Category: International

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.

A gem of belle époque Venetian decor, the Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort is set to reopen its famous doors, having embarked on a three-year restoration plan to ensure it remains world-class.

In December 2016 the London & Regional Properties Group, an international hotel investment specialist with a portfolio of around 12,000 hotel rooms, took over the running of the hotel.

The company has been implementing a re-financing plan in partnership with Coima SGR, a leading independent manager of real estate investment funds on behalf of Italian and international corporate investors.

The main goal of the operation was to give a new lease of life to an icon of Venetian hospitality, through a three-year relaunch plan which provides for the total renovation of the hotel by 2020, while respecting its tradition and historic vocation.

The first step in this plan will be seen from April 12th, the official date on which the hotel is to re-open following major renovation work on its majestic Venetian-Byzantine style façade and its historic cupola, which has been restored to its former glory following a fire in 2014.

What’s more, guests at the Lido will be greeted by new, sophisticated and modern finishes; and the beachfront restaurant La Taverna will kick off the bathing season in June 2018 with an all-new design and menu, with dishes that reflect the best of traditional Italian cuisine.

The subsequent phases of the masterplan will be implemented in the next two years and are to include a restyling of the luxurious bedrooms and public areas, as well as a new food and beverage strategy.

The Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort will be steered in this new direction by a renewed management team, with figures recruited from prestigious luxury firms.

The general manager, Alessio Lazazzera, joined the Venice Lido in June 2017, having previously managed hotels in the St. Regis and Luxury Collection brands, with 12 years spent overseeing the re-launch of the Hotel Quisisana in Capri.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has signed a new hotel in Paris and is scheduled to open in 2020.

The new opening follows the hotels in Beijing and Dubai in 2017, Shanghai in 2018 and Moscow in 2020, bringing the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts collection to eight properties, including Milan, London and Bali.

The hotel will be located at 30 Avenue George V,  the avenue forms with the Champs Elysees and the Avenue Montaigne the famous “Triangle d’Or”, one of Paris’ most exclusive and distinctive areas.

The Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya is currently a superior 4 star hotel offering 272 rooms and suites with good access to the historic centre of Barcelona and near the city’s business district. Its large rooms, with striking views and the only top-floor restaurant with 360° views of the city, make it the perfect place for an event in Barcelona. It has a 100-seat auditorium and various modular rooms for meetings and presentations.

The Gran Hotel is being refurbished this year floor by floor and will be a 5 star Nobu Hotel by 2019!