The new train of the Orient Express brand now operated by the Accor group, called La Dolce Vita, is a tribute to the culture and art of living of 1960s Italy.

After announcing that the legendary Orient Express will be back on the rails at the end of 2021, Accor unveiled a few weeks ago the look and aesthetic inspirations of the future Orient Express train. A future train that will be inaugurated during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024 with a first departure planned for 2025.

However, there are currently two train projects within the group. One will therefore depart from France while the second, La Dolce Vita, will offer an eco-responsible luxury travel experience with multiple routes from the north to the south of Italy, different from those that will depart from Paris.

La Dolce Vita will use more than 16,000 kilometres of rail track, 7,000 of which are non-electrified. Thanks to the partnership with Trenitalia and the Fondazione FS Italiane, it will be possible to venture off the beaten track, to enter unknown or still secret places. In addition, the train will also offer three international destinations from Rome: Paris, Istanbul and Split.

La Dolce Vita is scheduled to run throughout the year, with tickets starting at 2,000 euros per person per night. Distribution is also a key factor in the success of this ambitious project. A project that underlines the ambition of hotel operators to seize the mobility market, as Vanguélis Panayotis points out.

Indeed, "tour operators allow us to fill 60% of luxury trains. Hence the importance of communicating in advance about the product", stresses Yann Guezennec, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Orient Express. The group has therefore set up a call centre to answer all the questions of future passengers. 

At Accor, we consider it a great privilege to re-launch the historic Orient Express brand for passionate and discerning travellers. In Italy, our partnership with the Arsenale Group opens up new horizons in perfect harmony with the heritage and philosophy of Orient Express. 

Sébastien Bazin, CEO of Accor

The group now fully owns the Orient Express brand, "an opportunity that Accor could not let pass" according to Yann Guezennec. Accor is thus entering the luxury train cruise market, where it will be in direct competition with the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express of the Belmond group.