Bookings for Italy’s new “La Dolce Vita Orient Express” train will open on Tuesday.
Luxury train lovers may want to lock in the current fare now – before it climbs any further.
The starting price for a one-night journey on luxury trains will rise from 2,000 euros ($2,168) per person in December 2022. €2,500 per person November 2023. Both prices are set during the pre-sale booking period and require a refundable deposit.
But now the starting price has jumped to €3,500 per person nightly, according to a press release issued in March.
Prices increased by a staggering 75% in 16 months.
The train will start running in spring 2025, according to AccorHotels, the French multinational hotel company that operates the train.
What’s wrong?
Accor did not directly answer CNBC’s questions about the reasons behind the sharp price increases.
“Pricing varies based on occupancy, season, route and cabin type,” a representative said.
However, the trains are not running yet.
Since the end of 2022, the price of luxury carriages on Accor’s Orient-Express La Dolce Vita trains has increased by 75%.
Provided by AccorHotels
Fares are still lower than another train in Europe that bears the nickname “Orient Express” – Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. The train, operated by LVMH-owned Belmond, has nightly fares starting at £7,060 ($8,925) per passenger, according to reviews on the train’s website.
Dave Goodger, managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Oxford Economics’ Travel Economics, said prices were rising because consumers continued to be willing to pay more for luxury experiences. But, he said, that might not be the only reason.
The lounge on Accor’s new La Dolce Vita train.
Provided by AccorHotels
“Demand for luxury travel is reflected in continued price increases,” he said. “However, the price increases are not driven by profiteering but are broadly consistent with rising costs, including higher staff costs and increased debt service requirements.”
Goodger called the price increase on the Dolce Vita train “somewhat unusual,” but noted it reflected the unique service it offers.
“Dolce Vita” train
AccorHotels Orient-Express La Dolce Vita is about to operate Nine routes through Italyincluding a coastal journey from Palermo to Rome, and a journey from Rome to the commune of Montalcino in Tuscany.
The “La Dolce Vita” train (meaning “The Sweet Life”) recreates an era of Italian glamor captured in Federico Fellini’s famous 1960 film of the same name.Perhaps the film’s most memorable scene involves the cast Anita Ekberg plays in the Trevi Fountainactions that visitors can perform be fined heavily for copying.
Train reservations will open on April 2 and can be booked by phone or through Train Tickets website Starting April 24th.
AccorHotels plans to launch another train called the Orient Express, using restored 19th-century carriages that were once part of the historic Istanbul Orient Express.
The train will run on a number of routes across Europe, including The iconic Paris-Istanbul route.
Originally scheduled to launch this year, the train is now scheduled to begin service in 2026.
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