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❄ French mountains remain a top choice for winter activities, with a focus on hotel booking trends for the winter of 2024-2025. Data extracted on November 18, 2024, highlights the Alpine departments as the frontrunners in winter bookings. The analysis comes from OTB Montagne by Hospitality ON, with additional insights from MKG Consulting, a specialized press in sector studies, events, and training, based in Paris.

🏖 In 2023, the McKinsey report reveals a shift in tourism, with travelers choosing destinations based on in-place experiences. The experiential market is valued at $1 trillion with a projected growth of over 14% by 2025. However, only 53% of experience bookings are made online compared to 77% for airlines, 61% for hotels, and up to 89% for short-term rentals. Despite its potential, the market's digitalization lags behind, affecting the attractiveness and emergence of tourism destinations. Operators of tourist "experiences" and promoting entities are partly responsible for this digital shortfall. Yet, 63% of travelers decide on destinations for their experience offerings, indicating the vital role of online visibility for local experiences.

🏨 Hospitality ON highlights the latest international hotel openings and upcoming inaugurations, with a focus on group, chain, and voluntary network hotels. The report includes a map of new hotels opened in the last 10 days, showcasing locations, photos, and essential details. Newly opened hotels are marked in yellow, announced openings in blue, rebranded reopenings in green, and signed hotel projects in orange, set to launch in months or years.

🍴 Nawal Rezagui, aiming to become the first Moroccan female chef with a Michelin star in France, joined the brigade at Domaine de Fontenille in Luberon in 2021. In 2022, she became the head chef at Hautes Mers on the island of Yeu. Now in Champagne, her menu features Moroccan spices, island specialties, and local products enhanced by champagne. She utilizes her own garden at the Briqueterie to source aromatic herbs, seasonal fruits, and prioritizes locally grown vegetables and French-origin meats and fish.

📍 Lighthouse, a travel and hospitality industry intelligence platform, secured a $370 million investment led by investment firm KKR to enhance its tech offerings and international growth. The funding follows a previous $80 million round in 2021, with KKR investing through its Next Generation Technology III fund. With over 700 employees, Lighthouse aims to use AI for real-time insights to improve booking, operations, and customer experience for revenue managers and property owners.

🍴 Chef Thibault Nizard takes the helm at L'Auberge des Templiers's kitchen and restaurant on December 5, 2024. Born in Paris and raised in southern France, 32-year-old Nizard has already garnered accolades like the 2023 Gault et Millau Young Talent Trophy, the first prize at the World Championship of Lièvre à la Royale, and the Best Wine List in Paris by Lebey guide for his own establishment. L'Auberge des Templiers, a founding member of Relais & Châteaux, will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025.

📊 The new "Panorama Statistique Emploi Formation" of the RCLS Branch, a comprehensive resource containing key data on the sector, is now available. It includes information on companies, employees, employment dynamics, and professional training trends and devices. Grégory HULIN, Director of Employment, Training & Working Conditions, encourages reading and sharing for enhancing understanding and valorization of the branch.

🏨 MKG Consulting forecasts conservative hotel performance in Northern and Western Europe for 2024-2025, influenced by recent trends in key markets like the UK and France. Southern Europe, particularly Spain, continues to perform well. The eventful year of 2024, especially with the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in France, impacts annual growth perspectives. The year 2025 is expected to see significant disparities in performances across sub-markets and categories within the same market. Forecast details for various European countries and a focused analysis on Paris are available through Leslie Vial at MKG Consulting.

🏨 Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of IHCL, targets doubling consolidated revenue with a 20% return on employed capital by 2030, building on a portfolio beyond 700 hotels. IHCL surpassed forecasts, achieving 350 hotels with over 200 in operation and a strong pipeline. The company recorded 10 consecutive quarters of record financial performance. Backed by India’s long-term structural trends—over 6.5% GDP growth, government investments in infrastructure, hotel demand outstripping supply, and rising consumer purchasing power—the plan 'Accelerate 2030' aims for a consolidated turnover around €2 billion, leveraging India's domestic market and expanding brand offerings.

🏠 French Law No. 2024-1039 published on November 20 aims to regulate local tourism furnished rentals, with contributions from GHR and Deputy Annaïg Le Meur's proposal on April 28, 2023. Classified furnished rentals now have a 50% tax deduction on annual rental income up to €77,700, non-classified at 30% up to €15,000, effective from January 1, 2025. By 2025, rentals must have a minimum 'F' energy rating, 'E' by 2028, and between 'A' and 'D' by 2034. New rules require rental declaration with registration by May 20, 2026, and grant mayors power to set rental duration limits and quotas. Penalties include fines up to €10,000 for non-registration and €20,000 for false statements.