With the Maybach Ocean Club, Mercedes-Benz is expanding its world of luxury beyond the automotive world. This 155-meter yacht, conceived as a floating private club, combines condominium ownership, high-end hospitality, and community. This lifestyle strategy also extends to luxury residences and Mercedes-Benz Places Binghatti City in Dubai.
The 155-meter-long Maybach Ocean Club was developed by Splendid Seas in partnership with Mercedes-Maybach (DR)
At first glance, the Maybach Ocean Club could be mistaken for another exercise in excess in the world of superyachts: 155 meters long, 30 identical suites of around 74 square meters each, six additional guest cabins and a capacity of up to 72 people.
However, behind these impressive dimensions lies a philosophy radically different from that of traditional yachting. Developed by Splendid Sea in partnership with Mercedes Maybach, the project presents itself as a private club on the water, built around a community of 300 members and a fractional ownership model.
What ultimately makes life on board interesting is the people you share the experience with and the community that develops
Matthias Bosse, captain and managing director of the project
Matthias Bosse, captain and managing director of the project (DR)
Each member, with a couple counting as a single member, receives four weeks of usage rights per year. These weeks can be used consecutively or divided into several stays. Members can also invite family and friends and make use of six dedicated guest cabins. The key difference is that no one owns an individual suite, which is precisely why all of them have been deliberately designed to be identical.
This principle of equality is at the heart of the concept, whose entry price runs into seven figures per year. Matthias Bosse, captain and managing director of the project, spent much of his career running large private yachts, some of which exceeded 100 meters and operated with crews of 60 to 70 people. That experience convinced him that the traditional superyacht model suffers from a fundamental flaw: these extremely expensive assets are often used for only a few weeks each year.
“What ultimately makes life on board interesting is the people you share the experience with and the community that develops,” he explains. That insight gave rise to the Maybach Ocean Club.
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From Ownership to Belonging
Our members will come for the asset and the services, but they will stay for the community
Matthias Bosse, captain and managing director of the project
Matthias Bosse’s conviction was reinforced by an experience about a decade ago. A group of around 30 people, including entrepreneurs, doctors and professionals from a range of backgrounds, were invited to embark on a ten day cruise aboard a large yacht.
Once the lines were cast off in Monaco, he witnessed a phenomenon he had already observed several times throughout his career: the vessel became a world of its own. “Suddenly, the boat becomes your own little universe,” he recalls. The participants formed lasting friendships, continued meeting after the trip and, according to the captain, two companies were even created as a result of the experience.
This observation led him to a simple conclusion: the true value of a yacht lies not only in the vessel itself, but in the relationships it makes possible. The Maybach Ocean Club is designed to institutionalize that dynamic. Its members will have access to the yacht throughout the year, even when they are not using their suite. If the vessel is, for example, anchored off Monaco or the French Riviera, members will be able to come aboard for the day, have lunch, swim, entertain friends or use the facilities, just as they would at any private club.
The operation of the yacht will also move away from the traditional cruise model. Rather than rushing from one port of call to another, the vessel will spend several weeks in the same region, allowing members to explore the surrounding area at their own pace.
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