Top News

📝 Booking has revised its comment rating system to give more weight to recent reviews, with a goal of better reflecting guests' current experiences and reducing rating fluctuations for properties with sporadic review patterns. The new rating is based on recent months/weeks and prioritizes fresh feedback. The change, tested from November 2023 to April 2024 in countries like Malta, Iceland, Greece, Australia, and the USA, garnered positive feedback for accurately representing current guest experiences and stabilizing scores, particularly for smaller establishments. Most establishments in France won't see significant score changes. Booking suggests encouraging recent guests to review and continuing to invest in customer experience to maximize ratings. For inquiries, contact GHR at 01.42.96.60.75.

🏖️ Starting from December 17, 2024, CASA MOHO Hotel in Saint-François-Longchamp will launch a new mountain lodging experience after a significant renovation by MOHO Hospitality. The 32-room hotel, located at the base of the slopes near the Col de la Madeleine, aims to attract guests seeking both active and relaxing stays throughout all seasons. The hotel features a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, and a bar lounge, with a restaurant focused on local and sustainable cuisine. MOHO Hospitality's President, Yariv Abehsera, mentions seminar offerings, aligning with the strategy to provide authentic and varied experiences.

📈 Annual performance reviews, often dreaded for being static and overly focused on numbers, lead to procrastination among leaders and employees. Innovative companies are shifting towards regular, engaging, and collaborative evaluations. Airbnb's narrative approach shows that stories are 22 times more memorable than statistics with only 5% remembering numbers versus 63% recalling stories. Spotify and Freenow practice reverse evaluations where teams assess managers, fostering transparent dialogue and leadership adjustments. Accenture uses the metaverse for immersive, collaborative goal-setting sessions. A shift to meaningful quarterly reviews is suggested, driving performance and alignment, with at least 50% goal co-creation recommended for increased team commitment. ????

💰 Gilles Clavie, CEO of AccorInvest, outlined the group's transformation, underscoring the involvement of 25,000 employees. AccorInvest, facing successive crises, shifted to a proprietor-operator model for enhanced value chain control and risk diversification, focusing their strategy on Europe.

🏨 In the competitive hotel market, upselling and cross-selling are essential strategies, now enhanced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for automated, personalized solutions. AI analyzes customer data, including preference history, utilizing real-time interactions through chatbots or virtual concierges to tailor offers that align with client expectations, thus increasing revenue and operational efficiency by automating campaigns. Upselling offers premium services like room upgrades, while cross-selling includes additional services such as spa treatments or local attraction tickets.

🍴 Teritoria's 10th edition of Les Dîners de Chefs, held from November 13 to December 10, raised €120,085 for Restaurants du Coeur. Thirty chefs hosted five charity dinners across five French cities: Cannes, Terrasson-Lavilledieu, Paris, Beaune (Aloxe-Corton), and Le Havre. A total of 795 guests attended the dinners, with tickets priced between €80 and €150, including drinks. This effort will enable 120,085 meals to be distributed in 2025. Teritoria has donated over €1 million to Restaurants du Coeur since 2014.

💰 On December 10th, at the Salon de l’Immobilier d’Entreprise (SIMI), Icade and Châteauform’ EVENT signed a Climate Committed Lease. Châteauform’ EVENT has been located at the Parc Icade des Portes de Paris since 2009, occupying 13,200 sqm across 3 buildings. This partnership aims to accelerate Châteauform’s decarbonization strategy, while Icade commits to enhancing the energy performance of these buildings, supporting its own decarbonization goals. Châteauform’ EVENT hosts over 150 corporate events annually for 200-3,000 participants.

🏦 Founded nearly a century ago, the Yaca was a family-run establishment by Laurence and François Huret. In the 1950s, it hosted cinema stars and scenes from Roger Vadim’s movie starring Brigitte Bardot "Et Dieu créa la femme" (1956). Recently acquired by Rodolphe Saadé, owner of CMA CGM, the five-star Yaca, with 32 keys, is located in the heart of old Saint-Tropez, near the citadel. Saadé, 54, joins billionaires like Franck McCourt, Stéphane Courbit, Bernard Arnault, and Alain Weill in owning luxury hotels in Saint-Tropez.

🏨 In October 2024, 47.4% of European hotels systematically offered better direct pricing than OTAs according to a 123compare report. The same report indicated a 48% increase in better direct rates in Europe from October 2023 to 2024, compared to OTA rates during high season. Paris led with 67.3% direct rates, followed by Lisbon at 66.56%, Palma de Majorca at 66.02%, Barcelona at 62.22%, and Venice at 61.91%. Hilton had the lowest "loss rate" at 23.6%, ahead of Hyatt, Accor, and IHG in October 2023. Booking.com maintained an 83% share of sponsored links, while Expedia's share dropped by 51%.

🏨 ITC Hotels currently owns 140 hotels with about 13,000 rooms and aims to expand to over 200 properties in the coming years, focusing on management contracts rather than direct ownership. In 2024, the company saw a 12.1% increase in revenue and a 20.2% profit before tax, opened new hotels including Fortune Beachfront in Puri and a Storii establishment in Jaisalmer, and plans to open roughly one hotel per month for the next two years. ITC Hotels inaugurated its first international venture in April 2024 with the 352-room luxury ITC Ratnadipa in Colombo, Sri Lanka, part of Marriott's Luxury Collection.