On The Deck: Ray Steward

The lucrative ultra-luxury market is a sector which will remain out of a majority of our price ranges for most of our lives. However, that’s not stopping some agents making some serious commissions from the high-end products. The key is spotting a potential ultra-luxury client amongst your database and then explaining to them the value that’s involved in what is normally an all-inclusive experience. Cruise News spoke to Ray Steward, sales and marketing director at Cruise Portfolio to find out more.

Can you describe your relationship with Crystal Cruises?

Cruise Portfolio is the GSA for Crystal in the UK. Effectively a client or an agent calling the Cruise Portfolio is calling Crystal. Everything out-facing is Crystal; we have a live link into the company’s reservation system and all of their rates too. readers’ that are well travelled and like the finer things in life. The demographic is getting younger though.

And what does your role entail on a typical day?

I control the sales and marketing for the company – basically anything that comes out of the office – to both the trade and direct.

How healthy is the ultra-luxury cruise sector right now?

Crystal had a very good 2012 in the UK. I think the luxury travel sector in general held up better than a majority of the industry. We keep saying that there is money out there and while we do find that people want a deal and perhaps aren’t committing their money as early as they used to – sales for 2012/2013 are very strong. The luxury sector seems to be leading the way.

How has your decision to go all-inclusive been received?

It’s gone down incredibly well and has given us a really strong message. It was our focal point for the first half year and dictated a lot of our messaging. I think it’s also brought back some old Crystal clients too. We’ve come back with a virtually completely all-inclusive experience. The only thing we don’t include is shore excursions however we’ll always provide coach transfers into the local town so people aren’t stranded on the ship!

Why do you think many of the ultra-luxury brands have moved towards all-inclusive?

I think it’s different to holiday tour operating all-inclusive where there is still a question regarding whether the quality of the offering will be compromised. With cruising it’s the opposite and represents an enhancement of the quality. I also think that people like the atmosphere on a ship and enjoy being able to relax once they get on board without having to think about the cost.

How does an agent spot a potential Crystal cruiser?

Our repeat booking level is about 65% – so extremely high. Our conversion rate is also very good and once we get clients onboard they typically book again. We rely heavily on our agency partners too and organise fam trips and ship visits every year. We typically say that we’re good for converting the premium sailors up to luxury and to look out for ‘Times and Telegraph readers’ that are well travelled and like the finer things in life. The demographic is getting younger though.

Why was the decision made to let children cruise for free on certain European itineraries?

We want to encourage new guests because it’s an ideal product for families. There are great activities onboard and also destinations which certainly suit the family market. It will hopefully encourage some new to cruise business!

What is there for families to do onboard?

It’s the activities which can be found onboard – you could lose your kids for a day if you wanted to! There are kids clubs, cinemas and other various activities they can take part in. The whole cruise is very child friendly however it’s important to relay that, for guests who are travelling without children, it’s not intrusive. You can very happily find a corner and not be bothered by the youngsters.