The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will bolster its Asia Pacific footprint with further manpower, as the ultra-luxury yacht operator sets its sight on doubling its business in the region.
In Sydney this week for little more than 24 hours, Patrick Mitchell, SVP Global Sales, said the company has made a “significant investment” in its APAC office over the past 18 months and encouraged major travel agency partners to chase the ‘anti-cruiser’ market, rather than competing cruise lines.
“The business that we’re building in partnership with you here in Australia is really important to the brand,” Mitchell told an intimate group of trade partners, and LATTE, on Wednesday night at Cafe Sydney.
“Next year we expect our business here in Asia Pacific to double in size – it’s going to be a significant market for us.”
“This time last year we had one person on staff. Today we have eight, with a plan to grow that to 12. We think there is a strong potential for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection brand here in Australia, and Asia more broadly.”
Seb Seward, Vice President and General Manager, APAC – the first staff for the brand in region – reiterated RCYC’s commitment to the region, saying “We’re so serious about this market. We’ve signed our lease for five years, and we would have signed for longer if we could.”
“We have the team. We want to be able to offer you the best level of service to your teams to ensure we’re really easy to do business with.”
Mitchell, in Australia for just three days from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, continued, saying:
“I am clear that our job here is to help you grow your business. Our job isn’t to convince you to convert cruisers to the Yacht Collection. That might happen because we present a unique opportunity for people that have cruised, [but] our guests are largely non-cruisers. They are sort of the ‘anti-cruisers’.”
“Converting a Silversea guest to a yacht collection guest is a zero sum game for you. You don’t make any more money. Our job is to help you make more money. The way we can help you do that is think about how you can present our product to a set of guests that perhaps have not actively considered a cruise before.”
Mitchell encouraged the travel partners to think about guests that may stay at a Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis, or EDITION, or Four Seasons branded hotel, and how they could lure them to the sea.
“Guests that enjoy luxury hotel stays for vacations but have actively considered not taking a cruise, and we find that guest who looks at the yacht inspired experience, it’s more a Ritz-Carlton Yacht at Sea than it is a cruise ship. There’s no casinos, no buffets, limited kids.”
Mitchell also highlighted the vast amount of space per guest that are available on Evrima, Ilma and Luminara. “It’s extraordinary that our vessels are approximately the same size as a luxury competitor, but with half the guest capacity.”
Mitchell spoke of the Ladies and Gentleman of RCYC and their “anticipatory service” and the 12 point credo that each one of the staff live by. He used an example, recognising when a couple have gone shopping off the ship and returned with bags and bags of clothes, and anticipating they will require additional luggage.
That recognition has flowed into Seward’s Asia Pacific team, with Byron Fenwick, a Sydney-based Voyage Associate, recognised last week having achieved the Highest Global Average Suite Booking for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, globally. And Fenwick achieved that status within eight months of joining the brand.
“Thank you to Seb Seward for the guidance, trust, and support, and to the incredible teams in Malta and the US for their collaboration and support throughout the year,” Fenwick shared on social media.
“I’m grateful to be part of such a passionate and high-performing team, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for APAC!”
Meanwhile, while overlooking a vacant Overseas Passenger Terminal at Sydney Harbour, LATTE quizzed Mitchell if he could envisage Luminara, or a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection sister ship, docked there some day? And his response? “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Lead image: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collections’ Patrick Mitchell, Anastasia Kotanidis and Seb Seward | Photo: LATTE/Guy Dundas
