The Celestyal team has achieved a significant milestone with the recent launch of Celestyal Sail & Stay, an innovative tool designed exclusively for North American travel advisors.

This enhanced platform empowers advisors to create seamless, commissionable itineraries that combine the cruise line’s award-winning Greek Island and Mediterranean cruises with carefully curated hotel stays in Athens, complete with private transfers.

The new offering features 18 hotel options across six distinct Athens neighborhoods, predominantly four-star properties and above. Travel advisors can access easy downloadable guides that highlight each area’s unique characteristics, enabling them to match accommodations to specific guest profiles and become regional experts.

What sets Celestyal Sail & Stay apart is its comprehensive approach to flexibility and value. Advisors can book hotel packages at the time of cruise reservation or add them later, providing maximum convenience for clients. Every bookable element—from hotels and transfers to cruises—rewards advisor partners with commission, creating additional revenue opportunities.

The program covers all Athens departures through the company’s trade booking platform, with plans to expand coverage to Arabian Gulf home ports. Local insights are woven throughout the advisor guides, offering guests authentic experiences that extend the Celestyal journey beyond the ship.

This collaborative effort involved global teams and carefully selected hotel and transfer partners, reflecting Celestyal’s commitment to creating valuable partnerships within the travel trade community. The positive reaction from advisors already building comprehensive land and sea packages demonstrates the program’s immediate impact.

The launch represents Celestyal’s ongoing dedication to providing travel advisors with more choice, enhanced value and innovative tools that help them grow their business while delivering unmissable experiences that guests will treasure for years to come.

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BEIJING – China”s tourism boom is pushing upgrades in its hospitality sector, with shifting travel preferences and growing popularity of digital technologies spurring hotels to embrace cultural integration, artificial intelligence (AI) and international management.

In the first half of 2025, domestic tourist trips hit 3.285 billion, up 20.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Summer travel is set to accelerate, with an estimated over 2.5 billion trips, according to data from the China Tourism Academy.

Hotel giants are feeling the heat. Jin Jiang Hotels, one of China’s largest hotel groups, reported receiving more than 40.7 million guests in its Chinese hotels in July. In addition to the robust data, customers’ hospitality demands are also changing.

“Chinese travelers are no longer satisfied with just a bed for the night. They seek immersive, multifaceted experiences that turn hotels into hubs of exploration and engagement,” said Qian Kang, vice-president of Jin Jiang Hotels.

Integrating hospitality services with culture, commerce, tourism, and sports has been identified as a major strategic opportunity for the hotel market in 2025, according to an industrial survey released earlier this year by hotel market observer Huamei Consulting Group.

In Shanghai, Jin Jiang Radisson Hotels launched a culinary initiative, offering exclusive dining deals and immersive food tours. The group has also turned hotels into cultural and entertainment spaces: partnerships with comedy clubs have transformed lobbies into “gag theaters” across 12 cities. At the same time, architectural tours invite guests to explore urban heritage starting from hotel premises.

Jin Jiang Hotels China Region’s AI voice system handles 70 percent of guest calls, resolving 86 percent of requests within 15 minutes, often coordinating with in-house robots for tasks like deliveries, according to Qian.

“From booking to check-in and check-out, consumers seek a more convenient, efficient, and personalized experience,” Qian noted.

In addition to surging domestic trips, growing inbound and outbound travels have stimulated hotels to be more international.

For global guests visiting China, Jin Jiang has offered services including multilingual support, tailored meals, and cultural experiences like tea ceremonies.

Jin Jiang Hotels China Region, in partnership with Malaysia’s RIYAZ International, plans to open over 100 hotels in six Southeast Asian countries in five years.

“Our overseas expansion strategy blends global standards with local insights,” Zhang Zhonghao, senior vice-president of Jin Jiang Hotels China Region noted. “We’re not only exporting brands, but also building ecosystems that connect Chinese travelers with international destinations.”