Ultra-luxury hospitality company Belmond has witnessed a 20% increase in Australian business across its hotel and rail journeys around the globe since its previous record of 2019, pre-pandemic.
Nicolas Streff, Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Communications for Belmond said last year’s result for the Australian market was the best ever, while the company as a whole saw a 65% increase in business.
Speaking with LATTE at ILTM Asia Pacific in Singapore last week, Streff said Australia has moved up to become a priority and top 10 market for Belmond, “which is amazing news for us.” He puts the growth down to an concerted focus on the market.
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“We’ve been investing in our brand awareness in Australia the past 18 months to two-years and I think it’s paid off. Destination-wise, Italy is always a winner and I think once Australians become familiar with the brand they like to arrange a ‘tour’ between different Belmond properties, into Spain and to Mallorca,” he suggested.
Streff acknowledged that rail travel is increasing in popularity, however there is a greater tendency for Australian travellers to book Belmond’s luxury hotels stays with the group, and then add-on a rail journey like the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, connecting between regional cities rather than the longer-range itineraries.
“I believe the Eastern & Orient Express will have even greater resonance within the region overall, acting as a springboard to the brand from Southeast Asia. That journey helps us to tell the story of the entire brand and the train portfolio, with six journeys around the world.”
Those other rail journeys being the British Pullman, Royal Scotsman, Andean Explorer and the Hiram Bingham.
“That brand connection with the rail journeys then unlocks the Belmond name to our hotels. It’s an interesting pathway,” Streff said.
The Orient & Eastern Express, A Belmond Train relaunched in March (following a four-year hiatus) and this month is adding a Dior Spa – the first in Southeast Asia – as reported in LATTE last week.
Valentin Waldman, General Manager of the Eastern & Orient Express told LATTE interest was growing for the journey which offers a mix of three-night itineraries between Singapore and Malaysia. (View the options here.)
Waldman said the mix of guests was approximately one-third European/UK, one-third APAC and one-third North America.
Streff said: “When people think of Belmond they think of Europe, or Peru and South America, or Southern Africa. We are seeing more demand for trains and hotels in APAC as people yearn to discover more local and regional trips through Europe, the UK, Brazil and Peru,” he said.
Belmond continues to build its profile in Mexico where it has three properties: Maroma, A Belmond Hotel on the Caribbean coast at Rivera Maya, Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel, a former convent built in the 16th century in San Miguel de Allende; and on the Pacific Coast, and Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit, which is slated to open in 2025. A fourth property was signed late last year, Hacienda Katanchel on the east coast and formerly a hacienda dating back to the 17th century – located near Merida, Yucátan. Katanchel, A Belmond Hotel is earmarked to launch in 2027.
“Mexico is a very hot destination. It’s very Belmond. The heritage, traditions and the great sense of hospitality and the Mexican culture. It’s the perfect fit so we’re in the process of developing a Mexican cluster,” he said.
Streff said Belmond had witnessed an obvious increase in ‘slow travel luxury’ post pandemic, but added that ‘slow travel’ is “much more than a trend to us. It’s our identity.”
“We take the time to travel from ‘a’ to ‘b’ and the popularity of trains is flying, in terms of requests across countries, across generations,” he said.
“We are surprised to see how many young couples, in their late 20s and 30s, are very eager to travel by train. It’s on their bucket list, crossing Europe or doing a more adventurous journey such as the ‘wild swim’ from the Royal Scotsman in Scotland.”
Streff adds that the younger traveller trend has been around since before the pandemic, and has bounced back in the past two years.
“Trains are running at high capacity. For the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express you need to book six-months to a year in advance. Any itinerary that is offered once or twice a year, they need to be booked within a few weeks of their release” as they sell out fast. He said guests are always eager to test the new routes which are added by Belmond.
Streff noted that Belmond has a big focus on renovating all of the brand’s existing portfolio of properties by 2030/31. “It’s a huge ambitious renovation plan”.
Could Belmond raise a flag in Australia?
Quizzed about further expansion, and the possibility of considering Belmond assets in Australia, Streff said, “when it comes to developments, I think trains are now the primary focus, but when it comes to hotels, it will have to be the perfect hotel in the right destination.”
LATTE flagged the idle former Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort in the Greater Blue Mountains, which has been dormant for some time and recently dropped from One&Only’ collection – exclusively revealed here.
“It could be Australia. Our teams are scouting the world, every month, every year we are looking at what is coming up on the market, by destination and location within a destination.”
“We are not the urban, city hotel type of operator. We look a bit more remote, where the nature, the people, the story, the habitat, align to offer storytelling and something unique. So we are picky, but selective. LATTE suggested Wolgan Valley is perfectly aligned to that criteria.
“In light of the Australia market, I think one day it may make sense to have something in Australia,” he adds.
Streff concludes, telling LATTE that overall Belmond’s local business is “very much coming from the trade. We’ve seen a clear direct peak in bookings to our direct channels in the past couple of years, but it’s a small portion of business. Here, we have a clear B2B focus.”
Lead image: In Singapore at ILTM Asia Pacific, Nicolas Streff, VP, Strategy and Corporate Communications, Belmond.