CONNECTED TRAVELLER

The Louvre Hotels group is embarking on an original initiative that is particularly relevant to business customers: all the group's brands will gradually adopt the Wifi + and Wifi ++ labels, depending on the speed offered by the establishment. 

On Tuesday at the Radisson Blu Boulogne, GBTA France organised an afterwork dedicated to the new NDC (New Distribution Capability) standard, promoted by IATA and set to transform distribution in the airline sector. The discussions between Yanik Hoyles, Director of the NDC programme at IATA, and Alexandre Jorre, Marketing Director at Amadeus, provided a clearer picture of the new prospects offered by the NDC standard to the various players in the market, as well as identifying the grey areas that remain as regards the possible applications of these multiple uses.

The KDS Now event was held at the Salle Wagram in Paris on Thursday. The theme of this 5th edition was the personalisation of the door-to-door tools developed by KDS, and preceded the launch of the KDS Neo Move application.

Since the end of April, Montpellier airport has been offering free, unlimited access to the Wi-Fi network.

Since its launch at the end of 2013, the Bird Office website has been rethinking the codes of meetings. The 100% online platform builds bridges between partners under-utilising their meeting rooms and users looking for space, savings and originality. The French start-up, which applies the recipe of the collaborative economy to BtoB, is now taking things a step further with the launch of its revamped website: a new, more intuitive showcase, featuring a rating system for meeting rooms and users. Interview with Arnaud Katz, co-founder of Bird Office.

Can today's business traveller do without an Internet connection, even if only for a few hours? Given the efforts made by airlines to provide WiFi on board their aircraft, it would appear not!

On Wednesday, Concur and the Club des Directeurs de Sécurité des Entreprises (CDSE) formalised a partnership designed to "put employee safety at the heart of companies' strategic challenges".

Booking.com is now offering a 'business' section aimed at business travellers and travel managers. The Booking Business site has recently been launched on the French market, targeting small businesses in particular.

Audi has just launched Audi on demand on the American market, a car rental system operating via a mobile application and featuring a concierge service. 

Capitaine Train unveiled its application for the Apple Watch on Friday. The train ticket booking website has taken great care with the design and functions of its new mobile showcase.

The Office Riders platform is making a name for itself in the world of the collaborative economy: the French site offers start-ups, business travellers and other self-employed people the chance to rent all or part of a flat by the hour or day in order to work there or organise a meeting or event. 

Air France has just launched its dedicated application for the Apple Watch, enabling business travellers to centralise their flight information around their wrist.

All trains on the Rhônexpress - the shuttle that runs between Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport and the city centre - now offer free Wi-Fi to business travellers arriving in or leaving the capital of the Gauls.

The Voyages d'Affaires nomad selection plays the finesse card with XXS-sized hard drives, magnetism with this magnetic screen, and even self-destruction with this ultra-secure smartphone.

The world of business travel is embracing the new habits and customs of a digitalised world.

The Smart Kapp board opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the traditional business meeting, by taking the traditional flipchart out of the spotlight and putting it in a hyper-connected world. 

Aigle Azur is stepping up the pace on the digital front, with the launch of its brand new mobile site, and the integration of a pre-seating option enabling business travellers to choose their seat before their flight. The next step is the arrival of a mobile application, planned for 2015. 

MagicEvent's mobile application now includes a number of practical new services designed to improve the day-to-day lives of business travellers on the move or teams at trade shows. In addition to business accommodation, MagicEvent Services now offers catering, transport and concierge services, which will soon be extended beyond Paris. 

A new type of suitcase has made its appearance in the world of business travel: Bluesmart is like an intelligent suitcase which, when paired with a smartphone, offers a whole new range of practical functions. 

Nice airport has just inaugurated an attractive new service for business travellers: high-speed WiFi connection is now available, free of charge.