Celebrity Cruises building AI to ‘drive demand for agents’

Celebrity Cruises is building AI models to analyse onboard guest behaviour and provide insights for agents to “help create demand”.

Speaking at the launch of Celebrity Xcel in Miami, the line’s leadership team said it was using AI across a number of areas, with insight for trade partners to drive “behaviours for success” high on the agenda.

Royal Caribbean Group chief executive Jason Liberty said the group was currently overhauling its Orbitz system to focus on the customer rather than inventory, adding: “We’re on a journey to replace our reservations system.

“We’re pretty far down this journey and that’s going to be another big thing to unlock for our travel partners.”

Liberty said AI was also being used to remove friction from the cruise experience and “create more affinity and loyalty to Royal Caribbean Group brands”, meaning more guests “stay within the company ecosystems” and increase the company’s share of the overall leisure market.

The group currently manages 5,000 different price points a day with plans to use AI to streamline the process.

“We want to be able to provide agents with something more curated so they can easily create something that’s more relevant to the consumer,” Liberty explained.

Other areas where AI is being implemented include waste management and emissions reductions, with food waste already halved.

Liberty said: “People are concerned how AI will disrupt but we’ve been investing in the ability to better automate and curate my entire career.

“Tech is advancing but it’s just allowing us to do more and so much faster. For the group, it allows our incredible employees to do higher-value activities.”