ALLIANCE
All Aboard
A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN LVMH AND ACCOR HAS BEEN FORGED TO ACCELERATE THE RELAUNCH OF ORIENT EXPRESS .
By KATHAKALI NANDI
Accor has joined forces with French luxury conglomerate LVMH to accelerate the development of the iconic Orient Express brand and speed up its revival .
LVMH has entered a partnership with Accor through a strategic investment in the Orient Express brand , which will be relaunching the historic train services , as well as opening the brand ’ s first hotels and sailing ships . LVMH has also invested in the company which will operate the hotels and trains , as well as in the entity which will own the two ships .
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed .
The first ship is being developed at Chantiers de l ’ Atlantique , France . Accor said in a statement that the two partners are currently looking for a third venture for the new venture .
Following Orient Express ’ acquisition by Accor in 2022 , the French hotel giant has been developing new ventures for the trains , hotels and sailing ships under the Orient Express brand . The debuts of the historic train and sailing ship are slated for 2026 . Orient Express will also be opening its first hotels in Venice and Rome .
“ With LVMH , we are opening a new chapter in this exciting journey , with the ambition of exploring new horizons and embodying the audacity and creative passion that drive our groups . We ’ re delighted to enlist LVMH ’ s rare expertise to continue pushing further the frontiers of this legend and bringing its embodiment to life in an ever more singular way ,” said Sébastien Bazin , Accor group chairman and CEO .
Orient Express is a part of Accor ’ s luxury and lifestyle division , which also includes brands like Raffles , Fairmont and Potel & Chabot . Accor has been revitalizing 17 original cars dating back to the 1920-1930s . The set of carriages last operated as the
Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express , a traincruise inaugurated in the early 1980s and traversing between Zurich and Istanbul . LVMH has expanded its presence in the hospitality sector , following the 2018 acquisition of Belmond , the owner of the Venice Simplon — Orient-Express train service and five other trains , for $ 2.6 billion .
“ Orient Express has embodied adventure and elegance since its origins . Its name has become part of our cultural heritage and remains a source of inspiration for the greatest artists . Orient Express epitomizes the art of refined living and the audacity that drives each of our Houses ,” said Bernard Arnault , LVMH group chairman and CEO .
Created by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons- Lits ( CIWL ), the first train traveled on June 5 , 1883 , from Paris to Vienna before connecting western Europe with the eastern extremities , eventually extending to Istanbul .
92 hotelsmag . com July / August 2024