Hotels and resorts dive into boating amenities

Access to a privately owned Riva Virtus yacht is just one experience available exclusively to guests at The Georgian in Santa Monica. Photo Credit: The Georgian

Hotels and resorts worldwide are adding charter boats, private piers and an array of nautical experiences to their amenity mix, giving guests more in-house and exclusive experiences on the water.

"Boats are a pretty high-caliber offering that guests are often happy to have access to," said Laura Madrid, founder of Atlanta-based luxury agency Resort to Laura Madrid. "And it's not just a great service to provide to clients, but it can be a fantastic revenue stream for hotels. Instead of sending guests off to a charter company or outside vendor, they can offer a more exclusive in-house experience."

That exclusivity factor is certainly top of mind for properties like BLVD Hospitality's The Georgian hotel in Santa Monica, Calif. This summer, the historic, 84-room hotel debuted a "premium yacht adventure" amenity, with guests granted exclusive access to excursions aboard the privately-owned Riva Virtus yacht.

The Georgian's inaugural yacht program has three packages for up to 10 guests each, ranging from the $6,000 "Stay Local" half-day to a $12,000 eight-hour "Go Far" package that includes a visit to Catalina Island. Customized charters are also available.

Jon Blanchard, CEO of BLVD Hospitality, said he has yet to hear of a similar amenity being offered among The Georgian's comp set. 

"When putting this together, we were influenced by [markets like] Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast," he said. "And it's very rare to have an opportunity to do something like this with a large Riva. Within the first 24 hours of launching it, we received over a dozen inquiries."

In Greece, hotels and resorts with in-house charter boats may be more common, but on the popular tourist hub of Mykonos, few properties offer private vessels in combination with seafront access.

Opened last year, the 40-villa Cali Mykonos is one such hotel, offering access to both a private dock and two luxury motor yachts: an Axopar 37 Sun-Top or a Cranchi A46. Guests can arrange for personalized excursions to neighboring islands, beaches and other attractions. Prices for a two- to three-hour excursion start at just under $1,200 during low season and approximately $1,450 during peak season.

Island-hopping excursions to Delos, Paros and Antiparos, as well as transfers to Mykonos beach clubs such as Nammos, Scorpios and Spilia, have been among some of the more popular yacht experiences at Cali Mykonos this season, according to the property's managing director, Kyriakos Mourkakos.

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