“We are embarking on a strategy of providing our customers with a portfolio of luxury experiences,” said Thomas Mazloum, COO at Crystal Cruises, in an exclusive interview with Cruise Industry News. With its two classic oceangoing ships being the core of its business, the company has over the past couple of years introduced river cruises, yacht cruises and exclusive air travel.
“This gives us a tremendous opportunity to reach out to customers who enjoy different kinds of vacations,” Mazloum added. “We are already seeing a crossover from our river cruises to our yacht.
“At the same time, on the yachting side, we are seeing a much younger clientele than we have on the ocean, almost by a decade, so we are getting customers earlier in their life cycle.
“They come to us, and they love us. We know they take other vacations, so we have been looking very carefully at what other segments we should be in without compromising our core business or eroding our brand.”
Crystal claims to have gotten more awards over the years than any other brand. But not because it always had the newest ships or the latest technologies, according to Mazloum, and not because of what it does, but how it treats its customers. “How we deliver the experience to our guests sets us apart,” he said.
Last year the company wrote history by sailing the 68,870-ton, 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity through the Northwest Passage, which is set for a repeat performance this year. “All our guests told us it was an experience of a lifetime,” Mazloum said.
“But the reality is that many areas are so far away that you cannot go there with a large ship, so if we want to do the Northeast Passage or circle the Arctic, we need a smaller vessel, an expedition ship. This relates very much to what people are looking for today – experiences.
Thus, Crystal is planning three expedition ships, with the first, the Crystal Endeavor, scheduled to be introduced in 2019. At 25,000 tons and with 200 guests, they will be built to the highest ice class.
Meanwhile, Crystal has jumped into the riverboat market with both feet, having introduced the Mozart last year. Mazloum described her as a game changer for the riverboat industry. “We have two more riverboats coming this year, in July and August, the Crystal Bach and the Crystal Mala, and we are looking at other river opportunities,” he said. “We do not want to be the biggest, but the most sought after.
The Crystal Symphony and Serenity is still the core of Crystal’s business, however. This segment of the business is also destined for expansion with three new medium-sized ships being planned, with the first set to enter service in 2022.
His priorities and objective are clear. “We need to make sure that our customers – whether for the yacht, river, air or ocean – all have the Crystal experience.”
Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Spring 2017
