Why cruise ships may not be the answer for ‘pop-up’ hotels this summer

‘Cruises are exciting because you’re going places, not because of the five-star accommodation’

Queen size: QE2, now a floating hotel in Dubai (QE2 Dubai)

A Devon council leader has proposed using idle cruise ships to help provide extra accommodation in what could be a record summer for UK holidaymakers. 

But Katie King, former director of marketing for the QE2 Dubai, has some gentle words of advice.

My first question is, what are they trying to achieve with this? I understand the initiative and it’s an outside-the-box solution – but are they trying to provide ‘no frills’ accommodation to holidaymakers or are they trying to offer a hotel-type “destination within a destination”?

The cabins of these ships are often small and are built for purpose, not comfort. Even on traditional cruises, the ship is designed to keep people out of their cabins all day except for sleeping and showering. 

The running costs of a ship (to supply water, electricity, gas, air-conditioning and more) are high. Would you recover this price in the room rates you’re able to charge for cabins?

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Also consider why cruises are expensive and in such demand: it’s not because of the plush comfort of your cabin, but for all of the running costs (including fuel) that are mostly higher than those costs incurred inland.

If the purpose here is to drive tourism to this destination and then to offer tourists all of the facilities of a cruise, how is the local economy going to benefit from this?

To make it a success, there needs to be transparency about what guests can expect when they check in.

Cruises are exciting because you’re going places, not because of the five-star accommodation. Cruise marketing tends to feature destinations, public facilities and the best selection of rooms available.

Bog standard cabins aren’t the pictures people conjure up in their minds when they think of a cruise. They are usually the only pain-point of an otherwise glorious adventure.

Queen King: Katie King, former director of marketing for the QE2 in Dubai (Katie King)

Also consider that logistically, it’s almost impossible to social distance on a ship and it’s one of the main reasons they were the first sections of the tourism industry to close. To keep adequate social distancing measures in place, you would have to reduce the number of occupied rooms.

With such a reduction in room inventory and staggering running costs - is this a financially viable project?

The QE2 is one of the world’s most famous ocean liners afloat, with a history and story spanning more than 50 years. It’s hard for any modern ocean liner to ever offer such a cultural experience steeped in heritage. 

If the QE2 wasn’t the QE2, would she have been a successful project [as a permanent floating hotel]? The answer is, not likely. She was bought and restored because she is the QE2.