Skift Take
Taking a peek behind the scenes during earnings seasons offers some useful insights. Can Norwegian make a successful play for bigger cruise spenders, and will Belmond eventually sell itself?
Luxury Travel News
The Skift New Luxury column is our weekly column focused on the business of selling luxury travel, the people and companies creating and selling experiences, emerging trends, and the changing consumer habits around the sector.
Earnings season is a great way to find out what’s actually going on behind the scenes at a publicly traded company. Not only can you see obvious things like revenue and profit, but it’s a good way of finding out what executives see as a priority.
Case in point: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and its plans to try to get higher-spending passengers on board. Our story below explains how the company is taking cues from its high-end lines to make the mass-market Norwegian Cruise Line brand a more inclusive product.
But company results can also be interesting for what is not said.
Earlier this year, Belmond floated the idea of putting itself up for sale as part of a wider strategic review. Since then there have been rumors of several interested parties, but nothing concrete. All Belmond Chairman Roland Hernandez would say recently was that the company was “encouraged by the interest third parties have shown,” and that the process was “ongoing and robust.”
Does this mean a deal is on the horizon? Hopefully we won’t have to wait until the next round of earnings calls to find out.
For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @paddywhyte.
— Patrick Whyte, Europe Editor
7 Looks at Luxury
How Wellness Hospitality Brands Can Succeed Amid Big-City Chaos: Wellness hospitality brands known for their idyllic locations are heading to New York City. Will the temptation of taking a bite out of the Big Apple prove a brand benefit or drawback?
Norwegian Cruise Is Trying to Luxe Up Its Mass-Market Line: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings keeps trying new ways to get higher-spending passengers on board. Quarterly results show the efforts are working so far.
Belmond Sees Slight Takeover Bounce in Third Quarter: Now it’s just a wait-and-see approach to see who will snap up Belmond’s treasure trove of luxury assets.
Why Accor Won’t Let Movenpick Swallow Its New Little Sister Swissotel in Asia: A new history is being charted for Movenpick and Swissotel, two Swiss hotel brands that are now under Accor, and much of that action is happening in the Asia-Pacific region. Asian owners and Accor competitors are watching closely.
Zimbabwe Is Boosting Tourism Despite Its Ravaged Economy: If you’re reading the papers, Zimbabwe’s economy looks like a disaster from the outside. But it offers one of the most interesting tourism experiences in Africa at the moment, and intrepid travelers have taken note.
Airlines Find Another Way to Wring Out Extra Revenue: Auctioning Unsold Premium Seats: Remember when airlines used to give away their best seats for free? Ha! The economy is strong, and airlines are offering fewer upgrades. Passengers who want to sit up front need to pay for it. But don’t worry. Another recession will come, and the good days (for upgraders, at least) should return.
The Arctic Circle Is the Next Frontier for Ski Tourism: Perhaps surprisingly, it’s still possible to find pockets of undiscovered terrain in the world. The Arctic Circle is one of those hidden gems that may not stay hidden for long.
Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte [[email protected]] curates the New Luxury newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday.
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Tags: belmond, cruise, luxury, norwegian, norwegian cruise line holdings
Photo credit: A photo of the Haven courtyard area on Norwegian Bliss. The cruise line is targeting higher-spending passengers. Norwegian Cruise Line