New ‘Distinction’ Initiative Will Help Travel Agents Sell, Celebrity Says
by Daniel McCarthy /Celebrity Equinox.
Celebrity Cruises is trying to distinguish itself from the luxury pack with a new “Celebrity Distinction” initiative designed to improve its position in the marketplace and help travel agents sell.
“It gives us the format and the overarching message that articulates how we are different as a brand,” senior vice president of sales Dondra Ritzenthaler told TMR.
Over the past 18 months, Celebrity has “really done a great job” of enhancing the guest experience, both onboard and onshore, Ritzenthaler said, “but we didn’t actually have an umbrella or a callout under which we decide to do them.” The point now is to emphasize to the consumer how it is moving forward.
The new program is designed “to share with the world why we believe we are distinctive and different and special in the industry.”
The enhancements include:
- More overnight sailings and greater variety of Celebrity’s “Signature Event Sailings.”
- A stronger commitment to the Galapagos Islands, with two new ships dedicated to the region.
- Refurbishments to the Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Infinity and Celebrity Millennium.
- A new suite class with amenities that include access to the Luminae restaurant, personal butler service and a private lounge.
- New high-speed internet, Xcelerate, across the fleet.
- “A Taste of Film” experience, highlighting films relevant to the region in which they are cruising paired with a multi-course tasting menu.
- Chef Market Discoveries, shore excursions where guests are accompanied by a chef, and pick local ingredients for a meal to be prepared onboard.
Despite the push, the initiative is not a brand change for Celebrity—Ritzenthaler said Celebrity’s “Modern Luxury Lives Here” tagline will remain. “We are not moving away from who we are. This is simply a way people can understand all the fantastic things we are doing.”
The announcement kicks off an exciting few years for Celebrity—four new Edge-class ships are scheduled for delivery in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 under the new Celebrity Distinction umbrella.
“We have really changed the industry with our Millennium class ships and other ships,” Ritzenthaler said.
As for agents, Celebrity Distinction will help them stay up to date with Celebrity news, and make it easier for them to sell. “It’s a very crisp, concise way for them to stay up to speed on all the different things we are doing,” Ritzenthaler said. “It makes it easier for them to grasp it as an entire story. So when they are talking to those consumers and Celebrity is in the conversation, it makes it a simple conversation for them to say why celebrity cruises is the right choice for the consumer.”