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🏨 In 2023, the Hotrec study revealed that 14% of hoteliers were unaware if Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) offered lower prices than their own websites. OTAs can offer lower prices by cutting their commissions, purchasing rooms in bulk, pressuring hotels for preferential rates, or through loyalty programs. An analysis by SHR showed that allowing OTAs to advertise lower prices costs hotels more in advertising, with an additional €3,000 spent per 10,000 clicks compared to direct booking rates. Conversely, hotels with the lowest rates on their sites averaged a cost per click (CPC) of €0.64 and a conversion rate of 4.75%, leading to lower customer acquisition costs. The study illustrates the need for a balanced and strategic relationship with OTAs.

🌾 The 61st Salon International de l'Agriculture will run from February 22 to March 2, 2025, in Paris, under the theme "L'Agriculture, cette fierté française!". Expected to attract over 600,000 visitors, it showcases French agriculture's diversity, innovation, and competitiveness. With the event more than a month away, bookings for hotels typically surge as the event is a significant draw for local, national, and international stakeholders. A staggering 91% of French citizens take pride in their national agriculture.

🧑‍🦰 All businesses must report monthly via the DSN the presence of people with disabilities, regardless of contract type. Companies with over 250 employees need a disability representative. The employment rate for disabled individuals in businesses is set at 6% of the full-time workforce, affecting calculation of annual contributions. Changes in 2025 include the end of the smoothing period for contributions and the removal of certain deductible expenses. The GHR's disability mission provides assessments and advice on inclusion, with financial and technical support from partners like Agefiph. Examples of assistance include integration and hiring aid up to €3,000, workplace adaptations, and co-financing for hearing aids. Contact: Rachel BOUVARD, RSE & Disability Mission Department - [email protected], 06 81 69 25 93.

🏨 Atypio Hotel Group, led by Etienne Faguer and Jérôme Schibler, partners with ExtendAM and Bpifrance to add Novotel Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to its portfolio, targeting the goal set in November 2023. Founded in 2018 by hospitality veterans Schibler, François-Xavier Bertin, and Faguer, Atypio now has 25 hotels and aims for 10 to 20 management mandates in the coming years. By the end of 2024, Atypio will manage 12 hotels in Île-de-France and Occitanie, under a new partnership with real estate firm Covivio. The company's latest investment includes the acquisition of the 131-room Mercure Paris Boulogne from AccorInvest.

🏨 Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) initiates a transformative approach to hotel booking and engagement by leveraging advanced technology for an immersive customer journey focused on personalization, innovation, and sustainability. Senior Director of Digital Customer Experience, Mario Manfuro, spearheads the initiative, moving away from traditional booking methods to allow exploration of destinations and digital hotel replicas before booking. This change was conceived during the Covid19 crisis to virtually "open the doors" to RHG's hotels.

💰 Lavorel Hotels, a Lyon-based independent hotel group, reported a 12% growth in 2024, with a record revenue of €91.3M. Net operating income rose by 23% to €34M. In 2025, the group will celebrate its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of ambitious expansion in luxury and business hospitality. The group's portfolio includes 10 establishments rated 4 and 5 stars, a riverboat company, and a vineyard, totaling 1,120 keys. Jean-Claude Lavorel, the CEO, highlights the strategic vision and team commitment.

🏡 Revier Hospitality Group is launching a new pricing model in Switzerland with the opening of Revier Mountain Lodge Saas Fee, offering an "All You Can Sleep" flatrate for CHF 999 per season. This rate allows unlimited stays in a Smart Cabin throughout the season, averaging at CHF 50 per night for bookings of at least 10 nights from January to April 2025. Bookings can be made up to two days before arrival for a maximum of seven consecutive nights, with a required two-day break before rebooking. The hotel features 82 rooms, including Family and Team Cabins, a music bar, casual dining, co-working spaces, seminar rooms, a modern gym, and a cinema. CEO Daniel Renggli may extend this model to other group hotels depending on the success at Saas-Fee.

📍 KAYAK, the world-leading travel search engine, predicts travel trends up to 2030 in a report with The Future Laboratory. Drawing from social and cultural research, interviews, a survey of 9,100 people across 9 countries including France, and user behavior analysis, the report forecasts multi-city adventures, spiritual quests, and social media bookings. Modern travelers prefer flexible (38%), personalized itineraries (37%) and AI planning tools (17%).

🍫 Barry Callebaut's market study involved 11,700 consumers across 29 countries, focusing on the chocolate sector's evolution by 2025 and beyond. The research highlights consumer trends toward pleasure, health, and ethics in confectionery. The global chocolate confectionery market, leading in sales, is expected to exceed $130 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% through 2029. The study captures the significant shift towards conscious living, where consumers demand products balancing indulgence with responsibility.

🏂 Val Thorens, Europe's highest ski resort, saw a record attendance over the Christmas 2024 holiday with an average occupancy rate of 93% from December 21, 2024, to January 4, 2025. This marks a 3.1-point increase from the previous year. The New Year's week peaked at 97.6% occupancy. The positive trend is confirmed with reservations already mounting for the 2025/2026 Christmas and New Year holidays. Vincent Lalanne, Director of Val Thorens Tourism Office, highlights the early booking trend for future vacations.