Skift Take
Luxury travelers are demanding new experiences, and cruise lines that cater to the market are trying to deliver. Roberto Martinoli will speak about that shift and more at Skift Forum Europe later this month.
Roberto Martinoli has watched the cruise industry evolve over the past couple of decades as he worked in leadership roles at Costa Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
As president and CEO of Monaco-based Silversea Cruises since September of 2016, he has had a front-row seat to that change: Royal Caribbean Cruises acquired a 67 percent stake in the luxury line last year for $1 billion, the industry’s biggest consolidation in years.
The acquisition was complete by the end of July, and the companies immediately announced an investment to upgrade Silversea’s fleet. Martinoli said the consolidation so far has been “a very rich exercise, for both sides.”
“Since the agreement, [Royal Caribbean] has been clear about the fact they want to preserve Silversea the way it is,” he said in an email. “No big changes, only improvements. We have gone through a best practices comparison with RCL on every area but product, marketing, and sales. We decided to avoid these areas, as they are the soul of our company and are very unique.”
Silversea has since announced an order for three new ships, part of a boom in the small-ship and expedition cruise niche.
“The surprising thing about this industry is that, despite the many brands and the many new ships to come, there is still space to grow for all of us,” Martinoli said in an email. “And this applies not only to the ultra-luxury and the expedition fields, which are showing encouraging signs of growth, but also to the mass market, as it seems there is still space for players to grow and differentiate themselves. In my opinion, differentiation will be key in the cruise industry in the coming years.”
Leading up to his appearance at Skift Forum Europe later this month, Martinoli weighed in on topics including Silversea’s majority acquisition by Royal Caribbean Cruises, the grow
