Orient Express has branched into ultra luxury cruising with the launch of its first mega yacht, the Orient Express Corinthian, aimed at attracting a new class of tech billionaire through an offer that speaks to the growing premium experience market.
The Orient Express brand owners, a partnership between French hotel group Accor and Louis Vuitton’s (LVMH), expect a boost from the yacht, which set sail for the first time in May 2026, after construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The yacht has been hailed as the world’s largest sailing vessel at 220 metres. It boasts 54 oversized suites accommodating 110 guests, plus design features from architect Maxime d’Angeac, five restaurants, eight bars, private dining, a speakeasy, and a theatre space.
It’s all about tapping into soaring spending on high-end experiences. The ultra-premium experience segment is predicted to swell by between nine and 11% this year, outstripping the less than five percent growth forecast by a Bain study for the personal luxury goods traditionally produced by brands like LVMH.
Explaining that phenomenon and the partnership’s strategy, Accor’s Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin told Reuters that acquiring more physical objects is no longer enough for the ultra-wealthy. “When people are very rich, and they have seven homes, and 12 cars, and 17 watches… they still have a bucket list of things they promised themselves to do before dying. It’s not to have an 18th watch,” Bazin said, adding: “When you are getting rich, very rich, money hasn’t got the same meaning. The only thing that has a meaning is recognition. Have you become someone?”
Estelle Dinh, a professor at Swiss hospitality school Gilon, agrees. “If you’ve been to a Monaco Formula One, if you want to go around, you need badges everywhere. Certain people would have certain badges,” she said. The badge of experiencing a four-day cruise in one of the Corinthian’s deck suites starts at a suitably exclusive price of around €25,000.
Luxury goods are not entirely out of frame, though. LVMH is making sure its goods brands are represented on board, with a Guerlain beauty salon and bottles of Hennessy cognac laid on in the vessel’s priciest penthouses.
A key aspect of the Accor and LVMH deal is that both companies have the chance to take up reciprocal buy-out options in the future, reflecting the eye that the pair are keeping on changing consumer behaviour.
