September, 2012 – This article from Luxury Daily discusses how the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Singapore is enticing bookings from affluent travelers entering the city through the Marina Bay Cruise Center with a package that includes transfer and meals. (http://www.luxurydaily.com/mandarin-oriental-bolsters-shore-side-location-with-cruise-package/)
By Tricia Carr
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, is encouraging bookings from affluent travelers entering the city through the newly-opened international Marina Bay Cruise Center with a package that includes transfer and meals.
The property is looking to attract travelers boarding ships at Marina Bayand and bolster its status as the only five-star hotel in Singapore by tailoring its services in the Cruise in Style package. If marketed through the correct channels, localized packages can help luxury travel brands increase bookings.
“Singapore is an increasingly important turnaround port for the cruise industry where the cruisers are good prospects to stay for at least one night in a hotel before or after a cruise,†said Ron Kurtz, president of American Affluence Research Center, Atlanta.
“The strategy behind this package seems to be to offer an all-inclusive experience, similar to a cruise, that is convenient to use and easy to book,†he said. “A number of hotels around the world have identified this opportunity and are targeting it.
“Mandarin Oriental hotels target a very affluent market and, while this package will appeal to such travelers, the key will be to create awareness of the package among the right travel agents and the affluent cruisers.â€
Mr. Kurtz is not affiliated with Mandarin Oriental, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, did not respond before press deadline.
Surf and turf
The Marina Bay Cruise Center can service 6,800 passengers at one time, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.
Cruise lines that will dock at the center include Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland American Line and Seabourn Cruises.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, is transferring travelers to and from the cruise center and offering free meals to guests who book the Cruise in Style package.
The property will send a limo to meet guests upon arrival to Singapore. The package also includes one-way airport transfer.
At the hotel, guests will go straight to a Club Harbor room for private check-in.
The package includes access to the 19th-floor Oriental Club space that provides complimentary Champagne breakfast, afternoon tea service and evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Guests also get complimentary dinner on each night of their stay at one of the on-site restaurants that include Italian restaurant Dolce Vita, Cantonese restaurant Cherry Garden and international restaurant Melt – The World Café.
The package is $709 per night for double occupancy. It can be booked through Dec. 30.
What’s the occasion?
Hotel packages that align with events – in this case the opening of the Marina Bay Cruise Center – will likely help luxury travel brands get additional bookings as long as the packages focus on high-end service.
Other luxury hotel properties are hoping to draw consumers this way.
For instance, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ The Plaza hotel in New York channeled the energy of Fashion Week to offer an exclusive package and a chance to meet a designer.
The Plaza marketed the package via various digital efforts including search engine optimization, email, social media and partnership marketing (see story).
In addition, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, is targeting consumers in town for the Tough Mudder competition Sept. 22-23 by creating packages to relax active, affluent consumers before and after the event.
Participants in the NorCal Tough Mudder, an internationally-held obstacle course challenge designed by the British Special Forces, can purchase a package for an overnight stay or an event-themed spa package (see story).
To get the most from event-related packages, luxury hotel brands should consider partnership marketing.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, could reach out to the luxury cruise lines that plan to dock at the Marina Bay Cruise Center to get increased exposure while it is marketing its package.
“Most prospects for this package will be cruising on a luxury cruise ship or in suite accommodations on a premium category cruise ship,†Mr. Kurtz said. “These cruise lines typically offer pre- and post-cruise hotel stays for such cruises.
“The hotel should try to be included in the offers of the cruise lines,†he said. “If the hotel is not successful in being part of the cruise lines’ offers, there are certain travel agencies and groups of agencies that cater to this market, and the hotel should make sure these travel agencies know about this package.
“Of course, the package should also be promoted on the hotel’s Web site and to its list of past clients through the various channels that it communicates with these people.â€