FORMER Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises head Steve Odell believes the recent phenomenon of luxury hotel brands entering the high-end yacht sector is good for the cruise sector as a whole. With Ritz-Carlton recently debuting its first luxury yacht Evrima (CW 13 Oct 2022), and Accor (CW 12...
FORMER Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises head Steve Odell believes the recent phenomenon of luxury hotel brands entering the high-end yacht sector is good for the cruise sector as a whole.
With Ritz-Carlton recently debuting its first luxury yacht Evrima (CW 13 Oct 2022), and Accor (CW 12 Jan) and Aman (CW 24 Jan) also announcing their intentions to do so, Odell believes the trend is here to stay.
The luxury cruise cognoscente does not believe the new players will cannibalise the market, and may even introduce new passengers to the industry.
“I think it’s a whole new sector that’s going to be created, I think it’s a totally different kind of experience,” Odell said.
“I think we’ll see more of it…It’s not about anything that exists today,” he added.
“The kind of people that go to those experiences want something very different from what today’s luxury sector provides.
“These people don’t want a crowd of people; they don’t want cruise directors and production shows…[they] want something totally different.”
Odell believes the development will be good for the industry overall, as ultra-luxury travellers who experience the cruise industry through Ritz-Carlton or Accor may be tempted to filter through to legacy lines.
This level of competition makes it highly likely other luxury hotel brands will look to set sail in the coming years, meaning the phenomenon is set to stick around, Odell added.
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