Andrea Zelinski
Cunard Line has been popular for British and American cruisers, but the cruise line now wants to give a big boost to its volume of U.S. guests.
Matt Gleaves, vice president of commercial for North America, Australia and Japan, is working on that. It is Gleaves' job to figure out how to boost North American passenger growth 40% by the time Cunard welcomes the 2,996-passenger Queen Anne in 2024.
In fact, all of Cunard's international markets are working toward that same 40% goal, Gleaves said, but the U.S. market makes up the second-largest share of Cunard's customers; hence, the biggest jump required.
One hurdle he's trying to navigate, he said, is the perspective that the brand is too formal.
"Those are barriers that we need to break down, because when guests get on board they realize it's not what they thought it would be," he said. "Those are a key focus for us. How do we talk to guests to make them understand that Cunard is a brand for everybody?"
The ships do have a classic look: The vessels are designed to pay homage to the 182-year-old line's past and legacy, with art deco styling and white glove service during afternoon tea. The line has also worked to marry that classic feel while evolving with today's modern luxury guests, Gleaves said.
"We've got a holiday for everybody onboard Cunard, up from short voyages [to] transatlantic crossings," he said. "There's a holiday on Cunard for every wallet, really."
Gleaves said Cunard has increased the size of the North American sales team to support travel advisors and is spending more on advertising and promotion of advisors than it has in the past. In the next six to 12 months, he and his team will work to understand how they can better help agents sell more Cunard; he added that if agents want to try out the ships themselves, they should just ask. The line's training program also includes an opportunity for agents to sail.
One of the selling points to Americans is the transatlantic voyages that operate from New York to Southampton, England, he said.
"There's a lot of signature points there that we know when we get Americans on board, they love and come back time and again," he said.