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📝 Booking.com modifies its review system effective January 1st, giving more weight to recent reviews and accounting for lower volumes during off-peak seasons. Customer ratings influence over 77% of booking decisions. The new system aims for more equitable, contemporary scores, countering the disproportionate effect of negative reviews received during low seasons. The change reflects the importance of fresh, realistic reviews in the competitive reservation market and Booking's commitment to authenticity, as only genuine customers can leave reviews.

📌 Google conducted a 10-day SERP test to measure the Digital Markets Act (DMA) impact in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia. The author has 25 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry, including 8 years at Expedia, 7 years at Google, and 7 years in hotel marketing and technology. The DMA aims to make digital markets fairer and more contestable. However, its application has led to reduced visibility for hotel websites compared to intermediaries on Google, negatively affecting consumer choice in Europe. Intermediaries have used the DMA to try to regain lost ground from Google by influencing European authorities, posing a risk to fair competition in the travel industry. The European Commission must consider all stakeholders, ensuring digital markets remain contestable and fair.

🏆 Marta Gomes, Présidente of ICCA and Deputy Director of Commercial Division at Viparis, discussed the impact of major events in Paris, including the anticipated success of the 2024 Olympic Games. Paris welcomed 11 million visitors during the Olympics, equating the attendance of recurrent professional events like VivaTech (100,000 visitors) and Japan Expo at Villepinte. Porte de Versailles hosted seven Olympic sports in 2024.

✈ Air France-KLM partners with Google Cloud to leverage generative AI, aiming to transform operations and enhance customer experiences in aviation. Through the strategic collaboration, the massive daily data generated by airlines, including booking trends and operational performance, will be analyzed and turned into solutions for customer experience improvement, operational efficiency, and new service creation. The partnership focuses on personalizing offers and streamlining passenger interactions during booking, in-flight, and post-travel. ????

💻 By 2024, 50% of European travelers, including 63% of Millennials and over 70% of Gen Z, plan to combine work and vacation, a concept known as Workation, distinct from Bleisure Travel. Workation involves working from a vacation spot for a set period. In France, Workation and Team Bonding are preferred, while Bleisure Travel is more popular in Italy and Germany. Hotels can attract this clientele by offering optimal internet, comfortable workspaces, coworking areas, leisure facilities, and special rates and packages. Influencer marketing can also promote these offerings.

🏨 Hyatt Hotels Corporation aims to open over 50 luxury and lifestyle hotels globally by 2026, capitalizing on the luxury travel market's projected 52.8% growth in Europe by 2028 (Savills). In the past three years, Hyatt expanded its luxury portfolio by 28 hotels and has 70% of its global rooms in the luxury and upscale categories. Additionally, Hyatt is set to open 28 new lifestyle hotels in 2024, strengthening its market presence after acquiring Standard International's brands, and forming a new Lifestyle Group based in New York.

🛒 Marriott International expands in Saudi Arabia, signing an agreement with Knowledge Economic City (KEC) to open three hotels in Madinah. Over 1,200 rooms will be added across Courtyard by Marriott (456 rooms), Four Points by Sheraton (558 rooms), and Residence Inn by Marriott (250 studios and apartments). The hotels will be part of KEC's 6.8 million square meters, featuring a museum, cultural center, and various amenities. This development aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative to enhance infrastructure and hospitality services.

💳 In January 2023, UK hotels processed 6.2 million card transactions. Visa and Mastercard typically charge about 1.5% per transaction, while virtual cards from OTAs like Booking.com can cost 3% or more. The UK saw a 326% increase in contactless payments, highlighting the need for PSPs to accommodate diverse payment methods. To avoid higher costs, negotiating with OTAs for bank transfers could reduce fees from 3% to 1.4%. The right PSP should integrate smoothly with existing systems, support flexible payment options, ensure security and compliance with PCI DSS standards, and avoid hidden fees, leading to improved customer experience and revenue optimization for hotels.

🏖️ In the Manche region, the 2024 tourist season saw varying attendance with notable peaks during events like the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. Despite a slow start in spring and a slightly lower summer compared to the previous year, overall attendance remained above pre-COVID levels. The off-season attracted cultural and heritage visits, with significant international tourists, especially from Europe and across the Atlantic. The total nights from April to All Saints' Day 2024 were down from 2023 but surpassed 2019 and 2022 levels. Extended weekends in May and a successful August contributed to maintaining overall attendance in line with the last two years.