The luxury hotel chain Four Seasons plans to unveil the large cruise yacht Four Seasons I in March next year. The 679-foot (207 m) yacht will house 95 suites, and some suites will span up to 10,000 square feet (929 m²), about five times the size of the average U.S. dwellings. In addition to Four Seasons I, Four Seasons is building two more cruise yachts.
Not only Four Seasons but other hotel groups are also moving to target the luxury cruise market. The Swiss luxury hotel group Aman plans to launch the cruise yacht Amangiri in the spring of 2027. Amangiri, 600 feet (183 m) long, will feature 47 suites, and its interior is designed with inspiration from Japanese ryokan.
The Ritz-Carlton, a luxury hotel chain under Marriott Group, already introduced its custom-built cruise yacht Evrima in 2022. Evrima has 149 suites. The Ritz-Carlton unveiled new cruise yachts in 2024, Ilma, and this year, Luminara, in quick succession. The two yachts have up to 226 suites and, reflecting guest demand, are equipped with large swimming pools.
Luxury hotel chains are rushing into the cruise market because they see strong growth potential. CNN reported on the 11th (local time), "Global luxury hotel brands are engaged in intriguing competition. Their goal is to be the best at sea, or at least to have bragging rights to claim as much," adding, "corporations believe that with powerful brand strength, they can entice wealthy travelers to dip their toes into the new realm of cruise travel."
The main customer base of luxury hotels tends not to skimp on leisure spending even during a recession, but until now they have not actively used the cruise market due to preconceived notions about cruises. In fact, about half of cruise yacht guests who are also regulars at Ritz-Carlton hotels experienced cruise travel for the first time through the Ritz-Carlton cruise yacht.
Tina Edmundson, president of the luxury institutional sector at Marriott International, the parent company of the Ritz-Carlton, described the company's yacht service as "the midpoint between luxury cruises and private yachting, in other words a format where customers can enjoy the best of both," and said, "We are introducing the appeal of cruises to people who never considered cruise travel at all."
Hotel chains also intend to diversify their businesses by leveraging customers with high brand loyalty. Ben Trodd, CEO of Four Seasons Yachts, said, "Four Seasons has been operating a private jet service for almost 10 years already. The yacht business is a natural extension of that," and added that he hopes Four Seasons Yachts will deliver an experience akin to top-tier boutique hotels such as the Hotel George V in Paris or The Surf Club in Miami.
Because these cruise ships are operated by luxury hotels, their services and amenities rival those of top hotels. The Ritz-Carlton, as with its land-based hotels, grants staff the discretion to spend up to $2,000 (about 2.95 million won) per person to ensure customer satisfaction. In addition to land limousine service, Four Seasons operates small luxury boats to allow customers to embark and disembark from the yacht. The two hotel brands also invite Michelin-starred chefs to offer elevated dining experiences.