Orient-Express Hotels plans to operate under a new brand name-Belmond- beginning March 10th.
“Extending our global brand presence by having a name that will be associated as much with our hotels, river cruises, and train experiences is a key step in our focus of generating enhanced revenue,” says John M. Scott, president and CEO of Orient-Express Hotels. “Migrating from a licensed brand to one which we fully own and control will, we believe, deliver an additional benefit to the company as it will enable us to invest with confidence in our brand.”
The company will retain its long-term license agreement with SNCF-the French transportation company that owns the Orient-Express trademark-for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train. With the decision to introduce the Belmond brand, the company also entered into an agreement with SNCF to terminate the existing Orient-Express license for hotel use without cost or penalty.


“Belmond was chosen after extensive research and evaluation to identify a name that resonates well with our guests and that encompasses the global collection of experiences we are today,” says Ralph Aruzza, chief sales and marketing officer. “We will establish Belmond by investing $5 million in enhanced promotional and marketing initiatives during its first year, with an additional $10 million over subsequent years. This investment will include new website platforms, re-engineered customer relationship management tools, and the company’s first large-scale print and online media advertising campaign.”
Established more than 30 years ago with the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Belmond’s new portfolio now encompasses 45 hotel, rail, and river cruise experiences. The collection includes the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Maroma Resort and Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, and El Encanto in Santa Barbara.
