Top News

❄ Acquired by Expérimental Group, L'Aigle des Neiges in Val d'Isère, with 113 rooms, transforms into L'Experimental Chalet Val d'Isère. Opening in January 2025, the hotel features a redesign by interior architect Dorothée Meilichzon, offering two restaurants, a spa, a boutique, a cocktail bar, meeting spaces, and a large terrace. Chef Rudy Ballin curates traditional Savoyard cuisine. The spa, with an indoor pool, massage booths, and a Nordic bath, partners with Dr. Barbara Sturm and Mansart Paris for innovative skincare treatments.

🌍 Lily Ray highlights Google's dominance in travel searches and bookings, with Google Travel pages ranking #1 for "voyage" and "flights" keywords in September. Google Travel suite includes Google Flights, dominating with major airlines and budget opportunities, Google Hotels, increasingly featuring small local businesses, Google Vacation Rentals, controlled by OTAs like VRBO and Booking, and Google Explore, promoting personalized experiences. Google Flights introduces a "Cheapest" filter feature globally, to be available in two weeks, focusing on price, potentially leading to longer layovers or secondary airports. The feature's launch is timed strategically before Black Friday and the holiday season.

🌙 Booking's annual "Travel Predictions" study for 2025, surveyed 27,000 people across 33 countries, revealing trends such as "noctourism" and "Boys II Zen." Noctourism, driven by a growing interest in astronomy and climate change adaptation, sees 62% of travelers seeking darker skies to enjoy stargazing (72%) and constellation observation (57%). HomeToGo's study notes that 45% plan off-season travel for budget stretching and crowd avoidance, with climate concerns influencing 35%. Expedia's concept of "JOMO" (Joy of Missing Out) is embraced by travelers seeking serene destinations for stress reduction (62%) and quality family time (47%). Additionally, "MultiGen Megatrips" are on the rise, with 46% of travelers choosing experiences over inheritance, and 80% of baby boomers willing to fund trips for their descendants. Technology is expected to enhance authentic travel experiences, with 66% using AI for informed decisions and 67% to find less crowded destinations.

🏨 Hospitality ON presents a list and map of new hotel openings and announcements globally within the last 10 days. The list includes hotel group chains and voluntary networks, showcasing locations, photos, and vital information. Newly opened hotels marked in yellow, announced openings in blue, rebranded hotels in green, and signed hotel project deals in orange.

🏖️ La Confédération des Acteurs du Tourisme (CAT) warns of new fiscal measures harming France's tourism sector competitiveness, affecting leisure and vacation spending. Measures include air travel tax, increased tourist tax, and new taxes on water consumption, civil security, and cruise ships. Domestic tourism, 70% of France's tourism GDP (1.6 billion tourist nights), faces detrimental impacts. CAT urges the government to halt tourist tax hikes and consult the industry. Tourist tax revenue soared from €238 million in 2012 to €845 million in 2022 without direct reinvestment in tourism.

🏖️ Sandaya's expansion includes acquiring Le Village Flottant de Pressac in Vienne and Ondres-Plage in Landes, reaching eight new sites by 2024. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2025, the group will invest over 8 million euros in these locations. In 2024, France will see Sandaya's first Aveyron location (Les Rivages at Millau) and third in Ardèche (La Roubine at Vallon-Pont d’Arc). Italy will gain four sites in Veneto and Tuscany. Ondres-Plage's 8 million euro revamp includes 150 new rentals for 2025. Le Village Flottant de Pressac will double its capacity with a new 900 m² lagoon, a 2,500 m² white sand beach, and 30 extra cottages, emphasizing eco-tourism in a 6.5-hectare NATURA 2000 zone.

📝 GuestDiary introduces new features, with the Review Module now available for properties with an AccuBook/GuestDiary website as of mid-October. The module sends post-departure emails to non-OTA bookings, asking for feedback via 7 customizable questions. Reviews can be moderated before publishing on the property's website and booking engine. Inbox Messaging aggregates communications from Airbnb, Booking.com, and soon, the website's "Contact Us" form, with future integration of Expedia messages planned. Feedback on these updates is welcome via GuestDiary's Facebook page.

📌 Journal Officiel du 16 octobre 2024 announces a decree dated October 3, 2024, extending amendments to the national collective agreement for hotels, cafes, and restaurants. Now, employees with one year of seniority (previously three years) must be classified at Level I Echelon 2. Seasonal workers’ one-year seniority is assessed by adding up successive seasonal contracts in the same company. A contribution has also been established to finance joint management, a move long adopted by hotel group managers for direct Level I Echelon 2 classification to ensure competitive salaries.

📢 Food Hotel Tech returns on March 19-20, 2025, at Paris Porte de Versailles for its 8th edition, focusing on innovation and new technologies. Networking events with tailored guided tours are scheduled for hotel directors on March 20 at 3 pm, marketing directors on March 19 at 11:30 am, and fast-food chain owners on March 19 at 10:30 am. Arnaud Cabanis, CEO of TikTok France, will open the event. Three new Innovation Awards will be presented: customer experience, connected kitchen, and CSR & home automation.

🏨 Mandarin Oriental, led by Laurent Kleitman since last year, expands luxury hotel offerings targeting major capitals and key regions like the Middle East, Japan, and North America. In the past 12 months, the company opened three boutique hotels in Japan, one in Mexico’s Yucatan, restored Budapest's Gellert Hotel, renovated 10 19th-century villas in Rome, and started a Bali hotel project. With 28 ongoing constructions, Mandarin Oriental aims to double its portfolio within a decade, ensuring each new opening positively impacts local economy and culture.