The Luxury Travel Collection has brought together some of Australia’s most influential luxury travel advisors for an exclusive conversation as part of their ‘Leaders Who Lunch’ series.
The event featured Charlie Hewitt-Davies, Managing Director UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for Riverside Luxury Cruises.
Ms Hewitt-Davies, who grew Riverside’s UK business to double its revenue in 2025, is now turning her attention to Australia, already one of the most valuable source markets for European river cruising.
The region ranks third globally in revenue, generating €346 million (approx. $AU568 million) from 91,000 travellers in 2025, according to research from IG RiverCruise and Centouris.
Ms Hewitt-Davies said the brand’s family-run heritage was what set it apart.
“The single most tangible difference guests feel the moment they step onboard is that sense of being genuinely welcomed, not just checked in. We are a family-run company with a hotel heart. That feeling of being known, that is what Riverside Luxury Cruises is,” Ms Hewitt-Davies said.
Born from the Seaside Collection hotel group, Riverside invests more per guest per day on food than any other river cruise line, sourcing locally and cooking fresh, with the CEO making unannounced visits to ships to personally taste every menu item.
Above: Charlie Hewitt-Davies, MD Riverside Luxury Cruises
For advisors at the lunch, the detail that resonated most was Riverside’s short-stay itineraries of three and four nights, designed for clients curious about river cruising but not yet ready to commit to a longer voyage.
Those short sailings consistently convert into back-to-back bookings and grand voyages of up to 23 nights.
The conversation explored how Riverside is bringing true five-star hotel standards to Europe’s rivers, why Australia has become one of the world’s most important river cruise markets and how luxury advisors are helping clients discover river cruising in new ways.
Nikki Glading, Luxury Travel Collection General Manager, said the session gave advisors something no brochure could offer.
“They walk away not with a sales sheet, but with the confidence to start a conversation they’ve never had before,” Ms Glading said.
Riverside operates three all-suite ships, Mozart, Ravel and Debussy, across the Rhine, Rhone, Danube, Moselle and Main rivers, offering the largest average suite sizes in river cruising and a 1:2 staff-to-guest ratio.
Main image (L to R): Nikki Glading, GM LTC; Charlie Hewitt-Davies, MD Riverside Luxury Cruises; Stewart Williams, Country Manager, AU and NZ, Riverside Luxury Cruises; Shannon Fogarty, LTC
