gasp!
the audacity of luxury
CRYSTAL-CLEAR PATH
FOR ASIAN LUXURY
CRUISING
Crystal Cruises is on a voyage
of ambitious expansion that
encompasses its ocean, river and
yacht cruises across the world.
By this summer, Crystal River
Cruises will have a five-ship
fleet with the addition of Crystal
Debussy and Crystal Ravel. In
2020, Crystal Yacht Expedition
Cruises will launch the Crystal
Endeavor, which it bills as “the
largest and most spacious luxury
expedition yacht in the world”.
Crystal Endeavor will have 100
suites with butler service.
Thatcher Brown, president of
Dream Cruises, said: “The focus
of the yacht will be the PC6
classified capability to sail to any
corner of the world, including
through first year ice in the polar
regions.”
TTG Asia Luxury understands
that Brown will be heading the
further development of sales and
marketing for Crystal Cruises in
Asia.
With its expansion plans,
Crystal Cruises will keep a
watchful eye on the Asia-Pacific
market, which is posting “steady
seasonal outbound longhaul
demand” for international
itineraries and also draws “high demand” as a destination, shared
Brown.
Its highly anticipated mark for
Asia-Pacific is the refurbishment
of the Crystal Serenity in October.
The three-week overhaul will
transform the accommodations,
debut open-seating dining
and introduce new dining
venues including Brazilian-style
steakhouse Churrascaria and a
rebranded Umi Uma by Nobu
Matsuhisa.
Guest capacity on Crystal
Serenity will also shrink from 922
to 848, increasing the space-
to-guest ratio and enhancing
personalised attention to detail and
service on board.
Following these transformations,
Crystal Cruises will delve into
more combinations of famous and
lesser-known destinations in Asia
that will appeal to both repeat and
new guests, said Brown.
He added: “(Our guests) are
seeking more immersive, authentic
experiences. This is one reason
expedition cruising is emerging
as a highly sought after way to
explore. The focus continues to
be more on what guests can do
and experience, rather than simply
see.” – Pamela Chow
for point-to-point transfers or for
options by duration. The fleet
consists of vehicles including luxury
sedans, luxury MPVs, SUVs and
coupés, with esteemed brands such as Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, Peugeot
and Renault.
This service is available in
Europe, the Middle East, South
Africa and Asia. – Pamela Chow
Avis steps up a gear for luxury
To target the experience-led
generation of Asian luxury
travellers, Avis is powering up
promotions for its luxury car
rentals in the region.
Comprising a wide range of
brands such a BMW, Jaguar, Tesla
and Land Rover Range Rover, the
cars are being introduced to the
higher-end segment of travellers
in selected partnerships with
premium banks, top-tier frequent
flyer programmes and credit card
companies.
The range is known in Europe
and Asia as Avis Prestige, and
the US, Canada, Australia and
New Zealand as Avis Signature
Series. Avis Prestige will launch in
Singapore this year.
In Asia, Avis is promoting its
luxury range through upmarket
travel agencies and joint initiatives
with the tourism authorities of
France, Monaco and Spain to
encourage Mediterranean self-
60 TTG Asia luxury | May 2018
drive itineraries.
“Avis acknowledges the rising
number of luxury travellers in
Asia. As Asians become more
discerning travellers, seeking
more experiential and exclusive
holiday experiences, they also
tend to opt for vehicles that
allow them to indulge in more
authentic self-drive travel
experiences; the kind of travel
that focuses more on feelings
and memorable moments
and which leaves lasting
impressions,” said Angeline Tang,
Avis regional director, leisure
travel & partnerships, Asia.
Tang shared that the
company has also introduced
Avis Chauffeur for “travellers
who are unable to self-drive
in countries where local laws
prohibit (it) or for travellers who
simply prefer to enjoy the drive
from the back seat”.
Avis Chauffeur is available