Gregg
Michel joined Crystal Cruises when NYK Line established
that subsidiary in 1988. He became the company's third president
in 2001. Crystal Cruises operates two luxury cruise ships,
the Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony, and it will launch
a third in June 2003.
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"The
former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, could have been
describing Crystal Cruises. He was speaking at a ceremony
last year--pre-September 11th--sponsored by the magazine
Travel and Leisure. I was attending to accept our sixth
consecutive award from the magazine for the world’s
best large-ship cruise line.
"Mr.
Giuliani emphasized how very much his city benefited from
its cultural diversity. 'We learn from one another,' he
said, 'and respect one another.' That's exactly what we
do at Crystal Cruises."
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History
"Our
company fulfilled a long-standing dream at NYK to return
to the business of carrying and serving people. Crystal
Cruises was NYK first venture into vacation cruise services.
But the company had carried passengers on ocean liner routes
from the 1880s until the 1950s. So passenger service was
part of the company's culture.
"Of course, NYK's passengers in the old
days were primarily interested in reaching destinations.
Our guests come aboard to enjoy our floating luxury resort
as well as to visit various destinations."
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Positioning
"We
have grown steadily and profitably by focusing on the very
top end of the market for cruise services. Our decision
to concentrate on that market segment resulted from careful
analysis of demand and competition.
"Actually, my predecessor and I both came
from backgrounds in the larger, upper-middle segment of
the market. Our natural proclivities might have led us in
that direction. But our market analyses revealed interesting
potential in high-end luxury cruises. So that's the market
that we targeted. And we have done well there."
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Service
"What
distinguish luxury cruise services are an abundance of choice,
an abundance of space per guest, and an abundance of personal
attention. What differentiates our company from other luxury
cruise operators is the very personal warmth evinced by
each employee. Customers encounter that warmth in our marketing.
And they experience it throughout their cruises. It draws
them back again and again. We get a lot of repeat customers."
Management
"My
predecessor was an American, and so am I. NYK has shown
confidence in us by putting us at the helm of an important
subsidiary. Cruise services are one of three strategic priorities
for NYK Line, along with ocean cargo transport and overland
logistics.
"Japanese executives, including the chairman,
are part of our team. But management at NYK decided at the
outset to build their cruise business on an American foundation.
That made sense, since the United States is the world’s
largest market for cruise services, by far."
Diversity
"The
atmosphere at our headquarters in Los Angeles is very much
southern Californian. But the best word for our corporate
culture is 'diverse.' We have some 40 nationalities among
approximately 2,200 employees. And we have benefited immensely
from that diversity. It enlivens our company."
Profitability
"We are focused just as rigorously on
profitability as our publicly listed competitors are. Our
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"We keep costs in line by matching services
carefully to customer expectations. We make sure that everything
we do is something that generates perceptible value for
customers."
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