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🏖️ In France, tourism accommodation is adapting to trends over the past decade, including increased weekend and short stay offers. The health crisis sparked a higher demand for long stays and "workation" trends. Eco-friendly accommodations are on the rise with over 16% of French travelers preferring sustainable lodgings in 2024, up from 12.6% in 2023. Collaborative economy platforms like Airbnb have grown, challenging traditional hotels, which are now embracing AI and digitalization to stay competitive.

🍴 Romain Hubert and Oriane opened L'Émulsion 13 years ago in Isère, offering a €65 evening menu and reduced prices for under-30s. In May, they launched Lo-Fieu, a 65-seat bistro with a €1.5M investment, planning to add five guest rooms by year's end. Lo-Fieu features wood-fire cooking, with meals priced at €30 for two courses or €35 for three at lunchtime, focusing on local, sustainable practices.

🏨 Accor group reported a net profit of 253M€ in the first half of 2024, an increase from 248M€ in the first half of 2023. Revenue rose by 11%, reaching 2.677 billion euros. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) were 504M€, a 13% year-over-year increase. Accor opened 146 hotels with 24,000 rooms in the first half of 2024, growing their network by 4.1% over 12 months. As of June 2024, Accor has a portfolio of 5,682 hotels (838,722 rooms) and a pipeline of 1,297 hotels (218,000 rooms).

🏅 Accor, as a premium partner for the Olympic Games, will offer 'All Mood Service' from July 27 to August 11, from 6 pm to 9 pm, across ten establishments in Paris (Pullman Montparnasse, Molitor MGallery, Novotel Porte de Versailles, Mercure Montmartre, ibis Bastille, Handwritten Maison Hamelin), Marseille (Sofitel Vieux Port, Novotel Vieux Port), Lyon (Novotel Confluence), and Lille (Mama Shelter). Clients can win services, drinks, or souvenirs matching their 'Mood' and daily a golden ticket will grant two Olympic event tickets.

🏨 During quieter periods, hospitality professionals should assess team management, optimize organization for the upcoming season, and ensure administrative tasks are up-to-date. Proactive analysis of sales data, food costs, and potential future expenses is crucial for maintaining profitability. It's recommended to enhance both the physical and online customer experience, including minor maintenance tasks and digital presence optimization. Services like Google Business and mentor coaching programs, such as Service Compris's Boost Resto, can assist in these advancements.

🍳 Stéphanie Le Quellec knew she wanted to be a chef since 6 or 7 years old, influenced by her family's culture of food and conviviality. At 14, she chose hotel school without hesitation. Le Quellec values seasonality and local sourcing in cuisine, exemplified by her avoidance of off-season produce like winter tomatoes in France, 2024. She treasures a 25-year-old knife, enjoys products like langoustines, and focuses on team respect and listening skills as a manager. Le Quellec gets six to seven hours of sleep, has a soft spot for Saint-Tropez, and advocates for two rest days per week for her team. She recently released a cookbook with Solar Editions featuring recipes under 30 minutes.

🏨 Accor's lifestyle brand Tribe expands with the Tribe Clichy flagship in Hauts-de-Seine, opened late June near Paris. Sébastien Bazin acquired the brand with one hotel in Australia, aiming to develop urban, design-focused hotels with a 'social hub'. Tribe Clichy, by Galia Group, features 120 rooms, a Californian-style restaurant seating 80, a panoramic rooftop, and a 190m² garden. Accor plans to open 100 Tribe hotels in five years, with 30 projects signed for 2027 in French cities like Bordeaux, Montpellier, and Marseille, and a forthcoming Pantin location with 120 rooms and a restaurant over 4,400m².

📌 The Digital Market Act (DMA) came into effect in Europe in March to regulate the influence of portals like Google. A study by Datos, a Semrush subsidiary, found that user navigation on Google remains unchanged 4 months after DMA implementation. In the US, where DMA does not apply, and in Europe, internet users continue to use Google services similarly. Despite the DMA, only 37.4% of searches in Europe lead to non-Google sites, and Google services are still popular, with 24% usage. The study also revealed that nearly 60% of web searches end without a click in both the US and Europe, indicating Google's sustained dominance despite regulatory efforts.

🍳 The world's largest kitchen at the Paris Olympic Games athletes' village in Seine-Saint-Denis will serve 13 million meals every day for two months. Sodexo manages the kitchen with Vesto supplying 300 out of 600 machines and equipment across 13 competition sites. These reconditioned tools help adhere to France's Agec law for an anti-waste, circular economy. After the Games, Vesto will launch a crowdfunding initiative to finance the repurchase and resale of these 600 pieces of equipment at half their original price. Vesto, growing from a startup to a 37-employee company in four years, views the Games as a large-scale experimental lab.

🏆 The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is scheduled for July 26. Bernard Boutboul, director of Gira, advises restaurateurs to prepare for client influx despite worries of a deserted capital. Suggested strategies include continuous work hours to cater to non-French dining schedules, reasonable pricing, themed offerings based on event timings and countries, shared and liquid menu options, and overcoming recruitment challenges for needed staff.