Innovation

🍴 La Commission Nationale des Titres Restaurants (CNTR) updated financial distribution of meal vouchers for Q2 2024, showing a market share increase of 8.4 points for supermarkets and a decrease of 6.4 points for restaurants since Q4 2022. This equates to a €576 million loss for restaurateurs and a €756 million gain for large retailers within a year. Only 40% of meal vouchers are now spent in restaurants. The CNTR update doesn't consider the recent acceptance of meal vouchers by LIDL. Restaurateurs, represented by Franck Chaumes, UMIH Restauration President, oppose extending the current temporary measure allowing supermarkets to accept meal vouchers for all food products beyond December 31, 2024.

📱 In August 2024, Wifirst's camping data consumption peaked at 42 Go per location, up from 33 Go the previous year. Implementations at Domaine de la Dragonnière included 5000 meters of outdoor cable, 600 meters of LAN fiber, 127 Outdoor and 11 Indoor antennas. A dedicated network (VLAN) is provided for business needs. The Wifirst Center offers real-time monitoring, with features like network hibernation to optimize energy consumption. WiFi costs range between 100€ to 500€ annually. Les Sablons Portiragnes has a 1 Gbps optical fiber, nearly 200 WiFi access points, and over 10,000 devices monitored monthly during the season.

🏥 Jean Cranney, Director France, Benelux & Nordics for Trip.com, outlined the Chinese giant’s strategy for European and French expansion among hoteliers at IFTM 2024. Emphasizing the human aspect of the hospitality industry, Trip.com merges innovation with a personal touch integral to its success.

🔔 In the French show "Inno'Tourism," Patrick d’Altelis reveals how the AI-driven chatbot livie enhances hotel customer service by offering tailored experiences. Viewers will learn how it can boost direct bookings and understand client needs. The episode includes anecdotes, Google Maps and predictive AI integration, and a game-changing new feature. Inno'Tourism is France's leading show on hospitality innovation. Hoteliers are encouraged to watch for competitive advantages and AI integration into their services. Contact Patrick at 06 08 33 16 93 or p.guillaume@altelis.com for a demo.

🏨 The Equiphotel trade show will take place from November 3 to 7, focusing on the pivotal role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in hospitality and catering. AI is praised for automating repetitive tasks, analyzing large data sets for informed decision-making, and providing unprecedented personalization of services. It aids in optimizing efficiency and service quality, yet raises questions about maintaining the human touch in hospitality. The event presents an opportunity for hoteliers to explore AI integration while preserving personal service.

🖥 Michel Barnier revealed his government's minister list, naming Clara Chappaz as Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs. She succeeds Marina Ferrari in this role, who was in office from February 8, 2024, to September 21, 2024. Chappaz previously directed the Mission French Tech, fostering startup support in France and led the largest international delegation to CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Prior to 2021, she gained experience at digital firms like Vestiaire Collective and Zalora.

🏨 Hyatt (NYSE: H), a global hospitality company, will standardize operations and data management across its portfolio of over 1,000 hotels by adopting Oracle OPERA Cloud as its property management system (PMS). This platform will enhance employee efficiency and provide a consistent, improved guest experience. The move extends Hyatt's long-standing collaboration with Oracle, harnessing modern, secure data platform capabilities.

🖥 Les Entreprises du Voyage, alongside SETO, OPCO Mobilités, and SILAMIR, released a practical guide on AI for travel operators at the IFTM Top Resa fair. The guide outlines consumer expectations for instant and hyper-personalized services, the role of AI in meeting these through personalized offers, predictive analysis, and operational efficiency strategies like chatbots. Human interaction remains vital for complex exchanges. Continuous employee training is emphasized due to evolving job roles towards strategic, high-value activities.

🏨 The hospitality industry is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for personalized and efficient communication, with generative AI like ChatGPT at the forefront, delivering instant, tailored interactions. HiJiffy's patented AI solution exemplifies this, adapting responses in real-time to customer requests using hotel data, enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency. Generative AI benefits include advanced personalization, instant reactivity, and precise information for improved client satisfaction.

🔎 71% of travelers find AI most useful for finding activities or attractions on-site. AI adoption increased from 16% in 2023 to 22.8% in 2024 and is expected to exceed 34% by next year. Google integrates Gemini into its search for 2.5 billion unique monthly users. Snowflake's report on the hospitality industry highlights the need for hotel staff to develop data analysis skills, human-AI collaboration, and AI ethics awareness. Only one-third of business travelers actively use AI-enhanced travel apps, despite 83% being encouraged by their employers.