The Ritz-Carlton hotel group is already a world leader in luxury on land and now the ultra-glamorous hotel is expanding its offering out to the high seas launching a cruising yacht line.
The hotel company plans to build a line of 623-ft luxury cruise yachts each with the capacity for 298-passengers yachts.
Billed as ‘anti-cruise ship’ The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has been designed in an attempt to smash all cruise ship stereotypes with alternative dining options and rooms that will not be called staterooms, but rather, suites, each with a private balcony.
The ships, which are somewhere between a private superyacht and a small ocean liner, are to be based in Coconut Grove, Florida.
“The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will have a distinctive personality and the vessels are sure to be true standouts in some of the most glamorous ports around the world,” said Herve Humler, president and COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, in a statement.
One of the most standout features is a restaurant from award-winning chef Sven Elverfeld, who heads up Aqua, a three Michelin star eatery at the Ritz Carlton Wolfsburg in Germany.
The ships will also have a Ritz-Carlton Spa, a panorama lounge and wine bar and on-board entertainment.
Voyages will range from seven to 10 days with seasonal stops in the Mediterranean, northern Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The yachts will also call at locations typically not accessible to large cruise ships, such as Portofino, St Barths and the old town of Cartagena.
The new cruise line will also share with its guests ‘one-of-a-kind curated destination journeys’, collaborating with local chefs, musicians and artists from the locations its ships visit.
Reservations will open next May with The first of the three yachts scheduled to hit the water in late 2019.