Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2009 - (Page 57)

rare opportunity to shadow Del Rio as we toured Seven Seas Voyager, which had just emerged from a $20 million drydock and was preparing to disembark on its world cruise. At the Council sessions, Del Rio said, one of the most pressing concerns by travel advisors was the prospect of “Oceania-ing” the Regent product. Without equivocation, Del Rio was quick to assure that this was not the case. “We didn’t spend $1 billion to acquire Regent and change it,” he said, insisting that both brands—Regent and Oceania—will stay and operate separately. If there’s any indication about Regent’s new moves, business has picked up since January 5. “We are seeing positive trends,” said Ken Watson, Regent’s executive vice president, noting that booking windows have, indeed, shrunk. The move toward free excursions were a test to drive business and add value instead of discounting. It’s also a way for agents to stay more engaged with potential clients and stave off cancellations, which have increased since the dire economic fallout from September. While many businesses have looked to scale back spending, Regent will spend twice as much on marketing this quarter than normal. As evidence, high-traffic sites, such as nytimes.com, are rife Seven Seas Voyager (opposite page, above) will have a new look when it steers into Monte-Carlo this summer; Regent’s President Mark Conroy (opposite below), addresses the Council audience, before giving way to Jean-Michel Cousteau (this page, second from top); Prime 7 (top), Voyager’s new steakhouse, will stir passengers’ taste buds for years to come; new china and stemware adorn Signatures (second from bottom); top Regent executives (bottom) answer questions posed by Regent’s top-producing travel agents at its first Council event at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey. with Regent banner ads. That said, this year and next will be tough operating environments. “Our focus for 2009 is on survival,” said Del Rio. “We probably won’t get back to 2008 yields (Regent’s best year ever with regard to profits and sales) until 2011.” Or they might get there sooner if the ships are any indication. Voyager’s refurb consisted of new carpeting throughout, culinary upgrades and other touches spread across the stunning luxe vessel, such as a new color scheme and chaise lounges for the pool area. Probably the best part of Voyager is that it looks like a luxury ship built for the modern era, with clean sharp lines and an easy-to-getaround layout. Most striking is the new Prime 7 steakhouse, which replaces the Indochine restaurant Latitudes. Expect generous slabs of USDA Prime and seafood choices, too, such as a two-pound Maine lobster. Inviting brown leather chairs and a glass wine cellar against the far wall provide that New York-steakhouse feel. A new coffee bar with a fulltime barista called Coffee Connection was also added, similar to what is already on Seven Seas Mariner, which also received upgrades during a drydock last month. Seven Seas Navigator is due to drydock in 2010. —David Eisen www.luxuryta.com February 2009 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 57 http://www.nytimes.com http://www.luxuryta.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2009

Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2009 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Caribbean Mexico Prague Hotel Splendido One Aldwych Liberty Hotel Resorts Cambridge Beaches Luxury Travel Expo Michael's Travel Awards Regent The Pulse Luxury Lifestyles Local Connections Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2009

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