This morning, Luxury Travel Advisor attended a press conference hosted by Crystal AirCruises and Peninsula Hotels. The two brands are partnering for the inaugural trip on Crystal AirCruises.
Crystal AirCruises is launching with a twin-aisle Boeing 777-200LR. The plane has been reconfigured to accommodate 84 guests. Air cruises will sit in Crystal Exclusive Class seats that convert to lie-flat beds. Though, travelers will not be flying overnight on the aircraft. Each itinerary will have a different theme such as traveling through the South Pacific or visiting the best wine lands in the world. Along the way, guests will stay in luxury hotels and dine at Michelin star-level restaurants. The trips will range from 15 to 29 days.
The inaugural trip will take off on August 31, 2017 from New York City to Paris. Guests will stay exclusively at Peninsula Hotels in Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila and Bangkok. This first voyage will only host 80 guests, as along the way general managers from the Peninsula Hotels will join the guests on board to host them on their journey.
“Guests will embark on cultural, culinary and exhilarating adventures,” says Edie Rodriguez, Crystal’s president and CEO.
“In each destination Peninsula Hotels will be the home base for Crystal guests, enhancing the immersive cultural experience and helping to bring the destinations to life,” continues Rodriguez.During the 27-day trip, guests will be able to pick from 10 activities each day and each experience will be capped at 12 guests. There will also be special experiences that can be added on as an additional expense for two and four people. At night, travelers will choose from four to five dining options both at the hotel and in the cities dining districts. Crystal will transfer guests to and from their dining options and handle reservations. Guests will also have the opportunity to create custom experiences at any point on the trip.
Guests on this journey will also have access to exclusive experiences like having cocktails and dinner on the Great Wall of China. Other experiences will include temple tours, dim sum cooking classes, Tai Chi and more.
Rodriguez expects the first trip to sell out quickly and envisions that guests will be from around the world. The trip will be advertised to both past Crystal guests and Peninsula guests.
"The launch of Crystal AirCruises signifies yet another remarkable milestone for our brand,” says Rodriguez.
Crystal has recently launched river cruising with Crystal Mozart, private air charters on Crystal Luxury Air and yachting with Crystal Esprit.
Booking will open on November 1 for Crystal AirCruises.