Marriott and Starwood merge to form largest hotels group

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 16 November 2015 16 November 2015

Marriott International, Inc.,the US based hotel operator, says and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. have announced today that the boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will create the world’s largest hotel company.

The transaction combines Starwood’s leading lifestyle brands and international footprint with Marriott’s strong presence in the luxury and select-service tiers, as well as the convention and resort segment, creating a more comprehensive portfolio. The merged company will offer broader choice for guests, greater opportunities for associates and should unlock additional value for Marriott and Starwood shareholders.

Combined, the companies operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide. The combined company’s pro forma fee revenue for the 12 months ended 30 September 2015 totals over $2.7 billion, Marriott said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean International launches campaign to target millennials

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 November 2015 16 November 2015

Royal Caribbean International, the contemporary market brand in Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL) group, says it has launched a new advertising campaign to target millennials and to flush out dated conceptions about cruising.

 “COME SEEK LIVE is an exciting way for Royal Caribbean to challenge the misperceptions travelers have about the cruise industry. We are continually evolving the experience across our fleet, designing adventures that inspire and excite our travelers,” said Jim Berra, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “It is natural that we would bring this innovation to the transformation of our marketing as well, especially as we recognise that millennials require us to communicate with them using new channels,” he said in a statement

 Running through the social media app Periscope and showcased on billboards on the streets of New York City this latest activation of the brand’s new “Come Seek” campaign enables seekers and explorers to interact in real time with adventurers aboard the high tech ship, Anthem of the Seas as she sails to five distinct Caribbean destinations.

 The COME SEEK LIVE experience brings adventures only found on Royal Caribbean International and some of the destinations the cruise line visits to life using Periscope. It will allow followers from around the world the opportunity to experience the adventures of influential seekers via live-streaming of 13 live broadcasts from five islands over seven days, beginning today.

Streaming events will begin at the Las Playas natural water slide in Puerto Rico and adventure-hop from playing with green monkeys at the Wildlife Reserve in Barbados to riding ATVs in St. Maarten or enjoying a post-expedition refreshment made by a robot at Anthem’s Bionic Bar. Periscope followers will be able to direct the adventurers next steps with the unfolding story showing followers what they could be doing right at that moment onboard a Royal Caribbean adventure.

Royal Caribbean developed the first-of-its-kind distribution platform using their industry-leading VOOM wireless connectivity – the fastest internet at sea – to beam the Come Seek adventures to the streets of New York. COME SEEK LIVE will be streamed to subway displays and newsstand screens at hyper-targeted locations around the city including Grand Central, Penn Station, Union Square, West 14th and 7th Ave., 86th and Lexington Ave., Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, and Fulton Center.

Thomson Cruises unveils plans for new ship Thomson Discovery

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 November 2015 13 November 2015

 Thomson Cruises, part of the Anglo-German TUI AG group,  has unveiled plans for its brand new ship, Thomson Discovery, including a whole host of new dining options, a sleek new design and the announcement of its entertainment and hotel providers in order to modernise the fleet and the on board customer experience.

Customers on board Thomson Discovery will have eight dining venues to choose from, including two new signature restaurants – Snack Shack and Gallery 47 ˚. Located on the pool deck and themed around brightly coloured, iconic British beach huts, Snack Shack is a fun, ‘festival-style’ eatery serving grill foods such as quesadillas, and nachos during the day and popcorn and cocoa on film nights.

The second signature venue is Gallery 47˚, located in the upstairs of the main restaurant, this venue will serve contemporary Italian food, as voted for by over 4,000 customers.

The ship’s exterior will also receive a brand new look and feel, guaranteed to turn heads in port. The dynamic wave design accentuates the sleek hull profile and echoes aircraft livery which also uses a wave design.

Also announced is the news that PEEL Entertainment Group has been awarded the contract for on-board entertainment on Discovery and The Apollo Group has been awarded the contract for the hotel provision. PEEL has been the live entertainment partner since the launch of Thomson Cruises in 2003 and together with Thomson, they have grown the award-winning programme into a product which is much-loved by passengers.

The appointment of The Apollo Group on Thomson Discovery follows its take-over as the hotel supplier on Thomson Dream and Thomson Celebration in November 2014; a move that saw customer satisfaction go from strength to strength. Apollo are well-versed in hotel operations and their dedication to excellence has seen them supplying innovative hotel services in the cruise industry for over 40 years.

Managing Director of Thomson Cruises, Helen Caron, said: “I’m really delighted to start unveiling our plans for Thomson Discovery as we are now just six months away from the launch. A big focus of our strategy is to modernise our on-board customer experience. On Discovery we’ll be offering our customers more choice and balance so they can really personalise their cruise with us. I’m confident the new signature restaurants, together with other exciting on board features, will delight our current cruise customers while attracting new ones too, especially families.

“The contracts for both suppliers will also play a key role in delivering the modernisation and pushing the boundaries of the on board customer experience push the boundaries of the on-board experience, with agreements for new shows and modernising and making changes to food and beverage offering for customers to be announced as Thomson Cruises delivers its modernisation plans.”

Based in Palma from June 2016, Discovery will be the largest in the fleet with a capacity of 1,830 across 915 cabins – almost 40 per cent of which will offer balconies. In addition to the extensive dining choices, the family-friendly ship boasts an outdoor movie screen, rock climbing wall and eight bars and lounges.

The new ship’s summer 2016 itineraries – Highlights of the Mediterranean, Cosmopolitan Classics, Mediterranean Secrets and Magic of Spain – will take in some of the most popular European spots, including Naples (for Pompeii) in Italy and Barcelona and Cadiz (for Seville) in Spain and customers, particularly families, will be able to make the most of the programme with Saturday sailings and flights from 19 regional airports across the UK and Ireland.

Thomson is continuing to fulfill its ambition of expanding the portfolio of destination-intensive itineraries with the announcement that Thomson Discovery will depart from its new home port in Barbados for winter 2016 offering customers an all new ‘no sea day’ Seven Shores Caribbean itinerary. Ports of call include Bridgetown, Barbados; Fort de France, Martinique; Roseau, Dominica; Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe; Castries, St Lucia; Kingstown, St Vincent and St George’s, Grenada.

All Leisure sells Hebridean Princess to chairman’s private company

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 13 November 2015 13 November 2015

All Leisure group (ALG), the listed British operator of niche cruise vessels, says it is planning to sell the 50 passenger Hebridean Princess to a company set up by its chairman, Roger Allard, for £2.9 million, and to lease the ship back.

The lease would run to 2023 and the annual payment ALG would make to have control of the vessel would be £500,000 per annum.

“As set out in the Company’s interim results for the six months ended 30 April 2015 which were announced on 30 July 2015, trading conditions for the Group have been under pressure in recent years,” the company said in a statement.

“The cruise industry is becomingly increasingly competitive as new vessels are launched and the capacity within the industry grows. Consequently the industry is seeing increased levels of price competition, which negatively affects the profitability of the Group.”

 Geo-political events continue to have an adverse impact on the business, affecting the appetite of tourists to travel to a number of destinations and limiting the Group’s ability to visit certain destinations.

“Furthermore, it was necessary in the first half of the year to put all three of the Group's cruise vessels into dry dock, with a resulting annual capital expenditure cost of approximately £4.3 million and a loss of revenue relating to the lost cruising time of approximately £2.5 million. The Group’s cash flows are highly seasonal, with cash at its lowest point in December to February, and at its highest in the period June to July,” the company said.

All Leisure operates the 1964 built Hebridean Princess that was rebuilt as a luxury cruise ship in 1989, the 1990 built Voyager that started life as Crown Monarch and the 1996 built Minerva.