Customised cruising please!
CRUISE companies are
recognising the growing need
of high-end consumers for
customised services, greater
flexibility and choice.
Demand for niche, luxury
cruising has grown, says
Margarethe Booysen,
Cruises International’s brand
manager: Luxury Portfolio, with
affluent consumers seeking
expert advice, luxurious
environments, fine dining,
spa treatments and top-class
entertainment.
Crystal Cruises offers one
such top-end all-inclusive
luxury experience. The cruise
line offers complimentary golf
clinics on board, hosted by
PGA pros, where guests can
practise their swing and putt.
“Guests can also choose their
preferred pillow for a good
night’s rest,” says Margarethe.
Christine Lucas,
Development Promotions’
key account sales executive,
agrees that today’s high-end
travellers are looking for more
personalised, tailor-made trips
that take into account their
personal preferences and offer
flexibility when it comes to
dining options, accommodation
and daily shore excursions.
“In the past, shore excursions
were broad-based and set,
without flexibility or options.
Now cruise passengers have
the option of active or busbased
tours, depending on
their interest and physical
capability,” she adds.
“Cruise lines are also
offering longer stays in port
and allowing for destination
immersion during the cruise
by infusing local culture
within meals and activities.
They are also personalising
the experience by treating
guests to a concert or live
performance on board or
during an evening ashore.”
Activities – variety is key
AFFLUENT cruisers want
to experience destinations
in a variety of ways, says
Margarethe Booysen.
She notes that recreational
activities that attract a lot
of interest amongst highend
consumers relate to
art, history, specialised
shopping, sailing, skiing,
adventure and wildlife as
well as food and wine.
Seabourn, for example,
offers Ventures by Seabourn,
where guests share their
voyage with a team of
scientists, scholars and
naturalists who provide
in-depth insights into the
history, ecology and culture
of destinations. The cruise
line also provides access
to an exclusive marina
where guests can enjoy
complimentary water sports
such as swimming, kayaking
and water-skiing.
Oceania offers a cooking
school at sea and through
its Artist Loft enrichment
centre, guests are guided by
talented artists-in-residence
who offer step-by-step art
instruction on board.
Culinary food and wine
pairings are also popular
with the older generation,
adds Christine Lucas, while
the younger generation enjoy
the on-board waterparks
and deck parties.
Cruise lines are also
recognising the importance
of digital technologies
and most now offer WiFi
throughout the ship. Crystal
Cruises has an app that lets
guests share their photos
with family and friends and
teaches them to create their
own video with on-board
iMovie classes.
Some cruise lines
even enable passengers
to upload photos to
the shipboard internal
programme to share them
on the ship’s pool deck
big screen.
Other on-board tech
developments include
on-demand movies in
staterooms and cabin
facilities such as checking
one’s on-board account and
ordering shore excursions
and room service through
the TV’s remote control.
How to anticipate
guests’ needs
TNW asked Jean Hanekom,
Emperors Palace Hotel
operations manager, to
provide insights into the latest
trends and traveller demands
in premium accommodation.
Q: What do premium
travellers want?
The biggest trend is that
guests want easy access to
hotel products and services
at affordable prices. WiFi tops
the list of services required,
while travellers expect value
for money and anticipation of
their needs.
Guests also want to build
their own ‘packages’ to suit
their individual needs while
travelling – we’re able to offer
products and services at
great value by packaging
different elements at
affordable rates. These
additional products and
services can be booked
through Peermont’s online
shopping basket tool such as
private airport transfers, daily
newspapers, wine, cheese
boards or a romantic dinner.
Q: How do you go the extra
mile for these clients?
At Peermont D’Oreale
Grand we always endeavour
to upgrade premium guests
to the Club Floor, where they
receive personalised checkin
and check-out, concierge
services, an exclusive Club
Floor breakfast, private
meeting room, a Club Lounge
to relax in, and concierge
services with a private
business centre.
We strive to get to know
our guests. By understanding
their preferences we can, for
example, ensure that their
favourite drink is available in
their room on arrival, and take
their dietary preferences and
pillow choice into account.
Q: How do you personalise
your premium product?
Offering personalised
services and products remains
a challenge because of
the multitude of individual
preferences that exist. Making
it easy for a guest to tell us
what they want is the only way
to ensure we get it right, and
Peermont’s online shopping
basket tool enables that.
Q: What will future premium
services include?
There are already major
technological advances
in the hospitality industry
such as hotel keys that are
available on guests’ private
mobile devices, or their own
personalised hotel key that is
remotely programmed when
making a reservation and
then activated on their day
of arrival. This means hotels
of the future might not have
reception desks.
Q: And future premium hotel
rooms?
Premium rooms will have all
the comforts of home, with
added luxuries offered by the
hotel. They will offer greater
interactivity, with guests
interfacing their devices with
the TV. Through a hotel app,
guests will also be able to
order a meal directly from the
kitchen.
Q: How does technology
enable customisation?
Our extremely progressive
guest feedback platform
provides comprehensive
insights into guest likes and
dislikes and enables us to
engage with our guests oneon-
one.
Singapore Airlines unveils new premium economy
FROM August 9, South
Africans travelling on
selected flights to
Sydney from Singapore
will be among the first
to experience Singapore
Airlines’ new premiumeconomy
class on its A380
aircraft.
“We’ve worked hard
to give our customers
more space, comfort
and freedom in premium
economy to make flying
more enjoyable,” says
Sally George, Singapore
Airlines’ market
development manager.
Premium economy will
also become available on
other routes served by the
airline’s A380s, its B777-
300ERs and its future fleet
of Airbus A350s. It will be
progressively introduced
on the Beijing, Delhi, Hong
Kong, Frankfurt,
London Mumbai,
New York,
Shanghai,
Tokyo and
Zurich
routes later
this year and
early in 2016.
The premiumeconomy
seats range
between 47cm and
49,5cm in width, and
recline to 20,3cm, and
have 33,7cm full HD
monitors, the largest in
their class.
Seats also have calf and
foot rests, two USB ports,
and stowage space
for mobile phones
and laptops.
Premium-economy
customers also
have a wider choice
of food and beverage
on board, including freeflowing
champagne. They
can select meals from the
Book the Cook service,
enjoy priority boarding and
baggage handling, as well
as a baggage allowance of
35kg.
KrisFlyer members receive
10% more miles when
flying in premium-economy
class.
There are no plans as
yet to introduce premium
economy on the South
Africa-Singapore route
.
