TV Restaurants

What Happened to The African… After The Hotel Inspector? (Mapledurham, UK)

Closed

As of October 2026, The African Queen is reported closed by henleystandard.co.uk (January 18, 2018), reviewed by our team on October 20, 2026 and cross-checked against getreading.co.uk; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact with the business.

Primary source
henleystandard.co.uk ·
Secondary source
getreading.co.uk ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The owners put the African Queen hotel boat up for sale in 2018 to retire; in 2021 it was marketed as a home, described as having a history as a boat hotel.

  • Season / episode Season 5, Episode 6
  • Original air date
  • Address Mapledurham, near Reading, Mapledurham RG4 7TP

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What happened after The Hotel Inspector?

The African Queen, a floating hotel moored at Mapledurham on the Thames near Reading, was the sixth episode of series 5 of The Hotel Inspector (Channel 5), which aired on 2009-08-10. Wikipedia's episode list says the business was running at just 30 per cent occupancy. Alex Polizzi returned for a follow-up episode aired on 2012-09-06, which TVmaze describes as a visit to the eight-bedroom floating hotel to check whether the business was still doing well.

The Henley Standard reported on 2018-01-18 that owners Bonny and Andy Cowley, who had run the 98ft boat for about 14 years, were selling it for £425,000 so they could retire. The paper said the boat had eight bedrooms and space for up to 12 passengers, and that the couple had appeared on the programme in 2008. They planned to start the new season while the boat was being marketed.

A Visit Thames listing titled Thames Cruise aboard the African Queen shows a cruise season running from 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 and directs visitors to join at the Ship in Mapledurham, but it names no operator. Leger Holidays' page for the same cruise, read on 2026-10-19, says the tour is currently not available and carries reviews about three years old. A Google Maps listing for African Queen - Thames River Cruising at Mapledurham, Reading RG4 7TP, is marked operational. None of the sources read reports whether the 2018 sale went through, who owns the boat now, or any 2026 sailings.

The Henley Standard reported on 2018-01-18 that Bonny and Andy Cowley were selling the African Queen, their floating hotel moored at Mapledurham, after about 14 years, saying they were getting too old to run it. Berkshire Live reported on 2021-10-09 that the barge was for sale as a home, describing its past as a boat hotel. A Google Maps listing for an African Queen river-cruising boat at Mapledurham, checked 2026-10-20, shows no website, booking details or review newer than about a year.

Series 9, episode 10 of The Hotel Inspector (Channel 5), titled "African Queen Revisited," aired 2012-09-06. According to Wikipedia's episode list, presenter Alex Polizzi returned to the eight-bedroom floating hotel on the River Thames to check whether the business was still afloat. TVmaze's episode guide gives the same outline of a return visit to the boat hotel. The episode belongs to the show's run of follow-up visits to properties covered in earlier series. Neither listing describes what she found on board or what happened afterward.

Featured on The Hotel Inspector

Season / episode
Season 5, Episode 6
Original air date
Episode title
African Queen
What was featured
Eight-bedroom Thames floating hotel running at 30 percent occupancy
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The African Queen
Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 10
Original air date
Episode title
African Queen Revisted
What was featured
Follow-up visit to eight-bedroom floating hotel on the River Thames
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The African Queen

More from The Hotel Inspector

Every The Hotel Inspector restaurant

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All South East England locations

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Visit info

Address
Mapledurham, near Reading, Mapledurham RG4 7TP
Venue type
hotel
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Hotel_Inspector_episodes
  • tvmaze.com — https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/213356/the-hotel-inspector-9x10-african-queen-revisted
  • henleystandard.co.uk — https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/community-news--all-districts-/420644/couple-to-sell-floating-hotel-after-14-years-of-cruising.html
  • visitthames.co.uk — https://visitthames.co.uk/thames-cruise-aboard-the-african-queen-p1367541
  • leger.co.uk — https://www.leger.co.uk/tours/thames-cruise-the-african-queen
  • getreading.co.uk — https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/property/ex-reading-hotel-boat-starred-21801063
  • tvmaze.com — https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/3130/the-hotel-inspector/episodeguide

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