Margot Ladiray

🚀 In 2025, Accor and space exploration startup Orbite will offer a three-day space-inspired experience program in Paris, Curaçao, and Antarctica for groups of 10, teaching space cooking, visiting BioFarm Interstellar, and CNES, starting at $19,500. By 2027, they plan to establish "Spaceflight Gateway Campus" combining space tourism and luxury hospitality in Florida, then in the Middle East and Asia.

💰 Booking plans to save up to $450 million annually through organizational changes, including layoffs and modernizing processes. Last quarter of 2024, they sold over 13 million flight tickets, a 39% increase from the previous year. Booking aims to invest in R&D and explore growth in flights, carpooling, and fintech, considering generative AI crucial for travel innovation.

🛡️ Amadeus and Accenture study reveals IT solutions can cut aviation's carbon footprint by 0.6%. The aviation sector, contributing 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, could save 493,000 tons of CO2 annually with global implementation of Amadeus' departure optimization solution. Additionally, airline fuel consumption optimization could prevent 5.2 million tons of CO2 emissions per year. In 2023, IT solutions saved an equivalent of 50,000 tons of CO2, comparable to 10,000 London-New York flights.

📱 Appart’City held a press conference on Tuesday, December 10, to launch its innovation Lab, focusing on urban hospitality with collaborative and participative methods that include employees, clients, and experts. The Lab's initiatives include an annual hospitality barometer, suggestion box, testing rooms with new tech solutions, and customer dialogue sessions. A digital tool named 'Guide Chloé' is in the testing phase, offering personalized guest experiences through an app accessible via QR code in each room for services like room service breakfast and cleaning requests. The group aims for digitalization without overcomplicating, awaiting customer feedback for further adjustments.

🎯 The ADP Group's "Airport Innovation Days" contest, aimed at fostering local innovation ecosystems and identifying startups to meet industry and customer challenges, was held in Turkey, Jordan, and Paris in 2024. Paris winners are Unboared (interactive gaming for passengers), Jabu (AI-based meal consumption prediction to optimize meal preparation), and HyLight (long-range, emission-free aerial inspection dirigibles). In Turkey, first place went to Sensemore (AI-based industrial equipment health solution), followed by Assistbox (video solutions for customer experience) and Waste Log (real-time waste management technology). Jordan's winners include ADADK (real-time water leak detection), LYNEports (software for integrating new aerial mobility and infrastructure), and Salam From Jordan (customizable postcard kiosks for passengers). Each country's top three startups receive up to €50,000 for Proof of Concept trials, mentoring support, and international media exposure.

📖 Booking's rating system will change on January 1, 2025, affecting hotels' online perceptions. Informed in December 2024, hoteliers learned that recent reviews would carry more weight, with the specifics of this new calculation being opaque. Thomas Yung of My Hotel Reputation highlighted concerns about increased mental strain for hoteliers and the lack of transparency from Booking, which has a significant impact on the hospitality industry. The new system may not reflect potential improvements like data analysis by customer nationality or loyalty program benefits.