This article contains promotional content. (September 2024) |
Belmond Ltd. (formerly Orient-Express Hotels Ltd) is a hospitality and leisure company that operates hotels, train services and river cruises and safaris worldwide.[3] In 2024, the company has 47 properties in 28 countries and territories, with 32 hotels, six tourist trains, seven river cruise boats and two safaris.
Formerly | Orient-Express Hotels Ltd |
---|---|
Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Hospitality |
Founded | 1976 |
Headquarters | Hamilton, Bermuda[1] |
Key people | Roeland Vos (Chairman) Dan Ruff (CEO) |
Services | Hotels, trains, cruises, restaurants |
Revenue | US$ 576.84 million (2018)[2] |
Parent | LVMH |
Website | www |
History
editThe company was founded in 1976 by the American entrepreneur James Sherwood with the acquisition of the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Italy, from the Guinness family for £900,000. Sherwood then bought a number of carriages from the original Orient Express train, which he restored and used to offer rides from Paris and London to his hotel in Venice,[4] thus the former name of the company. Much of the history of the company is documented in Sherwood's memoir Orient Express: A Personal Journey.
On 10 March 2014, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd was renamed Belmond,[5][6][7][8] and on 1 July 2014, Belmond's holding company was also renamed Belmond Ltd.[9]
In April 2015, Belmond partnered with Irish Rail to launch the train Belmond Grand Hibernian in Ireland.[10] In July 2016, Indian Hotels Company Limited sold most of its 5.1% stake in Belmond, retaining only 0.44% after the sale.[11]
In December 2018, the company agreed to be acquired by LVMH[12] in a $3.2 billion transaction which would delist the company from the New York Stock Exchange and make it 100% privately owned.[citation needed] The announcement of the sale led Belmond's share price to increase by 40% in a day.[13] The deal closed in April 2019.[14]
Belmond has continued to grow its portfolio in Italy. In September 2021, it acquired Villa Beatrice in Portofino.[15] In February 2023, the company announced an agreement with Sardegna Resorts S.r.l to manage Romazzino in Sardinia.[16]
It has also added a cluster of new properties in Mexico. In August 2023, Belmond re-opened Maroma following a redesign, in which ten beachfront suites were added.[17] In June 2023 it entered into an agreement with Cora Pacific Development to open Milaroca, a hotel on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, in 2025.[18] In December 2023, the company announced that it had acquired Hacienda Katanchel in Mexico, with a planned opening in 2027.[19]
In December 2022, Belmond announced a ten-year plan to upgrade its properties, which it had already begun with the renovation of Splendido Mare in 2021.[20] Upgrades have included renovations and refurbishments to its trains. In October 2021, Belmond launched a train carriage designed by film director Wes Anderson on the British Pullman train.[21] In 2023, the company also launched a Dior Spa on The Royal Scotsman.[22]
In 2024, the company returned the Eastern & Oriental Express to service, after the train service was paused during the pandemic.[23] The company also launched a Dior Spa aboard, and unveiled a sleeper carriage for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, designed by French street artist JR.[24] The carriage was presented at the 2024 Venice Biennale.[25]
Properties
editHotels
editTransportation
editType | Route | Name |
---|---|---|
Sleeper trains | London-Venice | Venice Simplon-Orient-Express |
Scotland | Belmond Royal Scotsman | |
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Laos | Eastern and Oriental Express | |
Peru | Belmond Andean Explorer[note 2] | |
Day trains | Great Britain | Belmond British Pullman |
Peru[note 3] | Belmond Hiram Bingham | |
River Boats | France | Les Bateaux Belmond (seven canal and river barges) |
Other formerly operated trains
edit- Great South Pacific Express (1999-2003) in Australia between Kuranda, Queensland and Sydney. Its carriages were transferred to the Belmond Andean Explorer after its demise.
- Belmond Northern Belle (2000-2017) in the Central and Northern regions of Great Britain. Sold to West Coast Railways as a new operator.
- Belmond Grand Hibernian (2016-2021) in Ireland.
Restaurants
editCountry | City | Name |
---|---|---|
United States | New York City | 21 Club |
United Kingdom | Oxfordshire | The Restaurant at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons |
London | The Lalee | |
Portugal | Madeira | William Restaurant |
Italy | Venice | Oro Restaurant |
Taormina | Otto Geleng Restaurant | |
Florence | La Loggia | |
Brazil | Rio de Janeiro | Mee |
Rio de Janeiro | Ristorante Hotel Cipriani |
Notes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c All Cusco and Macchu Picchu Hotels are a 50% Joint Venture with Peruvian shareholding company Peru Hotel Macchu Picchu SA (Peru Belmond Hotels SA)
- ^ (since May 2017) In 50% partnership with the Peruvian shareholder company Peruvian Trains and Railways SA
- ^ Belmond has a 50% interest in PeruRail.
References
edit- ^ Company 10-Q
- ^ "Belmond revenue". www.craft.co. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ "Belmond Ltd. - SEC". Sec.gov. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Belmond's founder deserves his place in its history". Ft.com. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "Interview: Behind Belmond's Rebrand of Iconic Orient-Express Name". Skift.com. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Vora, Shivani (14 March 2014). "Orient-Express Hotels Gets a New Name". Intransit.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Log In". Wsj.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Bloomberg". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Changes Corporate Name to Belmond Ltd". Hotelnewsresource.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Eoin Burke-Kennedy (22 April 2015). "'Orient Express' company Belmond jumps tracks to Ireland". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ Ravi Teja Sharma (2 July 2016). "Tata-owned India Hotels sells 5.1 per cent stake in Belmond for $49.57 million". Indiatimes.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ Rupert Neate (14 December 2018). "Orient Express sold to owner of Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Travis Hoium (14 December 2018). "Why Belmond Ltd's Shares Jumped 40% Today". Fool.com}. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "LVMH buys Belmond hotel group for $3.2 bn, including Machu Picchu and Cusco hotels". News from Peru - Peruvian Times. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Villa Beatrice a Portofino, il gioiello immerso nel polmone verde del Parco di Portofino". Harper's BAZAAR (in Italian). 7 December 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Hanson, Eloise (10 February 2023). "LVMH signs management of two Sardinia hotels". Boutique Hotel News.
- ^ Forshaw, Irenie (10 August 2023). "Belmond's Maroma Unveils Extensive Redesign". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Cara (27 June 2023). "Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit to open in 2025". Sleeper. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "2027 Opening Planned for Katanchel, A Belmond Hotel, Mexico". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Deux nouveaux directeurs de division chez Belmond". Hospitality ON (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ O'Hare, Maureen (14 October 2021). "Wes Anderson has designed a luxury Belmond train carriage". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Ayling, Kim (12 April 2023). "The Royal Scotsman Introduces Dior Spa Carriage". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "How LVMH exhumed luxury rail with the Eastern & Oriental Express". Australian Financial Review. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Chang, Rachel (12 July 2023). "Belmond's Eastern & Oriental Express Is Launching New Train Routes to Malaysia's Most Uniques Landscapes". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Unveils an Over-the-Top Sleeper Carriage". AFAR Media. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Historical business data for Belmond Ltd.:
- SEC filings