Top News

🤖 TUI France will deploy an AI conversational agent in summer 2025 across 207 agencies. This tool aids travel agents by swiftly generating comprehensive product comparisons and client-specific travel proposals using natural language. Operational since December, the AI searches for experience-based trips without a set destination. Leveraging RAG architecture ensures accurate responses. Established in July 2024, TUI’s AI team laid the groundwork in two months, highlighting TUI's commitment to AI while supporting physical agency presence.

📄 À partir de 2026, en France, le secteur Hôtels, Cafés, Restaurants (HCR) devra contribuer à un fonds de formation professionnelle, suite à un arrêté publié le 14 juin 2025. Les contributions seront de 0,2% de la masse salariale en 2026, augmentant à 0,35% en 2027, puis 0,5% en 2028. Ces fonds serviront exclusivement à la formation des salariés, au développement d'outils pédagogiques et à la valorisation des métiers HCR.

🏨 Encore Mieux revolutionizes urban hospitality in France by offering fully digital check-ins and smartphone-based room access via Nestor.OS technology. This system automates over 50% of hotel management tasks, including room assignments and billing. Located in historic city-center buildings, Encore Mieux combines heritage elegance with modern comfort. Each site has dedicated management to ensure personalized service and local integration. Funded by Financière Saint James, this model aims for a hybrid, profitable growth strategy.

💻 Septeo, led by Isabelle Viale and Sébastien Imbert, is pioneering AI integration in hospitality to optimize operations and enhance human capabilities. AI automates, predicts, and personalizes the guest experience, addressing retention by supporting staff. It transforms travel searches with virtual agents and manages post-stay feedback. Despite benefits, integrating AI across diverse hotel roles is complex and costly, requiring comprehensive software and APIs for seamless data exchange. Performance metrics are crucial for ROI assessment.

💰 Canary Technologies raised €69 million ($80 million) in a Series D funding round, just 12 months after a $50 million Series C. The round was led by Brighton Park Capital and values the company at $600 million. Canary Technologies supports over 20,000 hotels in 100+ countries, partnering with brands like Marriott and Wyndham. The funds will enhance AI solutions like AI Voice and Webchat, and boost global expansion efforts in the hospitality sector.

🏨 Paris, le 13 juin 2025 – BARNES Hospitality annonce l'ouverture de Maison Bauchart – BARNES Residences en septembre 2025 dans le Triangle d'Or parisien. Située dans un hôtel particulier de 1868, elle propose 10 suites de prestige de 50 à 145 m². Cette ouverture, un an après Maison Boissière inaugurée en mai 2024, illustre l'engagement de BARNES à redéfinir l'hospitalité de prestige avec des expériences uniques et raffinées.

💻 Trevor Grant interviews Diego Varela about AI's impact on metasearch in the travel industry. They discuss how AI agents like Gemini and ChatGPT might reshape metasearch, not replace it, emphasizing the continued importance of price comparison. They explore how platforms and OTAs are adapting, highlighting potential risks and opportunities. Diego advises hotels to focus on a robust online distribution strategy to remain competitive as AI technology evolves.

🟢 Essendi in 2024 achieved a 17% reduction in scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2019, validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative. 220 hotels, or 38% of their portfolio, are Green Key certified, and 95 hotels, covering 48% of their European portfolio's value, are BREEAM In-Use certified. A food waste reduction program in 50 hotels cut waste by 25-30%. Essendi's dual materiality assessment aligns with CSRD and ESRS standards, paving the way for a strengthened 2026 ESG strategy.

🏨 Situé à la Croix-Rousse, Lyon, un nouvel établissement ouvre à partir de septembre 2025 avec 100 lits en dortoir et 30 chambres privées. L'hôtel hybride "The People" propose des vues sur la basilique de Fourvière et inclut un bar-restaurant, espace de co-working, et zone événementielle. Certifié Clef Verte, il soutient Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque et collabore avec le festival We Love Green du 6 au 8 juin. Actuellement, 11 hostels sont exploités en France.