnuke, on Flickr

[Liam Fjellstedt]

QE2 by swedishnuke, on Flickr

I enjoy this picture!