Juridique et Administratif

🏠 Val d’Europe Agglomération's elected officials voted on a new regulation on December 14, 2023, to regulate short-term tourist furnished rentals. Starting June 1, 2024, individuals and some legal entities must declare rentals on declaloc.fr and obtain usage change authorization. A further measure on December 1, 2024, targets legal entities renting in Chessy and Serris in specific development zones. This aims to balance housing for residents and tourists, addressing local housing shortages and rising costs.

🏠 Salon HEXAGONE Grenoble's 20th edition, held in September, gathered around 60 exhibitors from France and abroad, showcasing a wide range of products including gifts, souvenirs, decor, and more, over two days. This event, critical for preparing for the winter season in France's top winter tourism region, attracted hundreds of potential clients, offering a cost-effective alternative to Parisian fairs.

📣 Over 5 million employees from very small businesses (TPE) and domestic workers can vote from now until December 9 to elect the union to represent their rights. Voting opened today at 3 PM and can be done online or via mail. This key social democracy event occurs every 4 years since 2012, empowering employees to choose their syndicate for better representation, advice on rights, and legal actions against employers.

💸 In November 2024, the French Senate favored maintaining the Jeunes Entreprises Innovantes (JEI) scheme in the 2025 Finance Bill but with changes, such as raising the minimum R&D investment from 15% to 20%. This amendment could exclude thousands of startups, potentially increasing charges and bankruptcy risks. The JEI status had previously granted tax benefits and a 7-year exemption on property contributions. These modifications are set to apply from January 1, 2025.

💰 CNTR (Commission Nationale des Titres-Restaurant) has extended the use of restaurant vouchers for all food products for one year. Since the mid-80s, vouchers have been accepted in large and medium-sized stores (GMS). Last year, 75% of voucher purchases in these stores were for immediately consumable food preparations. Since 2009, these vouchers could also buy fruits and vegetables. CNTR, along with restaurant representatives and most of its members, opposes making vouchers a "cart title" to preserve the system's tax exemption related to its specific purpose in the employment contract.

💸 In December 2023, France renewed a Covid-19 measure allowing 5.4 million employees to use meal vouchers in supermarkets, sparking criticism from the GHR union and UMIH president Thierry Marx for deviating from the vouchers' original purpose. The Senate still needs to confirm the vote.

🏨 In 2021, Accor, a major global hotel group, was fined €600,000 by France's CNIL for improper user information on cookies use. The hotel industry faces challenges in balancing customer privacy with marketing optimization due to strict data protection regulations such as the GDPR in Europe. The Google Consent Mode and Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) like Didomi and Axeptio help manage user consent, ensuring compliance and maintaining campaign effectiveness. Modeled data allows performance analysis while respecting user privacy choices.

🏨 The Standard, London, opened in 2019 as the brand's first international hotel, featuring 266 keys and 6 F&B outlets including Decimo restaurant, Double Standard cocktail bar, and an exceptional rooftop. Trinity Investments, in partnership with Oaktree and Partners Group, acquired the hotel, marking a new phase in their joint venture with a partnership dating back to 2017. Together, they have acquired nearly 5,000 hotel keys, with assets valued at nearly $3 billion. This acquisition is Trinity’s third with Oaktree, the first in Europe since announcing their strategic partnership in April.

💸 Meta is fined 798 million euros by the European Commission for breaching competition rules, by tying Facebook Marketplace to the social network Facebook. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager explained this practice gives Meta an unfair advantage in the online advertising market. Meta plans to appeal and consider a paid subscription model for ad-free experiences on Facebook and Instagram. This fine is the EU's seventh-largest for competition infringements, with Google previously fined over 8 billion euros.

📒 Thierry Marx, président of the UMIH, emphasizes a new platform and visual identity to enhance information delivery and responsiveness, especially for lobbying. The UMIH previously launched UMIH Vitalité for hoteliers' health protection transparency and governance. Future challenges include title restaurant reservations for restaurateurs and promoting "Fait Maison" initiatives. The digital transformation outpaces legislative processes. France's UMIH continues to innovate in hospitality communication and advocacy.