Top News

🍴 EPMT's last Open House of 2025 will be held on Saturday, March 8th, from 9 am to 5 pm, at the campus in the 17th arrondissement. Simon Verger, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2019, joins EPMT as the ambassador for 2025-2026. The event features apprenticeship program discoveries from CAP to Bac+5, including hospitality, catering, pastry, chocolate-making, and sommellerie, culinary demonstrations, and admission interviews for the 2025 intake. Continuous training available for employees and career changers.

🏠 In a study by Polimi School of Management on 1021 large European companies, 69% have invested in AI with active projects. The Netherlands, UK, and France lead in AI adoption. The "State of Tourism and Hospitality" by McKinsey 2024 reports a 20% profit increase and 15% operating cost reduction from AI implementation in bookings and data management. AI applications in tourism include personalized recommendations, market trend prediction, dynamic pricing, chatbot interaction, sentiment analysis, and security measures. Zak's hotel management system offers yield management and chatbot integration, enhancing operational efficiency. AI is also subject to recent European regulations ensuring responsible use.

🏨 In 2023, direct bookings generated only 28.8% of online revenue for European hotels, with 71.2% coming from indirect channels like OTAs. Booking.com dominated, accounting for 43% of online hotel revenue in Europe. OTAs charge hotels commissions ranging from 15% to 30%. Expedia, the third-largest sales channel, saw a 1% market share increase over the previous year. Airbnb offers two fee structures: shared fees with hosts paying around 3% and guests up to 14.2%, or host-only fees between 14% and 16%. Hotels.com, under the Expedia Group, likely has a similar commission structure, while Agoda's commissions range between 15% and 25%. Tripadvisor, unlike others, uses a paid subscription model and pay-per-click advertising rather than direct booking commissions.

🎥 Moment Factory, led by General Manager Europe & Middle-East Stéphane Roisin, partnered with Groupe Pathé for the immersive revamp of La Géode cinema, aiming for a continuous experience from entrance to projection. Their "Originals" formats, like the 10-year "AURA Invalides," eschew virtual reality headsets for inclusive, physical meetups. Moment Factory's services extend beyond entertainment, enhancing customer experiences in sectors like hotels, with projects like the Grand Magic Hotel near Disneyland Paris, and the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Upcoming 2025 projects include a nocturnal forest path in Istanbul and a permanent installation in a Normandy arboretum.

🏖 40% of French people can't afford vacations annually. Fondation Je pars, tu pars, il part, for over 10 years, aided 1000 families in 2024. Social networks contrast with reality; 56% of non-vacationers feel too ashamed to discuss it, and 11% lie about it. The foundation deems vacation access a social priority, creating bonds among adults and children. In 2024, they provided 35,000 nights of holidays to families, earning recognition at the Hospitality Awards.

🏨 Marriott International celebrated record growth in the EMEA region in 2024, with nearly 300 property signings. President Satya Anand highlighted the company's focus on connecting people through travel. By end of the year, Marriott expanded its EMEA portfolio to 596 properties with 104,731 rooms—a 10% increase from the previous year. Conversions drove 45% of regional room signings. Key development activity occurred in Denmark, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UK.

🏠 EXTENDAM sold the Residence Inn Didot Montparnasse (82 keys) in Paris' 14th district. Acquired in May 2021 with SOHOMA, formerly Citadines, renovation began September 2022 and completed June 2023 for Marriott standards. Upgrades included a modern design, 24/7 snack service, and improved garden access to enhance guest experience. The sale marks a successful value creation investment cycle.

💸 Mews, a hospitality management software company, raised $75 million to expand in North America and the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and to develop AI-based solutions. The funding round was led by Tiger Global with Kinnevik, Battery Ventures, and Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives participating. As of 2024, Mews saw a 50% growth from the previous year with over $10 billion in payment volume and revenue exceeding $200 million. With a 20% market penetration in the DACH region and partnerships with notable hotel groups like BWH Hotels, Mews doubled its revenue in the US within a year, doubling the number of properties and rooms managed. The investment will fuel further R&D to meet the evolving needs of the hotel industry and enhance customer experience.

🔍 E-reputation management is rooted in online monitoring, essential for strategy and identifying company and product improvements. Online monitoring evaluates brand, product, service, and leadership perceptions. Bright Local states 72% of consumers take action after reading a positive review, making management of online reviews across platforms like TripAdvisor, Yellow Pages, Yelp, etc., crucial. A brand audit involves identifying who talks about the brand, on what channels, and why, thereby assessing internet perception. Jean Jacques Lambin defines brand image in three levels: intended, perceived, and real. Active client review solicitation and harmonized ratings across platforms, quality customer service, media/blog citations, responding to online reviews, visual identity consistency, SEO to suppress negative results, employee feedback collection, and continuous e-reputation monitoring with tools like Google Alerts are recommended strategies. Centralizing e-reputation management with dedicated tools like Guest Suite can automate client review handling and semantic analysis, offering competitive analysis for comparison with local/national competitors.

🏠 Compagnie de Phalsbourg will operate a luxury hotel with 118 rooms in Paris' 7th arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. The hotel on the Rive Gauche next to Place de Breteuil, features a roof terrace with Eiffel Tower views, a ground-floor library bar, and a top-floor Japanese restaurant with private dining. LXR Hotels & Resorts is expanding globally, planning openings in Morocco, Italy, Japan, China, UAE, and more within five years, after reinforcing its US presence in 2024 with properties like Arizona Biltmore and Ka Laʻi Waikīkī Beach. David Heijligers of Hilton announced the introduction of the LXR brand to France.