A new B&B hotel has just opened in Nice, right in the heart of the Arenas business district and just a few minutes from the city centre. seven minutes by tram from the airport. While this is an important opening, as it is the first hotel in the Côte d'Azur to be part of the B&B budget chain, it is also a testament to B&B's commitment to its customers. a dynamic brand. Despite the current circumstances, B&B Hotels expects to open 25 new establishments in France in both 2021 and 2022, and as many as 30 in 2023.
While B&B already offers 300 hotels in FranceVincent Quandalle, the Group's Managing Director, still sees " a strong growth potential in major French cities, obviously in the Paris region, but also in medium-sized towns where we do not yet have a presence. "Among the major projects to come, B&B expects to open a hotel in Bordeaux next year, in the fast-growing Bassins à Flots area, another in Evian and another in Toulon, near the railway station, as well as a third hotel in Reims and two others in the greater Lyon area. In the Paris region, among other projects in progress, B&B will be setting up in Paris on the Quai d'Ivry.
InternationallyIn France, the pace is just as brisk, with B&B continuing to expand in Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain, as well as in Switzerland, where four hotels will be added in 2022 to the four already open on the other side of the Alps. In Belgium, the brand will open in April in Ghent city centre and, a little later, in the heart of Antwerp, opposite the opera house.
However, like the rest of the hotel industry, the B&B group has not been spared by the crisis and the fall in visitor numbers. But, unlike its colleagues positioned at the top end of the market, B&B is demonstrating its ability to remain competitive. the resilience of the budget hotel sector. " Compared with the first containment, when only half of our hotels remained in operation, 96 % are now open, with the exception of hotels in specific areas such as Disney for examplesays Vincent Quandalle. The clientele that travels here is the natural clientele for budget hotels. Our weekday business is driven by the construction and public works sector, tradesmen and maintenance staff. "
The hotels where these travellers stay are operating at 60 %-65 % of their capacity, compared with 80% in normal times. On the other hand, the B&B Nanterre-Rueil, close to La Défense and heavily dependent on activity in the business district, saw a 60-point drop in occupancy, with an occupancy rate of around 20 %. " Since the first confinement, tertiary customers are absentsays the Managing Director of B&B Hotels. Visitor numbers remain very limited in city centres, around railway stations and airports, and in the vicinity of major congress and convention venues. This clientele will only return once the restaurants have reopened and meetings and training courses have resumed, hopefully around March-April. "
While we wait for the major trade fairs and conventions to start up again... probably at the beginning of the summer. " Business weather is given by health measures and restrictions on mobilitysays Vincent Quandalle. Since the last announcements, the occupancy rate has recovered five points. And we expect to see a recovery of around ten points with the authorisation of inter-regional travel on 15 December. "
At the same time, without radically changing it, the pandemic has led to changes in the brand's offering. While online check-in/check-out was already one of its key features, in March B&B Hôtels began working with Socotec to certify new health protocols, with all its establishments now displaying the Socotec label. Another development is the snack bar to compensate for the closure of the restaurants. " We had to come up with solutions so that our customers could eat in the evening, with a range of snacks, jars and pizzas, made in-house or delivered by local partners." says Vincent Quandalle. Is this a temporary solution or is it here to stay? " Why not, now that we know how to do it?asks the company's Managing Director. Especially as we've noticed that customers appreciate it."
