Why luxury trains are the next stop for some luxury hotel brands
You have more than Agatha Christie to thank if you immediately think "Orient Express" when someone brings up the notion of luxury train travel (preferably sans murder).
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express still runs today thanks to travel company Belmond (formerly known as Orient Express Hotels). The luxury train operates between a variety of cities, including Paris and Istanbul, and will set passengers back a hefty penny: A five-night voyage between the two cities next August costs over $36,000 for a double occupancy historic cabin, Belmond's entry-level offering aboard the VSOE.
Want a nicer suite? That'll run more than $86,000.
With rates like that — and trains that frequently sell out — it's no wonder others are entering the luxury train orbit and why there are increasingly more luxury train offerings around the world.
In Japan, one doesn't just book an overnight trip on the Seven Stars train service — you apply to be picked from a lottery. If selected, travelers take one- to three-night journeys through Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island known for its volcanoes and beaches. Fares range from $6,332 for a one-person suite on the one-night voyage to nearly $17,000 for a one-person deluxe suite on the three-night excursion.
Belmond, which declined questions for this story, operates trains like the Royal Scotsman and British Pullman in the U.K. In Asia, there's the Eastern & Oriental Express, and in Peru, Belmond offers the Andean Explorer.
A newer entrant in luxury-on-rails comes from the hotel sphere. Accor plans to launch its own Orient Express, the Orient Express La Dolce Vita, sometime next year amid its broader expansion of the Orient Express brand into hospitality.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to take a brand that people dream about — a true luxury brand is one that you can fall in love with," Stephen Alden, Accor's CEO of Raffles and Orient Express, told TPG earlier this year. "Who hasn't dreamed of taking a trip with Orient Express?"
Hotels on the rails
It may seem like a head-scratcher that hotel companies want to get into the business of train transit, but experts say this isn't some out-of-left-field infrastructure play by the hospitality sector. Instead, it's something akin to how Marriott International is getting into the cruise business while Four Seasons rolled out a private jet service.
In short: This array of Orient Express offerings or Belmond's luxury train lineup isn't exactly Amtrak's Northeast Regional between Boston and New York City.
"I'm not sure that hospitality train services are going to be mainstream. I think it's going to remain a niche offering, which will be an interesting one," said Nicolas Graf, associate dean at New York University's Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. "I'm not discounting that [possibility], but I don't think it's something that will grow as another alternative type of lodging."
But there's still a reason to go even after the most niche of travel sectors, as customers in this space tend to spend more on travel. Hotel companies made various plays for luxury consumers in recent years, and those overtures ramped up during the pandemic.
IHG acquired ultra-luxury brands like Regent and Six Senses. Marriott International launched a vacation rental platform called Homes & Villas. Mandarin Oriental went a step further by launching its own vacation home rental arm, but this division went through a 700-point checklist to guarantee the homes Mandarin Oriental offered were basically at the same quality level as an actual Mandarin Oriental hotel.
"If your objective is to catch as close to 100% of the share of your guest's travel wallet, you want to have enough scale that they never need to look outside your ecosystem," Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano said at Skift Global Forum this month, while introducing the rationale for why the company launched Homes & Villas.
Using that logic, why wouldn't a hotel company or two go after luxury train travelers? It's a way to offer yet another new experience to the booming leisure travel segment.
"I'm not surprised that Accor is getting into it. It's fabulous because it's another extension of the hospitality experience to be able to provide something new and different," said Leora Lanz, assistant dean of academic affairs at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration. "This, to me, is just another creative offering to provide for the leisure experience. It's about creating memorable experiences."
Trainspotting
Just because there's a market for something like this doesn't mean you should expect Belmond or Accor to suddenly start running luxury trains along the Northeast Corridor or across the U.S. Instead, this is likely to remain a geographically limited travel sector rooted in places that historically had ties to luxury train travel like Europe and select parts of Asia.
That can also mean using historic train routes that take longer to traverse in order to give riders a more scenic route — and enough time to make it seem like they are getting bang for their buck.
"If you look at the railroad system, the modern one, for the most part, has been designed for efficiency. Instead of going up the mountain, they build a tunnel. Now, the more historical ones go through windy paths and up mountains and pass by lakes. They have a totally different scenery," Graf said. "You need these ingredients to make it worth more money. I would look at where historically these were built because they are the ones that would offer the ingredients for the ultra-luxury train experience."
Sorry, Northeast Regional. Maybe in a few hundred years you'll get your Venice Simplon-Orient-Express moment.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees