Cruise Merger In The News
In a deal that could spark federal antitrust concerns, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and P&O Princess Cruises Plc, the second- and third-largest cruise lines in the U.S. market respectively, last month agreed to merge. The deal would create a $6 billion company that could control about 43 percent of the domestic marketplace, according to published reports. The announcement of the deal comes at a time when the cruise industry is in flux. Hurt by declining interest in cruise travel after the Sept. 11 attacks and a soft economy, two cruise lines—American Classic Voyages and Renaissance Cruises—already have filed for bankruptcy since mid-September. Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain would become CEO of the new combined company. P&O Princess CEO Peter Ratcliffe would serve as COO.
Dolce Enables Bookings Via A Contact
Conference center chain Dolce International has formed partnerships with American Airlines, Avis Rent A Car and Empire International to allow buyers to book all air and ground transportation at a single Dolce point of contact. The program, one of the first that envelops air and ground transportation with conference center service, allows for planners to submit an electronic request for proposal through Dolce's Web site and receive proposed rates and fares within a day. AA offers fares of up to 70 percent off full coach prices. Saturday night stay requirements do not apply and fares are guaranteed for 11 months from booking. Avis offers a 5 percent discount and complimentary rental certificates. Empire International also will offer a 5 percent discount off published rates. "We want our services to reach beyond the numbers of room nights and LCD projectors needed and truly serve as a resource that can positively affect the outcome of our clients' meetings," said Dolce vice president of sales Bill Gilchrist.
StarCite, CIC Attempt To Fill Space
Though hoteliers have reported fairly high rebooking levels of meetings canceled in the days following Sept. 11, with some seeing 80 percent levels of meeting rescheduling, most hotels have been stuck with unexpected short-term meeting space on their hands. To that end, meeting portal StarCite and the Convention Industry Council have joined to encourage planners and hotels to register their canceled meetings online, so that the space can be filled at likely reasonable prices. StarCite already had a section of its site dedicated to distressed inventory, but will waive all fees associated with the CIC partnership, dubbed Operation Cancellation Rescue, through Dec. 31, allowing any hotelier or planner to post their particulars for no charge. "We're creating an industrywide inventory of canceled space," said Mary Power, president and CEO of CIC, the McLean, Va.-based umbrella group of 29 industry associations. "We are aware that anyone planning a meeting obviously has his or her choice of venues right now. We are encouraging those people to utilize this inventory, support their industry, help pick up the pieces and fill canceled space first." The database will be posted on both CIC's and StarCite's Web sites. Once a planner finds suitable meeting space on the database, an e-mail request for proposal can be sent directly to the property's sales contact, listed on the sites. The system, officials said, is designed to capture as much business as possible for some of the properties that lost the most business.