Orient Express (Accor)

Last updated
Orient Express SAS
Industry Hospitality
Headquarters Paris, France
Key people
Omer Acar (CEO Orient Express & Raffles)
Services Trains, Hotels, Cruises
Owner
Website orient-express.com

The Orient Express is a private luxury train service and luxury hospitality company operated by Accor. It will carry passengers between Paris and Istanbul, like the original Orient Express , beginning in 2025. [2] It will also offer journeys around Italy. [3]

Contents

Trains

The Orient Express

In 2017, Accor purchased a 50% stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF for the right to use the name. [4] In 2018, Accor began renovation work on 17 CIWL carriages from the defunct Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express, which date back to the 1920s and 1930s, to create a modern Orient Express. [1] [5]

Two services will be operated, Central Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechia) and the original route (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey). [6] The first service will begin in 2025. [2] The service has no relation to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express , which is owned by Belmond. [7]

Orient Express La Dolce Vita

A total of six Orient Express La Dolce Vita trains, each accommodating 62 guests, were constructed in Brindisi, Italy. The interiors are inspired by 1960s Italian design. The trains will offer overnight journeys around Italy, with itineraries including Rome, Venice and Portofino. [3] [8] [9] The service was first announced in 2021 and was supposed to launch in 2023 but delayed till 2024 and later 2025. [10] Its inaugural journey will embark on April 4, 2025. [11]

Private events for up to 62 people can also be reserved, including for weddings and corporate events, with the option to choose custom decor, menus, and itineraries. [12]

Hotels

Logo of Orient Express Hotels Orientexpresshotelslogo.jpg
Logo of Orient Express Hotels

Accor purchased a 50 percent stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF in 2017 to launch a chain of Orient Express hotels. [13]

In 2019 it was announced that the first Orient Express hotel would open in Bangkok, Thailand at the King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper. [14] It was planned to open in 2020 and would have had 154 rooms. [14] In 2020 Orient Express and King Power mutually agreed to part ways and the Orient Express Hotel Bangkok was cancelled. [15]

In February 2022 Arsenale S.p.A acquired The Grand Hotel de la Minerva  [ it ] in Rome, Italy. [16] In July, the opening of an Orient Express hotel in the space was announced. [16] [17] Also in 2022 the opening of an Orient Express at the Palazzo Dona Giovannelli in Venice was announced. [18] The hotel will open in 2025.

Properties
NameNo. of RoomsCityCountryOpeningRef.
Orient Express La Minerva 92 (34 suites) Rome Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2024 [19] [6]
Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli 45 Venice Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2025 [20] [6]
Orient Express Diriyah Gate80 Riyadh Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia [21] [6]
Aqaba Gulf HotelUnknown Aqaba Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan Unknown [6]
Under negotiation
UnknownUnknownLondonFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Unknown [21]
UnknownUnknownParisFlag of France.svg  France Unknown [21]
UnknownUnknownIstanbulFlag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Unknown [21]

Other

Cruises

A superyacht cruise line will also be launched under the Orient Express name. [22] The Orient Express Silenseas will be the largest sailing yacht in the world and services will start in 2026. [23] [24] A second yacht has also been commissioned and both will be built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. [25]

Products

In 2021 a collection of travel objects called "Steam Dream" launched with pop ups at La Samartaine (a Parisian department store) and the IFC mall in Hong Kong and online. The collection includes items made by Au Départ, Smythson, Cire Trudon, Bernardaud, Duvelleroy and more. [26] [27]

In 2023 in a collaboration with Montblanc they launched a limited edition collection of seven Orient Express themed pens for Montblanc's High Artistry Collection. [28] [29] [30]

Racing Team

Related Research Articles

The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, with terminal stations in Paris in the northwest and Istanbul in the southeast, and branches extending service to Athens, Brussels, and London.

<i>Palace on Wheels</i> Indian luxury tourist train

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Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montblanc (company)</span> German company known for luxury pens

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits</span> French railway car company

Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits is a Belgian-founded French company known for providing and operating luxury trains with sleepers and dining cars during the late 19th and the 20th centuries, most notably the Orient Express. Founded by Georges Nagelmackers in 1872, CIWL developed an international network of trains beginning in Europe, and later expanding to Asia and Africa. The trains provided luxury and comfort at a time when travelling was still rough and dangerous. The Armistice with Germany was signed in a CIWL train carriage, the Compiègne Wagon, on November 11, 1918.

Orient Express was the name of a long-distance passenger train service that ran from 1883 to 2009.

<i>Belmond Royal Scotsman</i> Scottish overnight luxury train service

The Belmond Royal Scotsman is a Scottish overnight luxury train, started in 1985 by GS&WR, and run since 2005 by Belmond Ltd. Its itineraries include 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- or 7-night journeys around the Scottish Highlands, visiting castles, distilleries and historic sites. Once each year, it also makes a 7-night journey around the whole of Great Britain.

