The famed Orient Express first began providing long-distance passenger train journeys in 1883, with services starting from Paris, France, and eventually extending all the way to Istanbul, Turkey. Connecting the western and eastern halves of Europe, the train became a byword for glamour and luxury, carrying passengers ranging from celebrities to royalty and appearing in countless works of literature, films and television shows.
In 2017, Accor Group invested in the Orient Express brand and the legendary train service is now being redesigned for a new era. The service is set to resume in late 2026 using fully refurbished carriages from the 1920s and 1930s. In its newest incarnation, the train will be joined by a sister brand on the seas – Orient Express Sailing Yachts.
According to Vianney Vautier, chief operating officer of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, the cruise brand aims to deliver the same standard of luxury first conceived 141 years ago.
“At its inception, the Orient Express was the train of the king and the king of the trains,” says Vautier. “We envision our vessel to be the very same thing at sea – to be the ship of kings.”
Vautier has been part of the Orient Express Sailing Yachts from the beginning, when a small team started to envisage what the cruise line would eventually represent.
“Part of that team wasSébastien Bazin, CEO and chairman of Accor, who has led Accor in pursuing luxury and developing the business with a very clear idea of what he wants to achieve,” says Vautier. “Another key member is Maxime d’Angeac, the artistic director of Orient Express. He is leading the restoration of the historic Orient Express carriages from the 1920s and is also the interior architect of the yacht. Maxime was key in preserving what we want to be the heritage and feeling of Orient Express and is the main mind behind the definition of the brand.”
Orient Express Sailing Yachts
Suites will feature decor reminiscent of the luxurious cruise liners of the 1920s and 1930s
The process of launching Orient Express Sailing Yachts was difficult, as the team faced a steep learning curve when it came to understanding the differences between hospitality onshore and at sea.
“There’s a new challenge every day when launching a brand,” says Vautier. “The more we’ve developed, the more credit we give to the cruise brands already in the market because it’s a tough job. Coming from both the hospitality sector at Accor and from the luxury world for our partners at LVMH, the main challenge was tackling the subtleties that differentiate luxury sailing yacht from a hotel. There are the regulations, the operation of the crew, the time at sea – we had to find the right way to balance what we knew about hospitality on land and the constraints you face on a ship. But we did overcome them by finding the right partners with the right skills, because at the end of the day, everything is done as part of a team.”
The pressure only intensified, however, once the brand launched and officially ordered its first ship – Orient Express Corinthian.
“When you mature a project, you suddenly realise that you have a ship that needs to be delivered in three years,” explains Vautier. “You need to think about itineraries, excursions and partners. There’s a deadline, and when you don’t have that inertia from an existing brand with all the contacts already in place, you have to work very fast. Delivering on that required us to focus the right energy in the right places but we were able to overcome challenges thanks to our small, but very efficient, team.”
The debut of Orient Express Corinthian is now drawing close after the many years of development. Reservations for the first sailings opened in March 2025 and the maiden voyage is scheduled for June 2026. The vessel will be the world’s largest sailing yacht, measuring 220 metres in length. But the cruise line aims to capture the feeling of being onboard an exclusive, luxury yacht. “We want guests to feel the emotion of being onboard a sailboat and to discover the energy of that experience,” says Vautier.
Orient Express Sailing Yachts
Guest bathrooms will be outfitted with high-end materials such as marble, brass, wood and mirrors
The yacht will feature one immediately noticeable innovation – vast sails. Vautier has been involved in designing the sails since 2014 while working as a naval architect for shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
“Size is key,” explains Vautier. “Orient Express Corinthian isn’t your typical day cruiser going around the bay, so we needed sails with the right area to provide the required torque, which we found to be 1,500 square metres. However, there was no sailmaker who could create a sail that was sufficiently big and durable for us, so we developed the SolidSail concept. This allows us to have carbon fibre and glass sails with very large surface areas. Overcoming these obstacles was a huge challenge for Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and it took until 2024 to develop a solution. But the first sail will be delivered to Orient Express, helping to increase the sustainability of the maritime world.”
Onboard, the vessel has been designed to embody the same 1920s-1930s style of luxury that will feature on its rail-bound counterpart. Accommodation will range from the 47-square-metre Suite Panoramique to the 225-square-metre Agatha Christie suite, which features a marble bath, literary-themed artwork, a fitness room and 180-square-metre terrace with a jacuzzi.
The brand has chosen not to include balconies for its Suite Panoramique category but, as the name suggests, it’s not a decision made due to lack of space.
“As the ship already offers 35 square metres of outdoor space per guest, we felt that we could find a different solution for the cabins,” says Vautier. “So, we have instead developed the largest window for a cabin at sea, which extends all the way from the floor to the ceiling. It gives a far better view of the sea from the interior of the cabin than a balcony does. The suites will be quite low on the vessel and close to the sea, so you will have an incredible view across the water.”
The vessel will also have five restaurants, including a fine dining table by Yannick Alleno, and eight bars and lounges. Each space is intended to evoke a different, though similarly luxurious, experience. Le Speakeasy is inspired by the secretive illegal bars of America’s Roaring Twenties and offers an intimate setting for a classic cocktail. The most exclusive dining experience, however, will be found at La Table De L’Orient Express by Yannick Alléno, a dining room featuring a pillared alcove, luxury wooden furnishings and moonlit glasswork throughout the space. The grand interior is intended to complement the high-end menu crafted under the direction of Michelin-starred chef, Yannick Alléno.
“The carved wood detailing will bring you straight into the 1920s with the most exquisite craftsmanship,” says Vautier. “It was very important to us for the craftsmanship to have a French flavour, so we found unique artisans to create details throughout the ship that are true works of art.”
Orient Express Sailing Yachts
Another dining venue will be found at the ship’s marina.
“The marina is a magnificent piece of architecture,” says Vautier. “It is made of both carbon fibre and steel, allowing it to be movable and light enough to offer direct access to the sea. But at night, there is space to have a very private dinner just above the water line, with the ship’s sail towering overhead. That will be a very romantic experience.”
Orient Express has given the same attention to detail to the ship’s entertainment venues, which will include a 1,500-book library, a 24-seat cinema and Le Cabaret, an amphitheatre inspired by classic elegant Parisian cabarets venues such as Le Lido.
A unique addition is a professional standard recording studio, which guests can use for their own compositions.
“We felt that it was exactly what our guests would want – a retreat from the world that encourages inspiration,” says Vautier. “Whether they’re a singer, they play an instrument or they write their own songs, the studio is equipped with the instruments and technical support to record on the ship.
“The quality of the spaces, the materials and the furnishings across the ship will create a very high-end hospitality experience for our guests. Orient Express Corinthian will be both a marvel of technology and a true work of art.”
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