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Luxury yacht “Orient Express Silenseas”: 54 suites for wealthy passengers
Photo: Martin Darzacq / Orient Express Silenseas
A ticket is said to cost up to $20,000 per trip: The French hotel group Accor wants to use a "floating Orient Express" to attract wealthy customers to cruises - and, according to a report in the Financial Times, is now on the verge of a megadeal with an investment company in the Emirate of Dubai to finance the ships.
The holding, which belongs to the government of Dubai, could therefore contribute around 800 million euros to finance two superyachts.
They are to be built by the French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique and launched in 2026 and 2027.
The first ship called “Orient Express Silenseas” will have 54 suites.
According to the report, Accor is negotiating the financing of the superyachts with several interested parties.
However, Dubai Holding, which also owns the luxury hotel chain Jumeirah, is considered the most promising interested party.
But the talks could still fail.
The Accor hotel chain and Dubai Holding did not want to comment on the events.
The Accor Group has significantly expanded its luxury offering in recent years.
The company also wants to get the legendary Orient Express trains back on the track: 17 of the train's original wagons are to be restored and put back on the Paris-Istanbul route.
Accor is not the only hotel provider that focuses on luxurious cruises for wealthy customers: the Ritz-Carlton hotel group, which belongs to the Mariott Group, has also launched its own cruise offer.
Hotel groups Aman Resorts and Four Seasons have also announced their own cruise ships.
Experts expect the market for luxury cruises to grow massively in the coming years.
The analysis firm Oxford Economics, for example, assumes that the capacity of luxury ships will almost double by 2028.
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