By
Rebecca Gibson |
Ferry operators tell Rebecca Gibson how they are investing in retail, food and beverage and communication services to provide guests with a positive experience and increase onboard revenue
What new retail facilities are you planning or have you recently introduced for your fleet?
Magnus Wrahme, chief commercial officer, Hurtigruten: All 11 Hurtigruten ships have offered retail facilities, including cafeterias and gift shops, for a long time. However, we are changing the concept of these facilities to enable us to offer various new items, such as local delicacies and authentic products sourced from the destinations we visit when sailing along Norway’s coast.
Murray Carter, operations director, Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferries: Our crossings from the UK port of Southampton to the Isle of Wight only take an hour, so all of the onboard features play a critical role in creating a positive customer experience. Although we provide bars, lounge areas and coffee outlets for our passengers to increase retail revenue, we also provide other amenities that help to attract passengers. This March, we completed a £2.2 million upgrade on Red Falcon to increase the internal seating capacity, add a catered lounge for pet owners, install a new information bureau and add an elevator to allow guests with restricted mobility to access the outer deck. Prompted by extensive research into our customers’ preferences, these developments all ensure that our passengers are well catered for during their crossing.
Ernest Sanchez, manager of public information and marketing at San Francisco Bay Ferries: We operate 12 ships on a series of short routes, so retail doesn’t really play a significant role in our onboard experience. However, we do offer well-stocked snack bars for the convenience of our passengers. One of our 12 ferries, the 250-passenger Bay Breeze, recently underwent a US$4.28 million bow-to-stern refurbishment at California’s Marine Group Shipyard, which included an update to the snack bar. We also upgraded the ship’s navigation technology, safety systems, carpets, decor and seating, and installed electrical outlets for passengers to charge their devices.
How have food and beverage offerings changed for your guest over the years?
Wrahme: Dining is an integral part of the Hurtigruten experience and we endeavour to offer locally inspired menus that can be easily adapted to the increasingly sophisticated palates and preferences of our guests. Our new menus are more varied than in the past and while large buffets are still offered some evenings, set menus are becoming more popular.
Carter: In general, people are becoming increasingly conscious about the quality and nutritional value of food and expect ferry operators to provide more than just convenience meals. Premium-brand drinks have also become increasingly popular and we now sell more premium-brand coffee than value brand. We’ve even created our own Red Funnel coffee brand and sell an average of one million cups per year.
What is your current food and beverage strategy?
Wrahme: Recently, we launched the Norwegian Coastal Kitchen dining concept, which was developed in collaboration with food columnist and TV chef Andreas Viestad. As part of this initiative, we have introduced new dining concepts and refreshed our menus to include seasonal delicacies – particularly meat and fresh fish – from the various destinations we visit. While more than 80% of our food and beverage offerings are produced in Norway, we aim to expand our network of small produce suppliers along the country’s coast. Our dishes are carefully paired with local craft beers and wines, as well as imported beers.
Carter: We have a premium-brand image and we’ve worked hard to raise the profile of our onboard cuisine to ensure that it reflects these high standards. We also offer products from the Isle of Wight in our dining venues, which is popular with local customers. Red Falcon, for example, serves fresh fish with batter made using local beer. While these changes have helped to increase the average onboard spend per customer, we still have a few challenges to address. We need to provide a range of dishes that cater to various customers in a limited onboard galley, and to ensure this food can be produced and served quickly. Customers don't like to queue so we’re working to make the purchasing systems easier, which is reflected in the three new catering outlets on Red Falcon.
Sanchez: Most of our journeys last between 19 and 30 minutes, while our longest route, from San Francisco to Vallejo, is 55 minutes long. Consequently, none of our ferries offer a full dinner service, but they do feature a snack bar and a self-service beverage bar, which has water, soda and alcoholic beverages. This ensures our guests are able to relax in comfort during their journeys and also helps to generate more onboard revenue.
How do you see the future of revenue from onboard communications?
Wrahme: We’re already witnessing a rise in the number of guests using social media while onboard our ships, especially as they can now update their Facebook pages to let everyone know which Hurtigruten ship they are sailing on. Our guests can access wi-fi in the onboard cafés and can also connect to the signal from the local telecommunications companies because our ships sail relatively close to the shore. However, I expect that as more innovative technology is developed, we’ll need to adapt to new ways of enabling guests to share their travel experiences while onboard.
Carter: Red Funnel ferries transport daily commuters, day-trippers and tourists so it’s essential that we cater for all of their respective requirements to remain the preferred travel option to the Isle of Wight. More people are using smartphones in their daily lives and expect to access the same connection on our ships, so we’re continually improving the complimentary wi-fi services throughout our fleet. In addition, Red Falcon now has 40 TV screens, which we use to advertise our services and tourist attractions. These screens will soon be used to provide real-time departure times for flight, bus and rail services. Similarly, passengers can virtually tour the Isle of Wight via an interactive map and scan QRS codes to buy tickets to local attractions while onboard the ship. If we can provide guests with the facilities they need as well as these additional services, they will travel with us again.
Sanchez: The demand for a faster, more reliable wi-fi connection with greater bandwidth has increased among both commuters and tourists. While commuters want to use wi-fi to access e-mails, tourists want to access social media sites and find local attractions in the destination they’re sailing to. For example, many fans use our ferries to attend the San Francisco Giants baseball games and like to publish social media posts, connect with other fans in online chatrooms and search for information about the game while they are travelling to or from the stadium. One of the challenges we’ve faced over the past 18 months has been to increase the reliability of the wi-fi connection onboard our fleet, particularly on routes with weak signal. In addition, we use TV displays to provide safety information, travel updates and promotional offers to guests. It’s an ongoing process but because it is considered an inherent part of travel, it will help us to keep our passenger numbers high.
This article appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.