Top tier hotelier Ritz-Carlton is taking to the high seas. They just announced that they intend to build 3 yachts with the first one launching in Q4 2019.
Itineraries are still being developed. Each ship will be 623ft LOA and accommodate just 300 pax. Tillberg Design of Sweden will assist with the design of the onboard suites.
Details are still scarce but we were teased with the above render. They haven’t announced a shipyard yet and speculation is it will be one in Spain.
This isn’t the first time that a hotel chain has tried to get into the cruise industry. Back in 2007, Four Seasons tried to create a condo ship after the limited success of The World of ResidentSea. That plan was canceled in 2010.
Even earlier, Ritz-Carlton’s parent company Marriott International even tried to enter the cruise industry. They bought a sizeable share in the Greek owner Sun Line which owned and operated several ships in the Mediterranean. They were going to form a partnership and sail some ships out of North America. The plan eventually folded when a strategy couldn’t be agreed upon. Sun Line then merged with fellow Greek line Epirotki Cruise Line to form Royal Olympic Cruise Lines. That line ran out of money in 2004.