Royal Caribbean Group Using AI to Drive Bookings – Cruise Industry News

Royal Caribbean Group has expanded its digital and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and is driving bookings with the improvements, according to CEO Jason Liberty, speaking on the company’s year-end and fourth quarter earnings call.

“In 2024, we expanded our capabilities across distribution channels to create a digital experience that connects the dots across all aspects of the consumer journey,” he said.

“Guests have been seamlessly planning and booking their vacations, reducing the amount of time to book a cruise by half,” he added.

According to Liberty, the company launched over 300 digital capabilities across channels in 2024, improving the overall experience and reducing friction points while increasing spend.

“We also infused AI into the guest journey to provide a better, more efficient experience and more personalized service. For example, our new in-app chat saw a 35 percent increase in guest adoption that led to a 20 percent reduction in the customer service line onboard,” Liberty added.

“With nine out of 10 guests indicating their intents are repeating, our Loyalty Status Match program allows our guests to earn loyalty status across all three brands, fostering long-term relationships and rewarding loyal customers across our portfolio,” he said.

According to Liberty, all the different technologies that the company is now utilizing is becoming stronger.

“(This includes) AI, GenAI and others, whether being used to enhance the guest experience or to just get a better read on what we can be recommending to our guests–whether it’s on pricing or whether it’s on the guest experience,” Liberty said.

“As we look ahead, we continue to redefine vacations through the expansion of our private destination portfolio, the entry into new lines of businesses like Celebrity River Cruises and the development of industry-leading digital and AI capabilities.”