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💵 Effective February 24, 2025, France introduced new apprenticeship employer aid with €5,000 for companies below 250 employees, €2,000 for larger firms, and €6,000 for hiring disabled workers, valid until December 31, 2025. Two aids coexist since 2020: the 'unique aid' reduced from €6,000 to €5,000 for contracts aimed at diplomas up to baccalaureate level, and the 'exceptional aid' reintroduced for diplomas beyond baccalaureate up to Master’s degree. Conditions include first-year contract limitation and maintaining apprenticeship quotas for larger companies.

🏨 Louvre Hotels Group held a strategic meeting on January 30, 2025, discussing their 5-year strategic plan initiated in 2023. Led by Federico J. González, they prioritized change for concrete results, focusing on customer and investor-centric decisions. Eduardo Bosch reported 155,700 operational rooms, with 19,000 in development and 64,400 in France—its primary market. The plan (2023-2027) includes redefining fundamentals (2023-2025), fostering organic growth (2026-2027), and stimulating external growth through targeted acquisitions (from 2028). Renovated hotels have seen a 6-12% revenue increase and customer satisfaction improvement from 3.76.

💰 Meliá Group CEO Gabriel Escarrer presented 2024 results to shareholders, highlighting a double-digit RevPAR growth, improved profitability, and debt reduction to pre-Covid levels. Revenues (excluding capital gains) rose by 4.4%, exceeding €2 billion, with RevPAR at €85, a 10.7% increase—75% due to higher average prices. EBITDA reached €533.6 million, up by 9.7% from 2023. Consolidated profits were €162.0 million, a 24.5% increase from 2023. Financially, Meliá reduced net financial debt by €391 million. The year was also noted for the loss of founder Gabriel Escarrer Juliá.

💸 Amadeus ended 2024 with a 12.9% revenue increase to over €6 billion, including nearly €1 billion from hospitality. EBITDA rose by 13.2%, operating income by 18.2%, and adjusted profit by 19.9%. Cash flow was up 15.9% to €1,334.8 million, with net financial debt at €2,111.3 million (0.91x EBITDA). Airline distribution grew by 10.9%, IT solutions by 15.8% with a 10.9% increase in boarded passengers, and hospitality and other solutions by 12.3%. MGM Resorts implemented ACRS, and Accor is transitioning to a similar system.

💵 In February 2025, 10 Tourism startups raised over €551 million. Maya Travel, a French startup, secured €1 million for its AI-based virtual travel assistant. SAF Spark e-Fuels raised €23 million to produce sustainable aviation fuels. Histovery obtained €4 million for U.S. expansion. Archer Aviation amassed $301 million for electric flying taxis. RoomPriceGenie raised $7.5 million for hotel pricing solutions. Klook secured $100 million for global growth. Exoticca collected €25 million to integrate AI for personalized travel experiences. Vertical Aerospace raised $90 million, targeting certification by 2028. Smartify got €18 million to enhance content and partnerships. Genial raised €1.8 million for custom, secure AI agents.

🏖️ Spain surpassed the 100 million mark in foreign tourist arrivals for the first time in its history in 2024, based on experimental INE statistics using mobile phone tracking, revealing an additional 7 million tourists compared to the 94 million reported by Frontur surveys. Data sourced from Spain's three main mobile operators aims to provide a detailed estimate of foreign tourist numbers and may integrate with Frontur's figures in the medium term.

💰 Eurazeo, via its Mid-large buyout team, entered exclusive negotiations for a majority investment in Mapal, acquiring from PSG Equity, alongside the management team and employees who will retain a minority stake. Mapal, headquartered in Madrid, serves over 2,000 clients in 40+ countries with AI-powered SaaS for the hospitality industry. PSG Equity acquired a majority in Mapal in September 2019, fueling its growth and expansion through acquisitions like Flow Hospitality and GetCompliant. Transaction details will be disclosed post-finalization, pending regulatory approvals.

🏨 Berlin-based HR Group acquires H-Hotels on 25 February, adding over 60 hotels to its portfolio in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Hungary. H-Hotels, headquartered in Bad Arolsen, Hesse, operates brands such as Hyperion, H4, H2, H+, H.ostels, and H.omes. The acquisition represents a one-third increase in HR Group's portfolio and strengthens its position as a leading European multi-brand hotel management firm. CEO Ruslan Husry acknowledges the vital role of H-Hotels colleagues Alexander Fitz and Thomas Querl in the acquisition. HR Group plans to further develop the H-Hotels brand, which will continue to operate under its original name, emphasizing the strategic importance of the business model and its strong presence in the European hospitality market.

🏚 Four Points Flex by Sheraton Lourdes Sanctuaire, scheduled to open in 2026, is a conversion project of the current Hôtel Christ Roi in Lourdes, France. With 180 rooms, the hotel is aimed at business and leisure travelers, ideally located near the Lourdes sanctuary and Grotte de Massabielle. Launched in 2023, Four Points Flex is Marriott's response to the growing demand for affordable lodging in EMEA. This introduction brings Marriott Bonvoy's presence in France to 15 brands, joining names like The Luxury Collection and JW Marriott.

📈 DEPLOYTOUR, a European project funded by the European Commission's Digital Europe program, aims to create a European data exchange infrastructure in the tourism sector to ensure data sovereignty. Coordinated by AnySolution, a Majorcan SME, and including a consortium of 43 actors such as Eona-X, Amadeus, and City Destination Alliance from France, the initiative is in phase 2 of building and deploying the European Tourism Data Space (ETDS). It features 5 pilot projects addressing issues like overtourism, SMEs' access to new technologies, and sustainable competitiveness. Eona X leads a pilot project in Île-de-France focusing on personalized recommendations for business travelers. DEPLOYTOUR, which started in October, is tackling the challenge that 80% of industrial and operational data in Europe is not shared by creating a decentralized and structured access to data, aiming for interoperability of European dataspaces. With a budget exceeding €15 million over 3 years, the project looks to leverage data for AI applications, potentially sparking new European projects focused on AI.