TH

📈 Lighthouse raised $370 million led by global investment firm KKR to expand AI and strategic intelligence technologies for over 70,000 hotels worldwide. This funding aims to support product innovation, strategic acquisitions, and global expansion efforts in the $15 billion travel and hospitality technology market. Lighthouse's platform processes over 400 terabytes of travel and hospitality data daily, leveraging AI to deliver real-time insights to clients.

🏨 Sommet Education announces a long-term strategic partnership with luxury hotelier Mandarin Oriental to bolster talent in the hospitality industry through targeted education and training initiatives, focusing on diversity and offering career opportunities to individuals from underprivileged communities. The collaboration centers on three goals: enhancing student learning experiences with real-world business exposure, developing employee skills through customized training programs, and leveraging Sommet Education's global network, including Les Roches, Glion, École Ducasse, Invictus Education in South Africa, Indian School of Hospitality, and the Sommet Education Foundation. Laurent Kleitman, CEO of Mandarin Oriental, emphasizes the partnership's role in adding value to talent, fostering skill development, and enabling career prospects in the hospitality sector.

📈 In August 2024, a study by Interface Tourism Insights, using its Travellyze platform, surveyed 1,500 French people aged 18 and over. The study revealed French travel trends and key figures for the second half of 2024. The research, part of a broader analysis involving 13 European countries, collected over 9 million traveler data points and examined more than 150 destinations worldwide. Findings indicate that 43% of French travelers intend to maintain the same vacation budget as in 2023, despite earlier budget reductions due to economic conditions—marking a 1.5 point increase from January 2024.

🏨 Groupe Logis Hôtels foresees a record 263M€ turnover for 2024, a +10% increase to date, thanks to its 2-year premium segment development and Urban Style brand expansion strategy. Despite inflation, they've limited rate hikes to +5%, resulting in a +16% rise in loyalty program ETIK, which now has 600,000 members with a 5.5% cashback—leading to a +14% boost in direct sales.