<i>Venice Simplon-Orient-Express</i> Private European luxury train service

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a private luxury train service from London to Venice and other European cities. It is currently owned by Belmond.

Dolce vita or la dolce vita is Italian for "the sweet life". It may refer to:

<i>Eastern and Oriental Express</i> Train service in mainland Southeast Asia

The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury cruise train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmond Limited</span> Hotel and leisure company

Belmond Ltd. is a hospitality and leisure company that operates luxury hotels, train services and river cruises and safaris worldwide. In 2024, the company has 47 properties spread across 28 countries and territories, with 32 deluxe hotels, six tourist trains, seven river cruise boats and two safaris.

<i>Golden Chariot</i> Indian luxury tourist train

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniworld</span> Cruise line

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<i>Maharajas Express</i> Luxury tourist train in India

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<i>La Dolce Vita</i> (barge)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luxury train</span> Special train, designed for elegance and comfort

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmond British Pullman</span> Private luxury train service

Belmond British Pullman is a private luxury train that operates day and weekend journeys around Britain. Until 2023, it also served as the British leg of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) service between London and Venice.

Minor Hotels is an international hotel owner, operator, and investor headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, with more than 550 hotels in over 55 countries across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe, and the Americas. Minor Hotels operates as a subsidiary of Minor International, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia-Pacific region. The group operates hotels under the brands of Anantara Hotels & Resorts, Avani Hotels & Resorts, Elewana Collection, Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites, NH Hotels, NH Collection, nhow Hotels, and Tivoli Hotels & Resorts.

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References

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  2. 1 2 Yevhenii Podolskyi (26 October 2022). "The revived Orient Express will leave Paris for Istanbul in 2025". DIP.
  3. 1 2 "Orient Express La Dolce Vita". The Luxury Train Club. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. Christina Jelski (12 January 2023). "Orient Express will venture into luxury cruising". Travel Weekly.
  5. Sarah Kuta (1 December 2022). "You Could Soon Ride in Historic Carriages From the Orient Express". Smithsonian .
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Orient Express brand pitch 2024" (PDF). Accor . 3 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  7. Lucy Alexander (23 April 2023). "How Luxury Trains Are Transporting Travelers to a Bygone Era of Old-World Opulence". Robb Report .
  8. "Wealthy travelers are reserving seats onboard Italy's new Orient Express train before construction is even complete — see why". Business Insider. 4 September 2023.
  9. "A First Look at Italy's Gorgeous La Dolce Vita Orient Express Train—And How to Book It". AFAR. 19 March 2024.
  10. "Orient Express returns to Ital with Dolce Vita redesign". New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  11. "Select your itinerary - La Dolce Vita". Accor. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024.
  12. "Events - Privatize La Dolce Vita Orient Express train". Accor. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  13. Rosenthal, Victoria (2017-10-04). "AccorHotels buys 50-percent stake in Orient Express brand". Hotel Management. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  14. 1 2 "Miss the original? The Orient Express is returning..." Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  15. Hamdi, Raini; admin (2022-04-20). "How The Standard Ends up Managing What was to be the World's First Orient Express Hotel in Bangkok". Hotels-Asia. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  16. 1 2 "Rediscover The Glory Of Venice With Orient Express". 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  17. "Brochure Orient Express" (PDF).
  18. caitlan (2022-05-10). "Orient Express to Open Second Hotel in Italy at Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in Venice". Hotel Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  19. Fontaine, Emma (2023-10-17). "Giampaolo Ottazzi appointed as General Manager for the first Orient Express Hotels in Rome & Venice". Accor – Newsroom. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  20. "Rediscover The Glory Of Venice With Orient Express". 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Orient Express Hotels - Factsheet" (PDF).
  22. "Orient Express Cruises to Set Sail on World's Largest Superyacht". Bloomberg.com. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  23. Sturges, Connor (2023-01-11). "This is the future of luxury cruising – an exclusive look at the Orient Express ship". CN Traveller. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  24. "Orient Express will venture into luxury cruising". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  25. "Accor to build super-yachts for Orient Express at Chantiers de l'Atlantique". seatrade-cruise.com. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  26. Diderich, Joelle (2021-09-18). "Orient Express Launches Collection of Travel Objects". WWD. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  27. "Orient Express is coming to town at IFC Mall | Things to do in Hong Kong". Time Out Hong Kong. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  28. Olson, Nancy. "Montblanc's Voyage Of Discovery: High Artistry Pen Collection 2023". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  29. "inkstable.com | Montblanc High Artistry A Journey On The Orient Express". inkstable.com. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  30. Letonja, Timotej (2023-05-04). "Montblanc High Artistry A Journey On The Orient Express". Numéro Netherlands. Retrieved 2023-06-28.