Riviera River Cruises has begun the process of rebranding itself in North America as Riviera Travel, the name it has long used in Europe and the U.K., where it is headquartered.
The process eventually will lead to a broader portfolio of travel sold under the Riviera name in the U.S. said Marilyn Conroy, its vice president of sales and marketing.
"We're going to be segueing our river cruises into not just selling river cruises but also giving clients the opportunity to sell air, and transfers and hotels, and eventually down the road we're going to be selling tours as well," Conroy said.
"We are now entering into a major expansion in North America," she said. "It makes sense that the brand should be the same, both in the U.K. and the U.S."
Riviera's immediate U.S. plans call for augmenting its river cruise product with add-ons such as pre- and post-cruise hotel stays, bundled air arrangements and transfer services, Conroy said.
By the end of the first quarter, advisors will notice a remodeled website, followed by an improved travel agent portal. In the second quarter Riviera will roll out a package of educational content to help agents master Riviera's product offerings.
Beyond the rivers, Riviera Travel does business in 66 countries, offering 90 European land tours and 52 worldwide tours.
New ships, new names
Riviera ships sail many of the rivers most popular with American passengers. Until earlier this year, all its ships had been named for British literary figures, such as Lord Byron and William Shakespeare. The company is changing that tradition beginning with the 2025 arrival of two new ships, the 178-passenger Riviera Radiance and the 114-passenger Riviera Rose. A second 178-passenger newbuild, the Riviera Resplendence, is due in 2026.
Many of Riviera's vessels are supplied by the ship-charter firm Scylla, based in Basel, Switzerland.
Founded in Burton-on-Trent, England, by Michael Wright in 1984, Riviera Travel has been owned since 2017 by Silverfleet Capital, a London-based private equity firm.
Riviera began marketing its European river cruises in the U.S. six years ago, but its expansion plans were quickly sidetracked by the Covid pandemic, and only now did the company feel the time was right to revive them, Conroy said.
"It set us back probably more than anyone else, but now we're starting to see what we had originally anticipated come to fruition," Conroy said.