Palau in Micronesia may be considered a remote destination for most, but Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts is looking to attract high-end travelers to the archipelago with the introduction of its first “cruising resort,” Four Seasons Explorer, Palau.
Launched in October, the hybrid hospitality product features a re-deployment of Four Seasons Maldives’ 11-room Explorer catamaran, which until May offered multi-day trips between sister resorts in the Maldives.
As it moves from the Maldives to Palau, Four Seasons Explorer, Palau is ditching the concept of fixed itineraries.
According to Armando Kraenzlin, regional vice president and general manager of Four Seasons Maldives and Explorer Palau, it is this flexibility and freedom that catamarans fall into the resort category. (Four Seasons markets its upcoming cruises under a separate Four Seasons Yachts brand.)
“We call it a 'cruising resort' because you can check in and check out anytime,” Krenzlin said. “You can stay for one night, you can stay for two weeks.”
Daily speedboat transfers are available to and from the marina in Koror, the city hub where the resort and Palau's airport are located.
Inside a suite at Four Seasons Explorer, Palau. Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
The ship has 11 cabins, a lounge, a restaurant, two bars, a sun deck and a dive deck.
The Four Seasons Explorer, Palau starts at $3,200 per night, all meals included. Private charter options are also available for groups of up to 22.
Palau has long enjoyed a top diving destination thanks to its rich underwater biodiversity and network of over 340 islands.
The resort has a PADI 5-star dive center and offers custom dive and excursion boats. Snorkelers can opt for guided tours with the Four Seasons marine biologist, while recreational activities such as windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking are also available.
But Four Seasons Explorer doesn’t position itself as a purely diving experience. Shore excursions are the resort’s main focus, and guests can engage in activities such as visiting a traditional Palauan meeting house or ancient cave art sites, as well as culinary experiences such as a beach barbecue with Palauan music and other local cultural elements.
“Our goal is to help guests understand that you don’t have to dive to enjoy Palau,” Krenzlin said.
Guests enjoying a cultural experience on the shore aboard the Four Seasons Explorer, Palau. Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
In addition to attracting non-divers, Krenzlin said he hopes the ship's debut will help raise international awareness of the destination.
“Palau is a very small country, and the only market that knows about Palau is the regional market (including Taiwan and Japan),” Krenzlin said, adding that while the destination is “a little bit” known in the United States, “the U.S. market is still primarily a dive market.”
“No one in Europe has ever heard of Palau,” he added.
For Four Seasons, the product also presents a unique opportunity for the brand to enter a relatively untapped luxury market as the first global luxury brand to open in Palau, a destination whose tourism ecosystem is largely dominated by dive-focused liveaboards and independent hotels not affiliated with global flags.
“We’re rarely the first in a new destination,” Krenzlin said. “But here, we’re truly the first luxury hotel company.”
