Columbia Group’s COLUMBIA blue aims to strengthen cruise and super yacht sectors

While Columbia Cruise Services (CSS) and Swiss Ocean will purportedly be ‘maintained and further developed,’ COLUMBIA blue is intended to provide a 360 degree turnkey service solution, comprising asset management, concierge, events and hospitality training. 

Md Olaf Groeger, who is overseeing COLUMBIA blue alongside md Norman Schmiedl, said it will ‘enable us to merge proficiencies and resources so we can constantly improve the quality of our services and expand the service portfolio for our clients.’ 

Schmiedl added, ‘For our cruise and super yacht clients it will remain business as usual as they continue to be served by the same dedicated client-facing teams: only now we will be able to offer them so many more tailored solutions from across the Columbia Group.’ 

A 'fluid approach' plus wider projects

He went on to add, ‘COLUMBIA blue offers a platform for novel projects and business development… A cruise project might benefit from involving yacht expertise while a private client may appreciate the services for his diverse assets be they a yacht, plane or a private residence. Whatever the case, COLUMBIA blue will be able to offer a one-stop turnkey solution.

‘A yacht owner might appreciate our holistic service approach that includes our aviation services or value the option to rent a private residence. By embracing all our leisure activities under one umbrella company, we can apply a fluid approach without diluting the strengths of our individual brands.’

Columbia Group president and ceo Mark O’Neil added. ‘There will be no lifestyle and leisure project which cannot be considered and then delivered to the highest quality standard.’

Group structure 

Groeger and Schmiedl will be supported by Swiss Ocean md Christophe Ceard, as well as CCS md’s Ralf Koelpin and Claudia Gummert-Koch. Julia Siebert, Andre Bloemendaal and Alexander Lisnychy have also been promoted to vp’s within the Group.