By
Rebecca Gibson |
Passengers travelling on Stena Line’s Harwich-Hook of Holland Superferries are increasingly booking premium cabin accommodation, according to figures recorded between June and August 2013.
Between June and August, the European ferry operator recorded a 27.4 per cent year-on-year increase in Captains Class cabin bookings and a 13.6 per cent rise in the number of bookings for Captains Suites. The number of passengers travelling in the line’s premium accommodation surpassed the number of overall passenger bookings in the same period, which increased by 13.3 per cent.
“Stena Line has reported very solid 2013 growth in bookings on its UK to Holland route but sales of our premium cabins have been outstandingly successful,” said Lars Olsson, Stena Line’s general manager for the North Sea. “This summer has seen prodigious growth in bookings of our Captains Class cabins and suites, which we’re attributing to returning guests upgrading. Stena Line leisure customers increasingly treat the sailing over to Holland as part of their holiday and more business travellers are taking advantage of the facilities and space to work and rest.”
Stena Line offers nine cabin categories on its Harwich-Hook of Holland Superferries, including five-person family cabins and two-person disabled cabins. The cabins, which are optional during day crossings and compulsory on overnight crossings, feature flat-screen televisions, Swedish beds by Dux and bathroom facilities by German-based shower manufacturer Hansgrohe.
Passengers staying in Stena Line’s premium cabins – which measure between 17.8 and 31.8 sqm – also have access to complimentary fresh fruit and tea coffee-making facilities and a free mini bar with snacks, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. The Captains Suites also offer a separate living area.
“There’s a feeling that our Captains Class cabins and Captains Suites are very affordable compared to the cost of an overnight stay in a four- or five-star hotel offering similar levels of comfort,” said Olsson. “We invested significant time and resource into the design and development of our new North Sea superferries and this is clearly a success with passengers and is paying dividends across all our cabin types.”
Stena Line operates twice-daily six-hour return crossings between Harwich and the Hook of Holland.