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📍 Sankofa Travel Studio, incubated by Provence Tourisme Innovation, promotes alternative travel through influencers. CEO Melany Fabre explains their model: influencers design custom trips with local travel agencies, overseen by Sankofa. They aim to address illicit travel sales on social media and enhance traveler-local interactions. Sankofa integrates impactful local actions into trips, like a desert clean-up in Jordan, donating 5% of trip costs to local projects. In 2025, they target producing ten journeys, with three already in development, including a Jordan trip partnering with a professional basketball player, directing 60% of revenue to local communities. Sankofa also addresses illegal travel offers by social media influencers, promoting professional and responsible travel.

🛏 "Au Chat Qui Dort," led by Baptiste and Julien Lietaert, integrates BOREAS REAL ESTATE and LEWEN'UP as strategic partners for French expansion. With 34 accommodations, the hybrid hotel brand combines traditional hospitality comfort with rental flexibility. The expansion strategy involves rehabilitating old offices, converting outdated hotels, and constructing new mixed-use projects. Long-term leases are key to their model, meeting modern traveler needs and contributing to urban territory transformation.

🏨 Hotel tech stacks, crucial for hospitality success, comprise software like PMS, channel managers, booking engines, RMS, guest messaging platforms, and CRM systems. Essential components include cloud-based, integrated, and scalable tools enhancing operations, revenue, and guest satisfaction. Overcomplicated systems named "Frankenstein stacks" can hinder efficiency. Proper tech stacks align with business goals, focus on integration, and prioritize guest experience. HiJiffy exemplifies an integrated platform for seamless guest communication. Prioritizing user-friendly, integrated tools over many disjointed systems is vital for a functional hotel tech stack.

📌 A Booking.com study indicates that nearly half (49%) of neurodivergent travelers find traveling more difficult. 15-20% of the global population has a neurological difference, including ADHD, autism, high intellectual potential, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. To alleviate travel stress, 66% are interested in AI for real-time updates and guidance in crowded airports and hotels, but 71% suggest better training for tourism professionals. Other improvements include providing ample pre-travel information (64%), familiarization sessions with airline procedures, and details on sensory elements at attractions. Quieter spaces are demanded by 76%, sensory rooms by 68%, noise reduction by 74%, and two-thirds desire venue maps and contactless check-ins at hotels.

💰 AccorInvest announced a record annual revenue of €4 billion in 2024, a 3.1% increase at constant exchange rates, and a 6.1% rise in EBITDA to €656 million, resulting in an improved EBITDA margin of 16.3%. The company streamlined its portfolio with the sale of 160 non-strategic hotels, ending the year with 576 properties. Debt was notably reduced by 22% to €3 billion, and successful bond issues raised €1.4 billion, reinforcing financial structure and investor confidence.

🛏 In Episode 12 of the Shiji Insights Podcast, Teresa de Pablo, Area Manager for Spain and Latin America at Hotelkit, addresses the crucial role of internal communication in enhancing operational efficiency and guest satisfaction in hotels. Key points include the need for consistent operations, a single streamlined communication system, involving frontline staff in tech decisions, acting on feedback, and starting with practical tech solutions. Real-world scenarios discussed illustrate how communication failures affect guest experiences, such as maintenance issues leading to negative reviews. Effective technology use is not about digitalization alone but empowering staff, which ultimately contributes to seamless guest experiences. Hotels are advised to prioritize solving core operational issues before adding new technologies and to use guest and staff feedback for continuous improvement. The overarching message is that true innovation in the hospitality industry begins with perfecting the basics to ensure every guest touchpoint is positive.

📢 Passman, with 30 years in digital solutions for the hospitality industry, won the Innovation Award for Customer Experience at the Food Hotel Tech salon. The award was presented by Antoine Dubois from Accor and recognizes Passman's Passenergy, a smart solution for energy savings labeled by the Ministry of Ecological Transition as Greentech Innovation. Passenergy can reduce energy consumption by up to 30% by automatically managing heating and air conditioning with connected sensors and automation, adjusting room temperature based on bookings, guest presence, and window openings. It requires no construction work, fits any building, and works with existing heating and cooling systems.

🏡 Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the "Salon Vivre Côté Sud 2025" will take place at Parc Jourdan in Aix-en-Provence from May 30 to June 2, 2025. The event, a convergence of art de vivre enthusiasts, expects over 26,000 visitors to explore offerings from 250 exhibitors. Coinciding with Cezanne 2025, it will feature an "Atelier couleur" to highlight Southern colors and spirit in areas like decoration, design, craftsmanship, and flavors.

📱 The European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) is reshaping digital marketing, affecting Google search results and online visibility for hotels. The DMA influences Google searches, from "place sites" to free booking links and increased property promotion ad (PPA) opportunities. It differentiates between generic and brand keyword searches, essential for hotel marketing strategies. Properties can leverage PPAs for growth despite a competitive environment. The DMA's evolving landscape requires hotels to adapt their digital marketing strategies to maintain a competitive edge.

📍 In 2025, Amadeus and Opinium Research's "Travel Dream" report indicates 63% of travelers are willing to pay more for additional amenities; hoteliers could see a 12% booking revenue increase. 48% prefer human interaction at hotel check-in, while 71% of business travelers opt for online/self-check-in. 33% of global travelers are inspired by social media, with 29% influenced by travel influencers. OTA bookings lead at 47%, with 70% interested in VR destination previews, spiking to 82% among business travelers.