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🏨 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.

🏠 Maxime Blot and Jérôme Pasquet discussed hotel lost and found management at a Masterclass during EquipHotel in November 2024. They addressed hospitality challenges, emphasizing a "phygital" approach to customer experience, combining digital and physical interactions to enhance satisfaction. Highlighting before, during, and after stay touchpoints, they stressed personalized contact, balancing automation with human interaction, and personalized post-stay follow-up to cultivate customer relations and improve French hospitality's international reputation.

📆 La 25e édition de la Fête des Lumières de Lyon a eu lieu du 5 au 8 décembre 2024, attirant plus de deux millions de visiteurs. L’Office de Tourisme a noté une augmentation de fréquentation de 25 % au Pavillon, et une hausse de 73 % des ventes de Lyon City Cards pour les séjours de quatre jours.

🏦 Extendam and Sohoma acquired the Best Western Pont Wilson hotel in Lyon's third arrondissement on December 11. The four-star, 54-room hotel, catering to both leisure and business clients, features coworking space and two seminar rooms. The Green Key labeled hotel aims to update its revenue management and operational strategy while maintaining its four-star rating. This acquisition adds to the duo’s portfolio, which already includes around twenty hotels in Lyon, a strategic city located between Paris, Geneva, and Marseille. Extendam's Bertrand Pullès, Maxime Durand, and Victoria Fabre, along with Sohoma's Félix Putatti and Timothée Hainguerlot, state the purchase aligns with their investment and asset management strategy.

🔌 United Airlines integrates Apple's Share Item Location feature into its mobile app, allowing passengers to track their luggage using AirTags. The feature, compatible with the Find My network, helps locate delayed baggage and enhances traveler satisfaction. With iOS 18.2 update, a Share Item Location link can be generated, providing United's customer service with real-time, interactive maps. Location sharing automatically expires after seven days or upon user request, ensuring privacy. Passengers must have iOS 18.2 or later and the latest United app version to utilize this feature.

🍽 In 2024, an analysis based on data from 2000 French restaurants showed an average expense of €23 per person, per meal. Tips average 4.8% of the bill, reaching up to €270 in Paris. The highest bill recorded was €8167 in Île-de-France. Bill splitting is common, nearly 1 in 4 tables do it. The most critical customers are in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (3.75/5), while the most satisfied are in Centre-Val de Loire (4.85/5). Diners in Hauts-de-France spend the least time at 58 minutes, while those in Occitanie take the longest at 1h27.

🍸 The Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris collaborated with the famous Parisian cocktail bar Danico, ranked #49 in the "World’s 50 Best Bars," for an exclusive experience throughout December. Renowned mixologist Nico de Soto crafted a custom cocktail menu inspired by Christmas magic, blending Parisian energy with the luxurious ambiance of the palace. The unique menu, filled with festive emotions, scents, and flavors, is available exclusively at George V.

🏖️ Les réservations de séjours all-inclusive ont augmenté de 70% depuis 2019, avec une hausse de 40% du tarif journalier moyen sur Expedia et Hotels.com. Les destinations les plus prisées sont le Mexique, les Caraïbes, et la Turquie, ainsi que l'Espagne, la Grèce, Chypre, et la côte de l'Adriatique. L'offre s'est améliorée, incluant des expériences gastronomiques, un service personnalisé et des prestations de luxe.

📝 Emmanuelle Llop, President of Femmes du Tourisme, announced new initiatives for 2025 during a gathering of the association's members in Paris on December 10, 2024. The event, held at D-Edge, was both studious and festive, concluding a year filled with significant events. Among the highlights was the launch of "Entre nous," a weekly support workshop with online sign-up, scheduled every Friday at 5 pm, which is part of the Pôle Transmission - Partage & Solidarité's mission to foster mentorship and a supportive network.

🏠 Accor to open new hotels and resorts in 2025, offering luxury to economical brands across 45+ marques. Over 330,000 Accor Heartists worldwide will showcase sustainable development and service excellence. The Orient Express La Dolce Vita, a luxury train by Accor and Arsenale S.p.A., will start in spring 2025, featuring Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck's cuisine, embodying 1960s Italian culture and slow travel.