Founder and chief executive James Cole, who debuted the brand in the UK in July 2020, said he felt the time was right for Panache to offer its services in the US market following its rapid expansion in the UK.
 
"The US is a nation of luxury lovers, as well as a nation of cruise lovers," said Cole. "We believe our unique customer service proposition will prove very popular in this vast market."
 
Cole, who was the inaugural recipient of the John Hays Entrepreneur of the Year award at the 2021 Travel Industry Awards by TTG, spent a number of years working in the US during the early 2000s with organisations such as Revelex, a cruise technology provider, as well as several start-up cruise retail brands.

 
His latest venture, Panache Cruises, was launched during the pandemic and in its first three years of trading, has reached more than two million luxury cruise customers and built a database of more than 100,000 contacts, generating £15 million in annual sales.

"Our passion for cruising in the US knows no bounds," Cole continued. "The US is a perfect landscape for our team of luxury cruise enthusiasts, and we are excited to be taking our proposition and service to a whole new audience.

"Having spent most of my career in cruise, launching in the US has always been a personal ambition of mine," Cole added.

Starting this week, Panache Cruises will begin rolling out a digital marketing and PR campaign across the US. The business will be based in Austin, Texas, and offerings cruises from Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Seabourn, Explora Journeys, Oceania Cruises and Azamara.