Iconic Canadian rail company Rocky Mountaineer has revealed it is currently undergoing a multimillion dollar refurbishment with the aim of improving passenger comfort and experience.
The company’s vice president of global sales, Karen Hardie, told travelBulletin she believed the modifications would help the rail operator evolve to the needs of customers and enable further growth opportunities.
“Everything from the soft furnishings, the seats, and the lighting are all being replaced,” Hardie said. “There are new seats that recline into themselves, improved technology like plugs in the seat because everybody wants to plug in, and we’re also building new GoldLeaf domes because of demand… the first of those will arrive in Canada in 2018 and through the balance of 2019,” she added.
Continuing to improve the consumer technology capabilities on board the Rocky Mountaineer will also form an important pillar of the company’s five-year strategic plan.
“We are reviewing, restructuring and reimplementing technology that will support scalability and growth over that period of time,” Hardie said.
“Wi-fi is also a very hot topic… we should have it available to guests in the next couple of years.”
Australians continue to show strong interest in jumping aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, representing the largest market for the company outside of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
“This market has really been a foundation for many years… despite the GFC we have been really lucky to have experienced double digit year-on-year growth,” Hardie said. “People are starting to see Canada as more than just the immediate iconic experiences and that is certainly reflected in what you will start to see in our programs, you will see more experiential activities.”
