Andrea Zelinski
There's something important about getting in-person face time.
For the first time in at least a decade, Regent Seven Seas Cruises assembled a summit of 30 top consortia and travel advisors in Pebble Beach, Calif., to query them in person about what's working (and not) for the brand.
That meeting, named the Regent Elevate Council Elite Summit, was not only helpful but energizing to Regent President Andrea DeMarco.
While she said she walked away feeling confident Regent is the leading ultraluxury cruise line, her team's job now is to figure out how the brand stays that way as the luxury landscape grows more competitive.
Luxury hotel brands are entering the cruise market, with a string of ships in the next few years. For instance, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is set to launch its second ship in September; the first vessels for Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express are both due out in 2026 and the launch of Aman at Sea is scheduled for 2027.
Demand for exclusive excursions
One of the talking points during the meeting was the line's shore excursions. While Regent has only so much control over tour operators, there have been challenges (for instance in Japan where some operators are still short on tour guides, she said). But beyond that, advisors told her they want Regent to build up more options for exclusive excursions, because demand is there even if the excursions come with a price tag.
Regent's pricing strategy offers included shore excursions, and that remains an important piece of its product, said Alex Sharpe, president and CEO of Signature Travel Network, who was at the summit. But luxury travelers are willing to pay for more exclusive experiences, he said.
"We certainly shared that their upgraded shore excursions will continue to grow in popularity as guests often want smaller group or even private shore excursions at the luxury level," he said. "They have these now; we were just emphasizing that they should continue to expand these offerings as we continue to see more interest."
DeMarco agreed, and she added that she's also asking herself and her team how they can offer more dining experiences at Michelin-star restaurants in ports of call.
This mention of exclusive offerings reminded me of when Celebrity Cruises developed private excursions at every port of call -- it included driving guests to locations where they could play pickleball. I'm eager to see what kind of creative experiences Regent will come up with.
Regent Elevate's initiatives so far
The summit meeting was a new feature of Regent Elevate, a travel partner program the line launched last year that focuses on giving advisors more insight, support and growth opportunities. So far, Elevate has included the relaunch of Regent Seven Seas Cruises University, with additional courses and bonuses attached to graduation, and a co-branded AI tool called Regent Connect for advisors to personalize and use to connect their outbound marketing to a Regent co-branded website.
The line is also trying to incentivize advisors with a chance to win a 2025 cruise for them and a guest; every booking made between July 15 and Aug. 31 counts as an entry.
Of the summit, DeMarco said: "I think everyone walked away excited for the future."