92 INTERVIEW As well as furniture restoration and reupholstery services, Xaler Systems also offers flooring solutions, including artificial turf replacement From faded to fabulous Cruise lines should focus on using high-quality, long-lasting materials during interior refurbishments, says Luis Rincón of Miami-based marine outfitter Xaler Systems to Laura Hyde Making interior upgrades to enhance both style and functionality is a key priority for many cruise lines as they focus on revitalising the older ships in their fleet. Refreshed furnishings, updated flooring and comfortable spaces all play a vital role in elevating the guest experience. Marine outfitter Xaler Systems, based in Miami, Florida, provides reupholstery, furniture restoration, flooring solutions, window treatments and interior design services for cruise lines wishing to inject a new lease of life into their ship interiors. “We specialise in renewing spaces quickly and sustainably,” says Luis Rincón, managing director of Xaler Systems. “We refurbish rather than replace, renewing large areas at low cost, whether it’s furniture or flooring that requires our attention. In March and April 2025 alone, we’ve replaced over 40,000 square metres of carpet and nearly 12,000 square metres of artificial turf on cruise ships, as there’s a big focus on refurbishments now cruise lines have financially recovered from the global shutdown a few years ago.” In the first few months of 2025, Xaler Systems has worked on refurbishments onboard Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess, Emerald Princess and Sun Princess, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America and MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia. “We handle 14 to 15 full refurbishments a year,” says Rincón. “We’ve never had a single return or complaint, which I believe is down to our talent and how we train our teams. Upholstery is a specialised skill, and we match each project with the right expertise. We know every single upholsterer we hire and classify them by their speciality, so when we take on a project, we assess it first in order to deploy the right people. “Dry docks are high-pressure environments, but our teams work smoothly because we choose people with the right skill sets, as well as those who collaborate well together. We’re finishing six days early on our current dry dock project, with 35 per cent more work completed than originally planned. It’s this kind of performance that keeps our clients happy and coming back to us.” “ We refurbish rather than replace, renewing large areas at low cost”
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