Belmond Limited

Belmond Ltd.
FormerlyOrient-Express Hotels Ltd
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryHospitality
Founded1976
HeadquartersHamilton, Bermuda[1]
Key people
Roeland Vos (Chairman)
Dan Ruff (CEO)
ServicesHotels, trains, cruises, restaurants
RevenueUS$ 576.84 million (2018)[2]
ParentLVMH
Websitewww.belmond.com

Belmond Ltd. (formerly Orient-Express Hotels Ltd) is a hospitality and leisure company that operates luxury hotels, train services and river cruises and safaris worldwide.[3] In 2024, the company has 47 properties spread across 28 countries and territories, with 32 deluxe hotels, six tourist trains, seven river cruise boats and two safaris.

History

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The 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 original historic carriages from the original Orient Express train, which he restored and used to offer rides from Paris and London to his hotel in Venice to wealthy clients,[4] thus the former name of the company. Much of the history of the company is documented in James 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 Limited partnered with Irish Rail to launch the luxury 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% of Belmond 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 single trading day.[13] The deal closed in April 2019.[14]

Belmond has continued to grow its portfolio in Italy. In September 2021, Belmond completed the transaction to acquire 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 10 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 10-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 luxury trains. In October 2021, Belmond launched a luxury 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 luxury train The Eastern & Oriental Express to service, after the train service was paused during the pandemic.[23] The company also launched a Dior Spa aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, 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

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Hotels

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Continent Country City Name
Europe Italy Venice Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
Portofino Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino
Splendido Mare, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino
Florence, Tuscany Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence
Casole d’Elsa, Tuscany Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany
Amalfi Coast Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast
Sicily Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare
Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina
Sardinia Romazzino, A Belmond Hotel, Costa Smeralda
Spain Deia, Mallorca La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, Mallorca
Portugal Madeira Reid's Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Madiera
United Kingdom London The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London
Oxfordshire Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire
North America United States Santa Barbara, California El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara
French West Indies St. Martin La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, St. Martin
British West Indies Anguilla Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla
Mexico Riviera Maya Maroma Resort & Spa, A Belmond Hotel, Rivera Maya
San Miguel de Allende Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel, San Miguel de Allende
South America Brazil Rio de Janeiro Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro
Iguaçu Falls Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, Iguassu Falls
Peru Lima Miraflores Park, A Belmond Hotel
Cusco Palacio Nazarena, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco[note 1]
Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco[note 1]
Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu[note 1]
Sacred Valley Hotel Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel, Sacred Valley
Colca Canyon Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel, Colca Canyon
Asia Indonesia Bali Jimbaran Puri, A Belmond Hotel, Bali
Thailand Koh Samui Napasai, A Belmond Hotel, Koh Samui
Laos Luang Prabang La Résidence Phou Vao, A Belmond Hotel, Luang Prabang
Cambodia Siem Reap La Résidence d'Angkor, A Belmond Hotel, Siem Reap
Africa South Africa Cape Town Mount Nelson Hotel, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town
Botswana Chobe National Park Savute Elephant Lodge, A Belmond Safari, Botswana
Okavango Delta Eagle Island Lodge, A Belmond Safari, Botswana

Transportation

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Type Route Name
Sleeper trains London-Venice Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe
Scotland Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train, Scotland
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Laos Eastern and Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, Southeast Asia
Peru Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train, Peru[note 2]
Day trains Great Britain British Pullman, A Belmond Hotel, England
Peru[note 3] Hiram Bingham, A Belmond Train, Machu Picchu
River Boats France Les Bateaux Belmond (seven canal and river barges)

Other formerly operated trains

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Restaurants

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Country 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

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ (since May 2017) In 50% partnership with the Peruvian shareholder company Peruvian Trains and Railways SA
  3. ^ Belmond has a 50% interest in PeruRail.

References

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  1. ^ Company 10-Q
  2. ^ "Belmond revenue". www.craft.co. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Belmond Ltd. - SEC". Sec.gov. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Belmond's founder deserves his place in its history". Ft.com. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Interview: Behind Belmond's Rebrand of Iconic Orient-Express Name". Skift.com. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. ^ Vora, Shivani (14 March 2014). "Orient-Express Hotels Gets a New Name". Intransit.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Log In". Wsj.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Bloomberg". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Changes Corporate Name to Belmond Ltd". Hotelnewsresource.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  10. ^ Eoin Burke-Kennedy (22 April 2015). "'Orient Express' company Belmond jumps tracks to Ireland". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Rupert Neate (14 December 2018). "Orient Express sold to owner of Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  13. ^ Travis Hoium (14 December 2018). "Why Belmond Ltd's Shares Jumped 40% Today". Fool.com}. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ Hanson, Eloise (10 February 2023). "LVMH signs management of two Sardinia hotels". Boutique Hotel News.
  17. ^ Forshaw, Irenie (10 August 2023). "Belmond's Maroma Unveils Extensive Redesign". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  18. ^ Rogers, Cara (27 June 2023). "Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit to open in 2025". Sleeper. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  19. ^ "2027 Opening Planned for Katanchel, A Belmond Hotel, Mexico". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Deux nouveaux directeurs de division chez Belmond". Hospitality ON (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  21. ^ O'Hare, Maureen (14 October 2021). "Wes Anderson has designed a luxury Belmond train carriage". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  22. ^ Ayling, Kim (12 April 2023). "The Royal Scotsman Introduces Dior Spa Carriage". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  23. ^ "How LVMH exhumed luxury rail with the Eastern & Oriental Express". Australian Financial Review. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Unveils an Over-the-Top Sleeper Carriage". AFAR Media. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
[edit]
  • Official website
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