Business travel

The Yotel brand will set up in Lisbon in 2024, within the World Trade Centre. At the same time, and still in Portugal, IHG will be adding a luxury hotel in Porto at the end of the year, as part of the Vignette Collection.

The Radisson Hotel Group is looking to accelerate its growth in the EMEA region and Asia-Pacific, with a host of new developments, the expansion of the Radisson Collection and Individuals brands, and new ambitions for prizeotel.

Emirates will launch its Premium Economy class on 1 June, adding a new intermediate option for business travellers.

Accor continues to build on its prestigious heritage. In Dubai, the famous liner Queen Elizabeth 2 is about to be transformed into a floating boutique hotel under the MGallery banner. In Venice, the Orient Express brand will take up residence in a historic palazzo transformed into a luxury hotel.

According to ACI (Airports Council International), European airports are reporting record passenger traffic. In March, airports reached their highest level of activity since the beginning of the pandemic.

From July, the Boomerang Club frequent flyer programme run by Eurowings, Lufthansa's low-cost subsidiary, will be replaced by Miles & More from the Lufthansa Group.

The Paris CDG-Tokyo Haneda flight and the London-Tokyo route remain suspended as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine. With little hope of a resumption, the airline has to contend with soaring oil prices, the ban on overflights of Russian territory and a yen whose value has fallen by 19% in one year against the dollar.

Eurostar and Thalys have now been integrated into the Eurostar Group holding company, which is expected to deliver its first commercial developments to customers in the next two to three years. The ambitious objective is to create additional traffic of around 10 million passengers over the next ten years.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region reopened to non-resident travellers on 1 May. Passengers must have a negative PCR test and quarantine themselves for seven days.

Brussels Airlines has decided to lift the obligation to wear a mask on board its aircraft. This measure has been available to business travellers since 3 May.

A new strategic address for business customers has recently opened in Riga, next to the Latvian airport, under the Hampton by Hilton banner.

The latest Airbus A350-900 to join the fleet of Germany's Lufthansa is equipped with an upgraded business class. Pending an overhaul of all the carrier's travel classes.

According to Jean-Paul Dubreuil, CEO of the Dubreuil Group and Marc Rochet, Chairman of French Bee and CEO of Air Caraïbes, French bee has reached cruising speed. This is particularly true for its fleet and network, which will include Miami in the autumn.

The Paris Administrative Court of Appeal has overturned a previous ruling, validating the continuation of work on the direct rail link between Roissy-CDG airport and Paris-Est station, scheduled to start in 2027.

Qantas has confirmed an order for 12 A350-1000s, 20 A220s and 20 A321XLRs. The announcement was made at a ceremony in Sydney attended by CEO Alan Joyce and Christian Scherer, Airbus Commercial Director and Head of Airbus International.

Sales up +85%, revenue per room up more than 100%: the results presented by Accor for the first quarter of 2022 reflect the limited impact of the Omicron variant on the business recovery, as well as the upturn in international business travel.

Hyatt combines two of its brands in the London district of Stratford, with a 225-room Hyatt Regency with 305 m2 of meeting space and a Hyatt House for extended stays with 127 studios and suites.

The Radisson Hotel Group is stepping up its expansion in Turkey, with 50 hotels in operation and under development by the end of 2023, rather than 2025 as previously announced. These include new Radisson Individuals and Radisson RED hotels.

The lifestyle chain Ruby Hotels is adding a second address in Switzerland, in Geneva, and making its debut in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, with a sustainable hotel.

The W Hotels lifestyle brand's second address in the emirate, the W Dubai - Mina Seyahi offers 318 rooms, an event space for 120 people and a host of dining options and relaxation areas.