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🏦 Stephen Cassidy, Hilton's Senior Vice President and Managing Director for UK & Ireland, announced on December 31, 2024, that Esther Brittan, HR Operations Manager UK&I for Hilton, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 New Year Honours. She received the honor for her volunteer work, services to youth, and efforts in making the hospitality industry more accessible by reducing employment barriers and supporting inclusive programs such as WorkFit for individuals with Down syndrome.

📝 Tracking customer satisfaction is crucial for businesses, particularly SMEs. Verbatim analysis of customer comments, beyond numeric ratings, provides qualitative insights, revealing clients' feelings, expectations, and frustrations. Encouraging detailed feedback can be achieved through open-ended questions, accessible platforms, and prompt personalized responses. Analysing verbatims manually offers context, identifying strengths and weaknesses, while semantic analysis using NLP technology can quickly process large volumes of feedback, detecting themes, analyzing sentiment, and generating statistical reports. A hybrid approach, combining technology and human analysis, offers comprehensive understanding, enabling informed decision-making. Verbatim analysis translates customer feedback into actionable data, highlighting recurring topics and sentiments, essential for improving products, services, and overall customer experience. Guest Suite offers a complete client review management solution, identifying key themes, sentiment analysis, prioritization based on theme occurrence, and providing a comprehensive overview for business growth.

💰 Accor, leading the CAC 40 in 2024 with over 35% growth, raised its revenue per available room and EBITDA targets, after endorsements from UBS, Jefferies, and JP Morgan. Financial forecasts show 4-5% growth in revenue per available room and an EBITDA goal between €1.1 and €1.125 billion. The company reached 700 hotels in China by May 2024 and reported a pipeline of 231,000 rooms by the end of September. With a focus on luxury and lifestyle, Accor aims to continue network growth and allocate €3 billion to shareholders by 2027, despite European market exposure and Indian expansion challenges.

💰 Hotel workers' union strikes for three days until January 1st, protesting employers' proposed 5.5% salary increase for 2025, deemed inadequate—a mere €53 raise matching projected inflation rates. Union demands a €75 increase on the regional minimum wage of €915. Union president Adolfo Freitas criticizes the offer, underscoring Madeira's lackluster worker appreciation despite its strong tourism performance in 2024.

🏠 Located 10 minutes from Vannes, an 18th-century château and its dependencies have been renovated to launch a new, ambitious resort concept, offering various accommodations such as farmhouses for families, dormitory lofts for children, and exquisite rooms and suites in the château. From spring 2025, environmentally-friendly lodges and yurts will be available. The Mezo also welcomes external guests for events like signature lobster brunches, Friday afterworks, wine tastings, yoga retreats, and evening events with upcoming concerts by Pierpoljak in October, Jazz Chamber Orchestra in November, SolaR in December, and Irma and Keziah Jones in early 2025.

🏖 Notre-Dame de Paris is set to reopen on December 8, 2024, expecting 15 million visitors with a 2500-person capacity. Mews, a hospitality startup valued at over $1 billion, secured another nine-figure funding round, seven months post a $110 million round. Google Gemini's AI app launched in France for Android users, with iOS availability in weeks. Travelsoft's multiple European travel tech acquisitions aim to lead in distribution. Summer travelers used Apple AirTags to track lost luggage in transit. An immersive VR exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History runs from October 14, 2023, to June 16, 2024.

📌 En France, dès le 1er janvier, une loi transpartisane réduira les abattements fiscaux et renforcera les restrictions sur les locations saisonnières, donnant aux municipalités un pouvoir accru sur le marché touristique. Booking actualisera son système de notation client dès le 1er janvier, privilégiant les avis récents et les variations saisonnières. Les changements d'Airbnb dans les conditions d'annulation, prévus pour le 6 juin 2024, ont suscité des théories conspirationnistes, bien que visant à clarifier les politiques d'annulation. Selon Expedia, les voyageurs consacrent 303 minutes sur 45 jours et visitent 277 pages web avant de réserver. Booking et Expedia annoncent des licenciements massifs malgré des résultats financiers en hausse, Booking prévoyant de supprimer 700 à 1600 postes et Expedia 1500 postes, afin de réinvestir dans le marketing et l'acquisition de nouveaux clients.

🚢 The cruise industry is innovating with cutting-edge ships and unique concepts, targeting ultra-luxury, design, and glamour. After COVID-19, the industry bounced back, introducing ships like Royal Carribean's "Icon of The Seas," measuring 365 meters long with 2,805 cabins, 40 restaurants, and a 17-meter high waterfall. Cunard's "Queen Anne" features interiors by renowned designer Sybille de Margerie, reflecting a chic aesthetic. MSC Cruises introduced the "MSC Yacht Club," an exclusive ship-within-a-ship concept implemented across fifteen of its vessels.

🏦 Yves Wencker named General Manager of Hotel Westminster in Paris, succeeding Françoise Perrier. Boasting nearly 30 years of experience in hospitality, his prestigious career includes roles at Disneyland Paris, overseeing 7 hotels, and managing Hotel Raphaël in Paris, the Taj Palace in Marrakech, Commune by the Great Wall in China, and Cotton House in Mustique. Recently renovated Hotel Westminster is positioned among the most prestigious in Paris, near Place Vendôme, a hub for jewelry and fashion.