Riverside Luxury Cruises recently unveiled several advisor-facing initiatives, spanning a new loyalty program, a refreshed certification curriculum and an AI-powered support tool.
"One of the things I love most about this industry is the relationship we have with our travel advisor partners," said Jennifer Halboth, CEO of Riverside Collection Americas. "They are truly an extension of our team, and we're always looking for ways to make it easier, more rewarding and more fun to work with Riverside. Whether it's better education, smarter tools or recognizing our top-producing partners, we're focused on helping advisors sell more confidently and grow alongside us."
The newly launched Star Rewards Program assigns North American advisors to one of three tiers based on annual revenue: Rising Star (top 15%), Shooting Star (top 5%) and Rock Star (top 2%). Benefits scale with each level and include travel credit, welcome gifts, Riverside-branded merchandise, onboard credit to pass along to clients and advance access to brand news and promotions. Over a dozen advisors earned Rock Star designation and received recognition from the company.
The river cruise line also overhauled its advisor certification platform, reorganizing the coursework into nine modules that span topics from ship and suite offerings to culinary programming, pricing structures and booking resources. The update also brought a more navigable interface, revised product messaging and expanded selling guidance. Advisors who finish the program unlock access to Riverside's travel advisor rates, while those who previously certified can review the new content without completing a full recertification to keep that access intact.
Rounding out the May announcements, Riverside added an AI-powered chatbot to its education platform. The tool connects to live systems and can field real-time questions on pricing, availability, itineraries and excursions. An Agent Mode tailors responses specifically for advisors seeking selling support, and the company said a future Consumer Mode is planned to steer travelers toward booking through an advisor. The chatbot operates around the clock.
Editor’s Note: This article was generated by AI, based on a press release distributed by Riverside Luxury Cruises. It was fact-checked and reviewed by a TravelAge West editor.
