Celebrity Cruises Debuts New Pre- and Post-Cruise Hotel Program with Priceline.com

(12:45 p.m.) -- Celebrity Cruises wants to make it easier to plan your pre- and post-cruise hotel stays in the U.S. and around the world. The cruise line’s new Hotels by Celebrity program makes available four- and five-star hotels, via a search engine powered by Priceline.com.

The properties in the program are some of the “world’s best hotels,” specifically curated for Celebrity passengers, and will be offered at “attractive” rates, according to the cruise line. The idea is “stress-free” cruise vacation planning.

"We're so excited to offer this new service to all our guests," said Brian Abel, Celebrity's senior vice president of hotel operations. "Travel is meant to eliminate the stress in our lives, and Hotels by Celebrity makes finding the perfect accommodations easy and luxurious."

Once a booking is made, a guest (and their travel advisor) receive access to an exclusive hotel booking site.

The Pre- and Post-Cruise Searches Turn Up Lots Of Choices

Cruise Critic checked out the test site. A “more robust” site will be accessible only to booked guests, according to a Celebrity spokeswoman.

The search engine is similar to what you expect to find at a hotel booking site. We plugged in Rome, at the end of May, and found 10 pages of options – with daily rates ranging from a four-star property for $56 to the five-star Rose Garden Palace Roma for $11,143. Properties are listed with photos, details about amenities and a link to past-guest reviews.

There’s the option to limit your search to a specific neighborhood or hotel amenity, such as a swimming pool. You may also set a price range and, if you want, search for a specific property or hotel chain.

Celebrity officials hinted a similar hotel program will be launched by Royal Caribbean International in the future.

The Hotels by Celebrity program is combinable with the brand’s already established air program, Flights by Celebrity.