Cruise & Ferry Interiors 2021

6 6 ROUNDTABLE Enduring appeal F erry operators have significantly boosted the interior budget for their newbuild and refurbishment projects, but they are still faced with the challenge of creating appealing, yet durable, spaces that will withstand the demands of daily service. We ask executives from Irish Ferries, Spirit of Tasmania, Tallink Grupp and Viking Line to share their insights. How do your brand values impact interior design and outfitting decision-making? BD : Spirit of Tasmania is one of Australia’s most iconic travel experiences and provides a vital connection between mainland Australia and the island state of Tasmania. When we extensively refurbished our iconic red-and- white ships Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II in 2015, we engaged Swedish designer Richard Nilsson of Figura and asked him to create interior spaces that were fresh, contemporary and comfortable to help us continue to deliver an exceptional onboard experience. GE : Viking Lines’ customer promise is to deliver the best value on the Baltic sea. Over the years, our customers have also added signature attributes such as red, Nordic, fun, warm, welcoming, easygoing, folksy, affordable and pioneering (particularly in terms of sustainability) to our brand. We discuss all these characteristics when planning major interior design and outfitting projects. When designing our new Viking Glory (due for delivery in 2021), we took our interior architect on a cruise and discussed our company values, BERNARD DWYER CEO of Spirit of Tasmania GUSTAF EKLUND Head of Business Development at Viking Line ANDREW SHEEN Managing Director of Irish Ferries CAPTAIN TARVI - CARLOS TUUL IK Head of Ship Management at Tallink Grupp The panel: Rebecca Gibson asks four ferry executives how they design long-lasting vessel interiors that enable them to deliver an exceptional onboard experience and achieve their business goals Viking Glory’s Vista Room has been designed as a modern living room with décor inspired by the reeds and lighthouses of the archipelago