Simply Abu Dhabi XXX

D isruptive, progressive and highly convenient, digital superyacht platformAhoy Club—which launched in May 2018—nestles neatly amongst the likes of Uber and Airbnb. A transformative app that offers a truly bespoke luxury yacht charter service, the niche business offers a new take on the current outdated manual process and puts the power firmly in the hands of the charterers and owners. Following a simple three-step process, superyacht charterers can book a charter yacht in minutes where it currently takes days or even weeks. By pioneering digital techniques in the superyacht charter market, the young start-up is modernising the entire process with the likes of transparent contracts, efficient payment processes, extending charter seasons and lowering costs by up to 20%. The upshot is superyacht chartering has never before been more easy or accessible. The brainchild of Ian Malouf, an Australian entrepreneur with business interests in waste management, recycling and energy from waste, Ahoy Club is born from his passion for the luxury yachting lifestyle. Having experienced chartering as a client and guest for many years, in 2015 he acquired 54- metre Baglietto M/YMischief. Although he sees the yacht as a source of personal and family enjoyment, Malouf treats Mischief as a business and expects to see it returning income through charter activity. Frustrated with what he felt were outdated practices and a lack of embracing technology, Malouf set about challenging the status quo of luxury yacht charter. ‘Having owned and chartered yachts all my adult life, I have seen a lot of change over the years,’ says Malouf. ‘The advancement in the actual construction, effective volume and technology on board superyachts is mind blowing, but, in contrast and unlike in other industries, technology has not been transferred to enhance the charter process and provide for a better customer experience. I want to make the experience quicker, more informative and more fun. Ahoy Club will allow you to book a yacht in less than three minutes and save money. We are delivering more choice, more value and more freedom for less.’ With offices located in London and Sydney and plans to expand into key yachting hubs around the world, Ahoy Club brings together a team of dedicated professionals with extensive yacht ownership, management, and charter experience. Where the current slow process tends to limit the charter season to the peak high periods around July and August in the summer, Ahoy’s automation allows yacht owners to instantly and easily set prices for specific periods, widening the charter season for many more yachts and potential guests. In effect, a yacht owner can set prices all year, by day if necessary (for example, around Cannes Film Festival or Monaco Grand Prix), cutting through the existing complexities and expenses. ‘There are a lot of processes that are needlessly manual when chartering a yacht,’ says Malouf. ‘We have automated all these, and in doing so give the charterers and the yacht owners real-time information they can act on and finalise quickly, easily and without having to stop and take valuable time out of their day.’ Additionally, and rather uniquely, once a yacht has been selected and requested by the charter guest on the app, an owner’s acceptance automatically generates a transparent and independently recognised digital contract, and immediately accepts a 25% deposit via credit card where currently 50% is required by bank transfer. However, the superyacht industry prides itself on being a luxury market with a level of customer service unparalleled in other sectors—can a purely technology-based interface replace the current personal levels of service? ‘Absolutely,’ answers Malouf. ‘People spend large and small amounts of money online every day. The online system is no different, the technology is sophisticated and secure, so the yacht selection, payments and contracts are all automated to relieve the inefficiencies of outdated paper systems. ‘Then when combined with our 24/7 Personalised Concierge Service team you have a better and more personalised experience all round. The platform, which is available in multiple languages, will open new markets that have found the process too difficult in the past. Our team at Ahoy Club is all about providing the best service and the best experience. That’s how it’s meant to be when you are in a service industry; we are here to serve, and it is ingrained in our staff that there is no excuse for bad service.’ If this isn’t enough, Ahoy Club is introducing a suite of USPs and industry firsts as it develops its platforms. Amongst these will be a YOTSWAP feature that allows yacht owners to exchange use of their yachts—useful when one wants to cruise the Mediterranean and their superyacht is in the Caribbean. In addition, as owners will be able to set prices automatically for specific periods, the Empty Voyage concept provides owners the option to offer a shorter and more affordable charter between one charter’s disembarkation and the next guest’s embarkation ports, for example a short cruise between one charter ending in Sardinia and another starting in Cannes. Anyone who has wanted to enjoy the benefits of a superyacht lifestyle but has been put off by the time-intensive processes and extravagant costs can now say Ahoy to a new process, new opportunities and new lifestyle. Ian Malouf, Founder of Ahoy