River Cruise Company’s Big Move

Calabasas-based AmaWaterways will head upstream to The Park Calabasas by summer. The company, a leading river cruise line, announced Nov. 20 that it has signed a 50,000-square-foot lease at The Park Calabasas, a multi-tenant office campus owned and operated by Rising Realty Partners. CBRE’s Matthew Heyn represented the landlord while the brokerage’s Marc Spellman negotiated on behalf of the tenant. And to celebrate the announcement that the international cruise company would relocate to a bigger space elsewhere in Calabasas, the company threw a Nov. 21 party at its current Calabasas Commerce Center address at 26010 Mureau Road, where it occupies two floors at the office campus owned by Kasower Properties of Canoga Park. “I have always believed in the importance of providing the best possible working environment for our teams – that involves the creative and thoughtful design and layout of the workspaces as well as the area and services surrounding the office,” said AmaWaterways President and Co-Founder Rudi Schreiner. “We are excited to move into our new home at The Park Calabasas in June as it offers a stimulating green environment in line with our vision that wellness and sustainability are important aspects of a productive and healthy work-life balance.” With this new lease, The Park Calabasas’ office space, which features 225,000 square feet of rentable space on more than 20 acres, is now 100 percent leased. For AmaWaterways, it represents 13,000 more square feet of space. Since acquiring the property in 2013, Rising has implemented a series of upgrades, including indoor and outdoor common area renovations, updated landscaping and campus-wide Wi-Fi. “We are thrilled to welcome AmaWaterways, a wonderful and beloved Calabasas-based company to our campus,” said Rising Realty Chief Executive Christopher Rising in a statement. At the office party, AmaWaterways Executive Vice President and Co-Owner Kristen Karst told the Business Journal that the move will relocate some 50 employees. “This year has been a very exciting year for our company,” Karst said. AmaWaterways was recently named 2019 Business of the Year by the City of Calabasas, adding to the long list of accolades it has received this year including a coveted spot on 2019 TIME’s list of “World’s Greatest Places.” The company also introduced three new ships to its 249 vessel fleet – a record-breaking achievement since the company’s inception in 2002 – including the revolutionary AmaMagna, which is twice the width of traditional European river cruise ships. Group Sales Manager Christine Betila, who in January rounds her 15th year with the company, said that business remains robust for such river-cruise destinations such as the brand-new Vilshofen-to-Budapest wine cruise route along the Danube River; the Rhone River’s Colors of Provence tour, which departs from Lyon, France, and continues south to Avignon and Arles; and an Asian route built around the sights of Vietnam and Cambodia.