Three of the panel – Simon Casson, chief executive of Corinthia, Barbara Muckermann, chief executive of Kempinski Group and Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys – all took up their roles this year.
Discussing her outlook on the cruise sector, Nash admitted cruising still faced naysayers within the luxury market – recalling her own friends being “slightly judgemental” about her cruise trips before joining the brand.
She told delegates at the conference at London’s Kimpton Fitzroy on Thursday (17 October) it was integral lines were “changing the narrative” on how cruising was sold and marketed, which she believed was not being done in the right way.
“It’s about the narrative and trying to be a bit of a trailblazer in changing that – so watch this space [with what we’re planning] to reach new demographics of guests,” Nash teased, referencing Explora and sister line MSC Cruise’s partnerships with the America’s Cup and Formula 1.
Also sharing how her company was adapting, Carrier managing director Natasha Towey said the operator would soon be putting its own brand back under the microscope.
“They say you should review your brand every four years – and it’s been six now,” said Towey, who stressed the review would "not be about big changes and transformation” but about “staying relevant and competitive”.
Towey said Carrier was seeing an increase in demand for private access and flexibility from its customers and would be expanding its concierge team as a result.
Discussing the luxury hotel space and a boom in capacity in the market post-pandemic, Casson and Muckermann said there were opportunities for both new and renovating older properties.
“We don’t need more luxury hotels – luxury travel is not a need it’s an exploration and it’s about answering the needs of your travellers,” said Casson. “It’s easier for a smaller brand like Corinthia – we’d like to be in Paris, Mykonos, Athens and Dubai, and part of the beauty of a small brand is there’s a lot of opportunity.”
“There is a lot of capacity that is under-invested,” said Muckermann. “For brands like ours that need to grow, you can find these pockets of luxury, these jewels, that the bigger brands don’t have the time for.”
Sharing some of their hottest trends for the coming year and beyond, both Muckermann and Nash said they believed interest in Asia as a destination would continue, while Towey said Carrier was still seeing demand for travel agents grow as consumers were seeking “trust and expertise”.
Casson said Corinthia would be focusing on cuisine, with a number of partnerships lined up with renowned chefs.
“Historically, hotels have not been a place where you’d make your first point of call – we believe there’s an opportunity to have a real exciting experience in our hotels,” he explained.
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