Innovation: start-up area

Travel better, spend less...

Innovation players are mobilising to combine business travel with price optimisation. For some time now, a new trend has been emerging: the "reverse yield management. While airlines and hoteliers continually review their fares in line with supply and demand, new tools are attempting to change the balance of power. Travellers can now opt for flexible booking, and players such as Yapta, TripBam, FairFly or FlyR automatically check, right up to the date of departure, that a more advantageous offer has not appeared according to the criteria favoured by the traveller, such as the location of the hotel or the class of travel. Depending on the opportunities available, the cost of the trip may be lowered and the standard of travel increased, or both.

In another register, Winglet sets out to answer the same question, which is a recurring one among travel managers: "have I paid the right price for this business trip?"To do this, the start-up analyses between six and eight billion air fares every dayThe aim is to guarantee buyers the transparency they need to negotiate more effectively.

Another option is to replace artificial intelligence with... human nature. Based on the model of American platforms such as Rocketrip or TripActionsthe Frenchman Fairjungle encourages travellers to challenge the average budgets calculated for each destination, then rewards the lowest-spending users by redistributing the savings made.

... or to reduce its impact on the environment

Why set off to meet a contact at New Yorkif he comes to France a few days later? These are the kinds of questions that a player like Hubtobee. This French start-up enables business travellers to publish their travel plans on a shared calendar to identify possible synergies and avoid unnecessary journeys.

Riding the same wave of responsible business travel, Ekotrip is encouraging employees to opt for travel formats that limit the amount of time they have to travel.budgetary and environmental impactA new French player has taken up the challenge of urban mobility. Since January, another French player has been tackling the issue of urban mobility. Kilometers connects to users' work diaries, identifies travel needs, and then the algorithm suggests the best solution for connecting the various stages of the journey. In Paris, the Kilometers tool goes a step further by enabling users to book a VTC Marcel. This new platform, which focuses onintermodality is also focusing on responsible business travel, guiding travellers towards sharing their airport shuttle, for example, but also promoting the use of public transport and calculating the carbon cost of each trip.

A breath of fresh air at meetings

It's not just individual travel that stimulates the creative potential of start-ups. A company like Klaxoon is targeting the meetings sector, for example, with the ambition of dusting off traditional formats. This suite of applications aims to boost the effectiveness of meetings by encouraging exchanges in a fun, visual way. Since its creation in 2015Klaxoon, the Rennes-based start-up, has expanded its offering with the MeetingBoard, which centralises the various tools on an interactive screen, and the Klaxoon Box, which allows external participants to be included in the meeting, even without an Internet connection.

Another playground for start-ups is corporate events. A player like MooveTeam for example, uses a mobile application to modernise team-building activities, conferences and even incentive trips. In the same vein, Virtual Room goes even further, using virtual reality headsets to immerse employees in a futuristic atmosphere, while integrating the company's visual codes on request.

Less fun, but oh so practical for businesses, are platforms such as Your event manager or Eliro simplify the organisation of professional events. Their mission: to centralise the booking of the various components of a team-building operation, meeting or seminar in a single portal.

Connected health and well-being

Le jetlag... It's the enemy of the business traveller who needs to remain productive, whatever the time slot of his meeting. To combat its effects, the solution is Dreem is based on a sleep band equipped with seven sensors, coupled with a mobile application. The system, developed by two Polytechnique alumni, collects all the data relating to sleep (brain activity, heart rate, movement), then improves the quality of sleep through suggested exercises (meditation, relaxation therapy, breathing) and sound stimulation.

For travellers who need to consult a doctor during their trip, the start-up AirDoctor lists healthcare professionals by speciality, by town and by language, then allows you to book an appointment and even obtain an electronic invoice, which can be transferred directly to your insurance company.

Another interesting initiative, awarded at CES 2019, is the mBox designed by French start-up Meersens. This connected box uses sensors to analyse the passenger's environment mSense to detect potential threats in the air, water, food, etc. Coupled with a mobile application, the mBox takes real-time readings of air pollution, UV rays, pesticides and gluten, and compares them with WHO standards to better identify risks.

Car park

Business travel may conjure up images of long-haul flights and far-flung hotels, but travelling by car is still an essential part of it, as is the problem of parking. And it's no coincidence that, at the exhibition VivaTechAccor's stand welcomed two start-ups aiming to make city travel more fluid. The first was Starboltoffers flexibility and freedom by multiplying mobility solutions. For example, by having a reserved space in a hotel car park for its fleet of electric bikes, scooters and cars, Starbolt aims to offer an alternative to taxis, enabling travellers to quickly book a scooter or bike to get to their appointment. The second, called OneParkis the "Booking of car parks". This reservation platform has 100,000 spaces in 1,500 locations, including Accor hotels and Effia car parks. Of course, OnePark has a strong presence near airports and railway stations, as well as in city centres, and it intends to focus on its international expansion. After Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain, OnePark has recently set up in Portugal.

On a smaller scale - just under 1,000 car parks in France - the start-up Parkmatch has been offering a car park rental management application to private individuals for the past two years. By the end of 2019, Parkmatch should be able to offer a universal remote control to access the reserved parking space without having to meet the owner, whether it's a rental for an hour or a month.