Draft:Orient Express (Revival)

Orient Express SAS is an ultra-luxury travel company owned by SNCF and Accor. Orient Express will run luxury train services, luxury hotels & luxury yacht cruises. The train services will launch in 2024 and 2025 and hotels will open in Rome, Venice and Riyadh with cruises planned to first launch in 2026.

History
In 1883 Georges Nagelmackers company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits started operating the Orient Express a luxury train service running from Paris to Istanbul. In 1962 the original incarnation of the Orient Express stoped running and replaced by the Direct Orient Express, Wagons-Lit leased the service to different operators before it stopped running in 1977. Wagons-Lit continued licensing the Orient Express name and by 2009 the last licensed Orient Express service run by ÖBB was stopped.

In 1996 Accor had taken over Wagons-Lit and split the company into two and with this the company Wagons-Lit Diffusion was created and the company started licensing old Wagons-Lit service names (including the Orient Express). In 2012, Wagons-Lit Diffusion sold the remaining rights and assets of Orient Express to SNCF (excluding the hotel rights).

In 2017 Accor bought 50% of the Orient Express brands share capital from SNCF and in 2018 acquired the rights to open and operate Orient Express Hotels from Wagons-Lit Diffusion with the creation of Orient-Express Hotels.

On March 1 2023, Stephen Alden was replaced as CEO of the brand by Omer Acar who also became the new CEO of Raffles Hotels & Resorts.

In February 2023 it was announced that the Americas Cup K-Challenge team would be sponsored by Accor/Orient Express for the 37th Americas Cup yacht race competition with this sponsorship K-Challenge would rebrand to Orient Express Team.

Trains
Orient Express La Dolce Vita

The La Dolce Vita will start in 2024 as the first Orient Express service it will have 8 different services around Italy it will have 11 cars and inspired by 1960s 'La Dolce Vita' Italy the train will be designed by Dimorestudio and will have 18 Suites, 12 Deluxe Cabins, a La Dolce Vita suite and a restaurant. Pre-reservations opened on December 6 of 2022 for travellers and travel agents. The service was first announced in 2021 and was supposed to launch in 2023 but delayed till 2024.

The Orient Express

The Orient Express will return in 2024 alongside the Orient Express La Dolce Vita it will be a revival of the original Orient Express service which started in 1883 and stopped in 2009. The new service will go from Paris-Istanbul but this time stop in city of Split, Croatia more routes will also be available. The train itself will have 12 sleeping cars, 3 lounges, a restaurant and a caboose. The carriages used will be designed by Maxime d'Ageac, but are 17 historic carriages from the defunct Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express service which were discovered by French railway historian Arthur Mettetal in 2015 at the Małaszewicze train station at the Poland/Belarus border. In 2018, the cars were transported to France, for renovation work.

Hotels
The Orient Express hotel chain is planned to launch in 2024 in a partnership with Arsenale S.p.A., the brand plans to open 10 Hotels by 2030 with some in Rome, Venice, Riyadh, London, Paris, Milan & Florence. Accor purchased a 50% stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF in 2017 to launch a chain of luxury Orient Express Hotels.

Accor announced in 2019 that the first Orient Express hotel will open in Bangkok at the Mahankhon skyscraper in a partnership with King Power replacing the originally planned Marriott Edition it would be designed by Wilson Associates and have 154 rooms, six restaurants & cafes, an outdoor pool and a Guerlain spa.

In 2020 Orient Express (Accor) & King Power mutually agreed to part ways and the Orient Express Hotel Bangkok was cancelled. The hotel space eventually opened in 2022 as The Standard Bangkok.

In February 2022 Arsenale S.p.A acquired The Grand Hotel de la Minerva in Rome, Italy.

The Orient Express La Minerva was announced in July 2022 which will replace The Grand Hotel de la Minerva at the Piazza della Minerva in Rome recently purchased by Arsenale in February of 2022, the La Minerva will be designed by architect Hugo Toro.

The Orient Express Palazzo Dona Giovannelli was announced in 2022 opening at the Palazzo Dona Giovannelli in Venice, Italy it will open in 2024 and be designed by Aline Asmar d’Amman, the hotel will feature 45 rooms and rooftop garden terraces.

A hotel in Riyadh was also announced in 2022 called Orient Express Diriyah Gate and will be part of the Diriyah Gate development in Riyadh.

Cruises
On January 11, 2023, it was announced that Orient Express would launch a super yacht cruise line which will be Accor's first cruise line. The first super yacht Orient Express Silenseas will be the largest sailing yacht in the world at 220 metres long, the cruise line will start its services in Spring of 2026 with routes around the Mediterranean (Saint-Tropez, Portofino, Capri, Alexandria, Athens) & the Caribbean (Saint Barth). A second yacht has also been commissioned and will be delivered in 2027, both super yachts will be built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Silenseas will have 54 suites onboard and be able to host 120 passengers, amenities onboard include two swimming pools, restaurants, a bar an amphitheatre/cabaret and more. The Silenseas willl use a diesel free hybrid propulsion system but will also include an LNG engine on-board.

Other Products
In 2021 a collection of travel objects called "Steam Dream" launched with pop ups at La Samartaine (a Parisian department store) and the IFC mall in Hong Kong and online at the Orient Express store. The collection includes items made by Au Départ, Smythson, Cire Trudon, Bernardaud, Duvelleroy and more.

In 2023 in a collaboration with Montblanc they launched a limited edition collection of seven Orient Express themed pens for Montblanc's High Artistry Collection.