Resorts Set Sail: Luxury Hotel Brands Are Reinventing the Cruise Industry
- Sarah Buckley
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
The Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Aman, Orient Express and Waldorf Astoria are each debuting their own superyachts that aim to mirror the atmosphere and luxurious trimmings of their land-based spaces.
By Sarah Buckley, TravelAnne Staff Writer
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The luxury cruise ships keep getting bigger and bigger, but their trappings stay the same: banquet-hall dining rooms, tuxedo-clad waiters and gala evenings. But now, a new class of travelers wants something more personal. They’re looking for groundbreaking design, intimate ships, Michelin-level cuisine and ports that usually are the domain of sleek private yachts.
Cue the planet’s most vaunted hotel brands. Icons of hospitality are taking their on-land sophistication to the high seas as bespoke yachts that feel more like private members’ clubs than cruise liners. From the Ritz-Carlton’s pioneering Evrima to Four Seasons’ soon-to-debut glass-fronted marvel, these ships offer discretion and design — not to mention decadent detail.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: Class is in Session
Vessels: Evrima (2022), Ilma (2024), Luminara (2025)
Guests: 298 – 452
The Ritz-Carlton, which launched the hotel-to-hull luxury concept that still serves as the model, was at work. Its chic, yacht-inspired trio is designed to lend the brand’s signature glamour to the sea. Each room is a suite with its own private terrace and “Suite Ambassador” service, including the privacy of a butler and the elegance of a five-star hotel.
Culinary options are plentiful wither there's S.E.A, a European-inspired tasting experience by three Michelin star Chef Sven Elverfeld of The Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg. Sister ships Ilma and Luminara will be next with Seta, an Italian restaurant by chez Fabio Trabocchi, and The Beach House menus developed in conjunction with James Beard Award-winner Michael Mina.
Up top, an aft marina welcomes you to dive or paddle off the water’s back porch — or simply lounge on floating platforms; and the signature Ritz-Carlton Spa soothes in ocean-view treatment rooms. Ritz Kids experiences cater to families as well.
Hallmark luxury: All-inclusive fares include beverages, Wi-Fi, dining and gratuities — so you can indulge seamlessly from bow to stern.
Four Seasons Yachts: The Future, Afloat
Ships: Four Seasons I (2026), Four Seasons II (2027)
Suites: 95
Four Seasons first seaborne foray — across the Gulf of Siam from its hotel in Bangkok — will be as people-first as its architecture on the ground. Look for sharp lines, plenty of glass and the kind of interior design that blurs the line between superyacht and modernist villa.
The brand’s hallmarks of ingenuity include its transverse marina in which hydraulic platforms reach out from either side to form floating sun decks, a seawater pool and water-sports access. Two sleek tenders — The Limo Tender and The Beachlander — deliver guests to secret coves and private beach clubs.
For feasting, there are eleven dining and drinking venues to choose from, including Sedna with its rotating roster of Four Seasons chefs visiting from around the globe. A Champagne and caviar terrace resplendent at night.
Even entry-level suites have spa-inspired baths and private terraces; at the top of the lot, the four-deck Funnel Suite clocks in at 5,000 square feet indoors and out, including its own gym, plunge pool and alfresco dining table that seats a dozen party guests.
Hallmark luxury: A 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio means Four Seasons’ hallmark anticipatory service — and possibly the quietest cabins at sea.
Aman at Sea: Tranquility Afloat
Ship: Amangati (2027)
Suites: 47
Few names inspire serenity more than Aman’s, and its soon-to-come Amangati will bring the brand’s focus on privacy and wellness to the waves. Designed by Sinot Yacht Architecture and constructed in Genoa’s famed T.Mariotti shipyard, in collaboration with Cruise Saudi, the 47-suite vessel.
All of the suites have a private balcony and an understated Japanese-inspired décor. The spa, anchored by a thermal suite and an open-air Japanese garden, itself four restaurants, jazz club and an aft Beach Club seem intent on balancing indulgence with tranquillity.
Eco-innovation is the tent pole holding up design: hybrid battery propulsion and sustainable materials mean a lighter footprint.
Hallmark luxury: Individual suites can be booked by guests — or charter the whole yacht for a private Aman universe at sea.
Orient Express Sailing Yachts – Wind, Elegance and French Art de Vivre
Ships: Corinthian (2026), Olympian (2027)
Guests: 110 (54 suites)
The fabled Orient Express brand is expanding its tradition of opulent transportation on land to life at sea. The twin sailing yachts — crowned with three dramatic glass-fiber masts each — will be the largest in their category, a fusion of sustainable wind power and haute French styling.
To be built by France’s Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the ships will have spa and fitness centers, a speakeasy, library, cabaret lounge and a 54-foot lap pool. Its head chef, Michelin-starred Yannick Alléno, runs its premiere dining venue, La Table de l’Orient-Express, where French food is served in sumptuous ocean views.
Butler service, soaring ceilings and sumptuous art-deco details are available in suites; a few itineraries also feature family programming and shore dinners by local chefs.
Hallmark luxury: Slow sailing and immersive itineraries — attendees might savor Provencal truffle luncheons or dine privately beneath the walls of Dubrovnik — echo a more glamorous era in travel.
Waldorf Astoria Nile River Experience: The Grand Tour Reimagined
Ship: Unnamed (2026)
Suites: 29
Hilton’s top-of-the-line luxury brand is setting sail for Egypt’s legendary river, marrying Belle Époque chic with cutting-edge comfort. The Waldorf Astoria Nile River Experience, in partnership with Middle East Nile Cruisers, will also offer 29 light-filled suites with private balconies and marble baths.
A spa, fitness center, rooftop lounge and curated dining is offered onboard. The ship’s Peacock Alley restaurant, its signature eatery, will offer Mediterranean-influenced fare with an Egyptian twist.
Four- and six-night trips between Luxor and Aswan will reveal ancient temples and tucked-away villages, with private docks providing exclusive access to the shore while dedicated personal concierges organize bespoke excursions.
A New Era of Oceanic Opulence
Erase the idea of “cruise.” These floating sanctuaries are changing the luxury travel dynamic. Smaller ships experience fewer passengers, more privacy and more hands-on service — a staff that not only remembers your name but also your favorite Champagne.
From Evrima’s candle-light dinners in St. Barts to Four Seasons I’s sea-level marina in Capri, Amangati’s meditative mornings on the Aegean and Waldorf Astoria moonlit sails past the Valley of the Kings — if you are wondering about the future of luxury cruising it is not bigger. It’s about going deeper, slower and infinitely more beautifully.
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