The new owners of the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) hope to attract twice as many guests as the majestic cruise liner did when she sailed the world's oceans, after she is transformed by the UAE developer Nakheel into a luxury floating hotel and museum.
"In 40 years, the ship has had about 2.5 million guests on board, but when we are done with transforming her we expect to see more than double that number in the same period," said Manfred Ursprunger, the chief executive of QE2 Enterprises at Nakheel Hotels, which is taking charge of the project.
Istithmar, the investment arm of the state-owned Dubai World development company, bought the ship last year from Britain's Cunard Line for US$100 million (Dh367.3m).
"Nakheel Hotels, as a subsidiary arm of Dubai World, will now take charge of the refurbishments, which we expect to complete in two to three years time," said Mr Ursprunger, who declined to comment on the cost of the transformation.
Building the ship in the mid-1960s cost Cunard £29m. Since then, about 15 times that amount had been spent on the ship's refurbishments, said Mr Ursprunger. "We have respected the fact that Cunard has hold of the ship, so our engineers have not been on board and estimated the costs needed, but ultra luxury is the direction we aim to go."
With an ambitious tourism target of attracting 15 million visitors by 2015, Dubai is constantly faced with the challenge of reinventing itself and introducing new attractions.
"This project is very much in line with the overall tourism strategy, and I think the outcome will attract millions of visitors not only from Europe, but also from within the region," said Mr Ursprunger.
The hotel will have 200 rooms, which the company estimates will be about 50 square metres each, and 130 apartments that rage from one to three bedrooms starting from 80 to 120 sq metres. "The apartments will be up for sale under a fractional ownership contact, and we still haven't set the prices for the property," said Mr Ursprunger.
Under the current design, the ship has 900 cabins, which in many cases are smaller than 30 sq metres. "Being a luxury hotel, we wanted the rooms to be very spacious - that's why we went for a smaller number of rooms."
The refurbishment will take place at the Dubai Drydocks area, which is a sister company of Nakheel, located near Port Rashid, where the ship arrived yesterday. "Once the transformation is complete, the ship will be towed to its final destination on the north-east end of the Palm Jumeirah," said Mr Ursprunger.
In an effort to lure more tourists to the hotel, day visitors will be allowed on board for the first time in the cruise liner's history. Day guests and other visitors will be able to take organised tours of the ship or use the facilities, which will include a 5,000 sq metre spa and wellness centre, six continental restaurants and a 500-seat theatre, which will replace the boat's engine.
In terms of running the hotel, the company plans to sign more than one management contract with operators in the next two years. "Because we have more than one component to the project, we are planning to sign a contract with a luxury hotel operator, a spa operator and a theatre production operator," said Mr Ursprunger, adding that the theatre performances held on board were expected to compete with international shows such as those on New York's Broadway.
Projects around the QE2 are already under way. "There will be a residential area, a retail area and a maritime museum, which will all be completed in two to three years time," said Mr Ursprunger. "Make no mistake, at the end of the day this is a business and our aim is to generate profits. Given such a popular brand like QE2, I think we already managed to attract a lot of attention."
abakr@thenational.ae
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
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Price: From Dh599,000
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
