Hornblower Group Announces Rebranded Portfolio of Offerings Including Sacramento ‘City Cruises’
The Global Experiences and Transportation Leader introducesCity Experiences,the new brand name for the company’s growing portfolio of world-class water- and land-based offerings
Sacramento, CA (April 6, 2021) –Hornblower Group, a global leader in world-class experiences and transportation, announced today the launch ofCity Experiences, the new brand name for the company’s water- and land-based portfolio of offerings.
Sacramento cruising operations will now operate asCity Cruises, offering memorable sightseeing tours, cocktail tours and private events aboard theCapitol Hornblower. Step aboard and learn about the California Capitol’s rich history while viewing landmarks including the Delta King, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Air Force Docks. Offerings will be announced soon athttps://www.citycruises.com/sacramento.
The health and safety of both guests and the crew remainsCity Cruises’top priority. While guestscan expect the same high standards and welcoming service,experiences have been adapted to ensure heightened cleanliness and to maintain social distance onboard.With both inside and outside deck space and reduced capacity, there is plentiful fresh air and more than enough room on board for everyone to stay safely apart.
Toprovide reassurance in the current pandemic environment, City Experiences has expanded its industry definingSafeCruise by City Cruisesprogram, building on already stringent sanitation processes, to incorporate further health-driven measures to guard against the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.These include, but are not limited to:
·Supporting local regulatory initiatives against the spread of COVID-19
·Mandatory daily crew member health screening, and wearing of appropriate PPE.
·Revised boarding and ticketing procedures to allow for social distancing and touchless entry.
·Requiring guests to wear face masks while cruising, except while eating and drinking.
·Reducing the number of guests on board, as supported by local government, and adapting all seating and table spacing to allow for a minimum 6-foot distance between guests.
·Implementing enhanced sanitation and disinfection procedures, with hand sanitizing stations available throughout the vessel.
City Experiencesrepresents a diverse portfolio of experiences in major travel destinations worldwideand aligns more than 25 existing companies into a single brand promise, offering locals and tourists alike a broad range of global experiences.
The City Experiences new business introduction streamlines a portfolio of 25+ renowned brands into three distinct experience offerings:
·City Cruises – private events, dining cruises, and water sightseeing.Beloved brands that now fall under the City Cruises umbrella include:
oAlcatraz Cruises
oBoston Harbor Cruises
oCity Cruises in the UK
oGananoque Boat Line
oHornblower Cruises & Events
oNiagara Cruises
oPotomac Riverboat Company
oSpirit Cruises and Odyssey Cruises
oStatue Cruises
·City Ferry – transportation services across inland and coastal waterways.
·City Experiences – land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, city tours and multi-port packages.
“To supportour growing portfolio of world-class water and land-based offerings, we are thrilled to introduceCity Experiencesto the world as we continue building upon our heritage as experience providers,” said Kevin Rabbitt, chief executive officer, Hornblower Group.“Enabled by technological investments, diversified operations and a single brand identity, we will continue to explore various opportunities and platforms to add to our portfolio of business that will contribute to the company’s projected growth and future success.”
To expand its land-based experiences portfolio,City Experiencesalso announces the acquisition ofWalks, a leading sightseeing tours and activities operator operating one-of-a-kind travel experiences in top tourism destinations around the world.With 100+ unique tours available across 14 cities, including Rome, Venice, Paris and NYC, Walks creates the opportunity for travelers to explore cities at street-level, hear stories from local experts, and uncover a place’s unique history.Walks also began offering virtual tours last year known asTours from Home, receiving widespread recognition.
Through this acquisition,WalksjoinsCity Experiences’growing portfolio of land-based experience companies—which includes Cruising Excursions and ShoreTrips™, leadingglobal shore excursions providers in the UK and U.S. respectively—and supports the company’s overall business strategy towards growing itsproduct offerings for its guests.
City Experiencesalso works with local travel partners to offer curated discount packages for guests. Powered by AnchorTM, Hornblower Group’s proprietary ticketing system, the most recent initiative is theOfficial Downtown Experiencewhich brings together access to three iconic New York City attractions—Statue Cruises, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and One World Observatory—providing more time to experience favorite attractions through specified reservations and live ticketing.
“Creating a single brand identity allows us a greater connection between our land and water experiences, focused marketing and sales efforts, increased guest recognition of our collectiveCity Experiencesofferings,and ultimately easier cross-selling of our portfolio within cities and between global destination markets,” said Kristina Heney,City Experienceschief marketing and revenue officer.“Further, our investment in our intuitive booking platform, Anchor, and a holistic end-to-end digital experience will provide an enhanced guest experience with a new frictionless and personalized journey that will further reinforce our brand promise.”
Outside of theCity Experiencesportfolio, Hornblower Group will continue to operate an Overnight Cruise Division—featuring American Queen Steamboat Company, Victory Cruise Lines and Shore Excursions of America—NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico Ferry systems, other Government transportation services, and our Anchor ticketing services for third-party vendors.
Hornblower Group includes a portfolio of brands spanning a rich 100-year history of creating extraordinary and memorable guest experiences.Today, the company’s footprint spans 111 countries and territories, and 125 U.S. cities, with more than 17 million guests served annually across offerings including water and land-based experiences, overnight cruise experiences, and ferry and transportation services.
City Experiences represents Hornblower Group’s expansive portfolio of water- and land-based experiences and includes two sub-brands: City Cruises and City Ferry. City Cruises operates dining, sightseeing and private events across 22 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. City Cruises also operates cruises on behalf of the National Park Service and the Niagara Parks Commission and currently holds service contracts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Alcatraz Island and Niagara Falls. City Ferry offers specialized knowledge and expertise required to transport passengers, vehicles and other cargo safely across inland and coastal waterways with operations including NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico ferry system, among others. City Experiences’ portfolio alsooffers a range of land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, and Cruising Excursions, ShoreTrips and Walksproducts. For more information visit cityexperiences.com.
About Hornblower Group
Hornblower Group is a global leader in world-class experiences.The corporate entity of Hornblower Group is comprised of American Queen™ Steamboat Company and City Experiences. Seaward Services, Inc., a marine services company specializing in the operation, maintenance and repair of government and privately owned vessels, is also a subsidiary of Hornblower Group, operating and maintaining U.S. Navy Ranges and port facilities, including local oil spill response. Today, Hornblower’s footprint spans 111 countries and territories, and 125 U.S. cities, with offerings including water-based experiences, land-based experiences, overnight cruise experiences, and ferry and transportation services.Hornblower Group is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional corporate offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; London, United Kingdom; New Albany, Indiana; New York, New York; and across Ontario, Canada.
About SafeCruise by City Cruises
Established over 25 years ago, SafeCruise by City Cruises delivers industry-defining standards for health, safety and security across all of our City Cruises operations. Continuously improving, the program follows the most up to date government and industry guidelines and applies decades-long operational expertise to ensure a safe environment for guests and crew members, while maintaining City Experiences’ excellent record of safety. For more information visitcityexperiences.com/safecruise/.
