Juridique et Administratif

🛈 The Spanish employer's union, representing over 16,000 hotels, criticizes a new measure demanding extensive guest information, including personal details, contact numbers, email, travelers' count, payment data, and driving license details for car rentals. CEHAT highlights the challenge of manual submission, risking errors and excessive workload. The hotel industry, typically collaborating with Spanish security, finds the requirement for unofficial data, which isn't on ID documents, unmanageable for automated systems.

💾 Google revises the timeline for phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome, allowing users to choose whether to be tracked. Apple's ATT on Safari shows third-party cookie acceptance rates between 12%-40%; Chrome users who have disabled cookie tracking already account for about 40%. Cendyn has been preparing clients since 2019 for the shift towards first-party data strategies. Hotel marketers are advised to enrich their proprietary audience databases, segment and leverage these audiences, explore new advertising platforms like Pinterest, and utilize AI and machine learning tools. The hospitality industry must adapt to a future where privacy is prioritized and cookie reliance is reduced.

🍴 The decree dated February 12, 2024, modifies the specifications for the food hygiene training required for commercial catering establishments. The training remains at 14 hours. Exemptions apply for individuals with at least three years of professional experience in the food sector or holders of level V professional diplomas and above. Training must now include a minimum of two hours of practical scenarios per seven-hour period. Training organizations must submit electronic requests twice yearly, in May and November. Those authorized before the decree must reapply by March 31, 2024, but can operate until April 30, 2024. The new authorization requires adherence to Annex II specifications and at least one training session every two years. The decree also updates required documentation for authorization requests, distinguishing pedagogical from administrative documents, with annual updates. The directive adds new elements to the training framework, emphasizing the "know your hygiene package" principle and the ability to identify deviations and take corrective measures.

📈 A 300 million euros Territorial Accessibility Fund, established over five years, was created by decree n°2023-993 on October 27, 2023, and published in the Official Journal on October 28. Prioritized for category 5 establishments in municipalities hosting 2024 Olympic Games events, but open to all applicable ERPs, the fund aids SMEs, micro-enterprises, and TPEs with unsigned quotes for expenses not yet incurred. The fund covers 50% of accessibility work up to 20,500 euros per establishment, and recipients must list on www.acceslibre.info post-completion. Applications are submitted through the ASP website.

📚 A hiring aid for apprenticeship contracts signed from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, is extended, with an amount of €6,000. Contracts need to be for apprenticeships aiming for a professional diploma or title up to level 7 (equivalent to a Master’s degree). Large companies with over 250 employees must meet additional criteria, such as attaining at least 5% of employees on professional integration contracts or a 3% rate of alternants, with a 10% increase compared to the previous year, by December 31, 2024. No specific request procedure is noted, just declare the hiring of an apprentice. Contracts from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022, not yet submitted, must be sent to the OPCO by March 31, 2024, to benefit from the exceptional aid scheme.

🏆 Business owners have until February 18 to apply for #TrophéesNum2024, competing for €35,000 total prize money, with each of the 5 winners receiving €7,000. The awards promote SMEs in digital growth, rebound, employment & inclusion, notoriety, and successful deployment of a .fr website. Apply by downloading the contest rules and submission form.

🔒 Between May 24-25, several hoteliers reported phishing attacks on Booking.com's extranet. The scam involves impersonating hoteliers on Booking.com to solicit prepaid bookings via WhatsApp. To prevent this, use strong passwords following ANSSI guidelines and unique passwords for each session. If victimized, file a complaint within 72 hours, report to CNIL if personal data is compromised, notify affected persons, and change Booking.com passwords. Detailed procedures are available at https://www.ghr.fr/europe-numerique/informatique/cybersecurite/piratage-informatique-donnees-volees-que-faire.

🏨 The Union des Métiers et des Industries de l'Hôtellerie (UMIH) finally presented its case against Airbnb Ireland, after over six years, for unfair competition initiated in 2018. UMIH, represented by Maître Bellaïche from the law firm Goldwin, accuses Airbnb of distorting competition by not adhering to regulations: not providing registration numbers, exceeding the 120-day legal limit for primary residences, and incorrectly collecting and declaring tourist tax, along with allowing illegal content on its platform.

🌍 Thomas Cook, liquidated in 2019, was reborn in 2020 by Fosun Tourism Group as an online travel agency. On September 5, 2024, eSky Group acquired Thomas Cook from Fosun. The British travel brand was initially bought by Fosun for £11 million. eSky, covering over 50 countries with brands eSky and eDestinos, serves 150+ million customers, offering 550 airlines and 1.3 million hotels globally. In 2023, eSky's profits rose 42% to over €19 million, almost tripling its 2019 level.