Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: TripAdvisor Discovers Giant Scam + Ritz-Carlton's Ritzy Yachts + Brexit Can't Hurt Long-Haul Flights

June 23, 2017

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Note From the Editor

Cruise industry executives are fond of describing their advantage in the vacation space: With their rooms able to float, they can redeploy capacity whenever and wherever they have to. It leaves them more nimble than hotel operators, and Thursday brought news that some hotels have taken note. Ritz-Carlton announced it is jumping into the cruise space with three small high-end ships and a strategy to reach luxury travelers who might not consider a mainstream cruise.

Coincidentally, Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald spoke to analysts Thursday during a quarterly earnings call and told them: "We consider our competition land-based vacations." He was right — in more ways than one.

— Hannah Sampson, News Editor

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We've seen both luxury hotel and luxury cruise companies develop private jet products, but this is the first time a hotel brand has headed to sea. This is easily the most interesting thing the otherwise traditional Ritz-Carlton has ever done.

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