Orient Express launches yacht to lure AI-era billionaires

Orient Express has launched Corinthian, a 54-suite sailing yacht built in France and set to fly the French flag, as the heritage brand pushes into a new market for ultra-wealthy travelers who prize exclusivity as much as nostalgia. The vessel is sailing the French and Italian Riviera, and it is the first of two ultra-luxury yachts planned for the brand.

The project sits inside a wider partnership between Accor and LVMH, the luxury group behind Louis Vuitton, which took a 50% stake in Orient Express when the two companies announced the deal on June 12, 2024. Orient Express is now being built out as a platform for high-ticket travel rather than just a revived name, with assets tied to the brand estimated at about 1 billion euros.

Sébastien Bazin, Accor’s chief executive, has said the AI boom is enlarging the pool of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and changing what they want from luxury. The target customer is not simply looking for another handbag or watch, but for privacy, memorable access and experiences that double as social signals in a global wealth class shaped by technology, venture capital and founder liquidity.

That shift is showing up in the numbers. The Bain-Altagamma luxury study forecasts spending on high-end experiences to rise 9% to 11% this year, while personal luxury goods such as handbags, fashion and watches are expected to grow only 1% to 4%. That gap helps explain why luxury houses are moving into yachts, trains, hotels and large-scale experiences that can be sold in much smaller quantities and at much higher prices.

Accor named Corinthian on April 29, 2026 in Saint-Nazaire, and says it is the world’s largest sailing yacht. The company has also emphasized scarcity: the vessel has only 54 exquisitely appointed suites. A Guerlain spa partnership is part of the offer, reinforcing the emphasis on wellness as a luxury marker rather than a side feature.

The brand’s expansion does not stop at sea. Accor says Orient Express La Minerva opened in Rome as the first Orient Express hotel, while Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in Venice is being restored as the second. A historic train revival remains part of the longer-term plan, extending the brand from rail to hotels and yachts under one umbrella of luxury experiences.

The partnership structure also leaves room for a deeper shift in control. Bazin has said LVMH and Accor hold reciprocal buyout options in the coming years, signaling that both groups are treating Orient Express as more than a licensing experiment. For luxury, the message is clear: the next status symbol is less about owning things than about moving through the world in ways almost no one else can.