Travel Agent - August 6, 2007 - (Page 40)

Cruises Continued from page 38 shipboard refurbishments, but with the change to Regent we went a little further and spent a little more money. We went all-inclusive as a tie-in point, and that’s been a huge factor. Now liquor [except for specialty or rare vintages] is included. We tested this concept on our World Cruise and it created much more social interaction onboard. What else has changed? We’ve adopted the Tao of Regent (set forth by Bob Burns, Regent Hotels’ founder); it stresses that to serve others is to serve one’s self. This philosophy fits well with Regent’s Asian heritage and a service culture that embraces “hear without being told, see without being shown and know without being asked.” We’ve always had a strong complement of Filipino crew. Now we’ve added more Chinese, Indonesian, Balinese and Thai crew. There are many good hotels in Asia and we’ll have more staff cross-pollenization between the hotel and cruise side. On our Circle Asia cruises, we’ve added overnights at the Regent Beijing, so guests can take a land tour. On port calls, we’ll take cruise guests to our new Regent Shanghai hotel for cooking classes; we’ll also do that at the new Regent Bangkok (under construction). Onboard, we’ve rolled out a new musically based entertainment program; we’ve added a larger group that can play as a full orchestra but can also be broken up into smaller combos for multiple types of entertainment around the ships. In all suites, we’re installing new flatscreen televisions (to be completed by mid-2008). Early next year, we also expect to introduce new interactive television programming. Refurbished suite on Seven Seas Voyager cruise on Seven Seas Navigator. Our young professionals who are still working have the money but not the time; they could buy a cheaper 10day cruise on another line, but they prefer to spend a few days less and step up to luxury. Seven days in the Mediterranean is a big hit. Yet, traditional cruisers still combine several seven-day itineraries to create a 14- or 21-day cruise. Alaska and the Baltic have also been very successful for us with families. This was a tough decision based on multiple factors. Smoking was the number one complaint during our onboard question-and-answer session with our World Cruise guests. So, effective with our New Year’s cruises, we’ve prohibited smoking in suites or on balconies. There are at least three other designated smoking areas onboard each ship. Only 3-15 percent of guests on any voyage are smokers. A large number of our guests who are smokers don’t smoke in their suites. So for them, there is little impact. Still, we’ve had more than $1 million in cancellations. But it was the right thing to do. Hopefully once the smokers get over the change they will come back, but primarily it was about doing the right thing. What’s improved with guest communications? A new comprehensive database system for Seven Seas Society information allows for highly personalized communications. For example, a magazinestyle itinerary update sent to a past guest might say: “Dear Mrs. Jones, last time you sailed you said you hoped to visit the Mediterranean; you’ll find our upcoming itineraries for that region on pages 10 to 15.” We also have introduced Innovation surveys on our web site. When we couldn’t decide on the “right” photo for our new Cruise Atlas, we asked for web feedback and received 5,000 responses over one weekend. What thoughts do you want to leave with agents? Don’t be intimidated by our new pricing. We still represent great value. Do a price comparison for clients showing the cost of our cruise in U.S. dollars versus a luxury European resort vacation or tour. Considering our inclusiveness, we even price well with contemporary cruise products. Sell our combination of very personalized service and the destination experience. Guests have the comfort of home but with a high level of service that’s not too stuffy. It’s luxury for sure, but it’s not snobbish. Who is the Regent customer? Our average age is now 56; just a few years back it was mid-60s. We have two sets of customers. Traditional customers are typically in their 60s and enjoy the longer Grand Voyages. For 2008, we’ll have four Grand Voyages—the same three as this year, plus a new 82-night, five-continent Discovery Collection Why did you change your smoking policy to prohibit smoking in suites and on balconies? 40. TravelAgent August 6, 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Cover Story - Passports and Visas: What Clients Should Know About Them EUROPE: Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year LAS VEGAS: The De-Theming of Luxor HAWAII: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Renovates CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Cruising the Panama Canal Lavishly CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS: Bahamas’ Grand Isle Resort & Spa News and Notes Meet the U.S.V.I.’s Tourism Commissioner CRUISES: Defining Regent Seven Seas HOTELS: InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore Agent Exchange Luxury Travel Expo Update Ad and Edit Index Classified Marketplace People & Places

Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

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