Business travel

The normalisation of travel conditions continues with the announcement by Air Canada of the reopening of a series of air routes. In total, the airline is re-establishing 34 international transatlantic and transpacific routes. Including its Paris CDG-Toronto route.

With a Hyatt Regency due to open near the City this year, and a luxurious St Regis due to welcome its first guests next year, London continues to see a steady stream of new hotel projects.

With Russia's recognition of the independence of the Donbass region, airlines are suspending flights to Ukraine. However, the country has just reaffirmed that it is safe for carriers to fly to its international airports.

After an initial experiment at Lille Flandres station, which did not survive the health crisis, the start-up Bonport is expanding again with the opening of a waiting room in Hall 1 of Paris-Montparnasse, just a few metres from track 21.

Whether Accor, Hilton, IHG or Marriott, the world's leading hotel companies have reported positive results for the 2021 financial year, thanks in particular to a rebound in business in the second half of the year.

Nice as well as Manchester, Milan and Rome are joining the Gulf Air network this summer. The capital of the Côte d'Azur will be linked to Bahrain twice a week from June 1.

Transavia has announced the opening of new routes from several French airports. Starting with Orly, from which the airline will pass the symbolic mark of 100 destinations served.

The managers of Caen-Carpiquet airport have published their 2021 results and their objectives for 2022. They are "resolutely confident" about the future of the airport.

At a time when Cathay Pacific is fighting for its survival, the civil aviation authorities in Hong Kong have just given the green light to low-cost carrier Greater Bay Airlines, granting it traffic rights for 104 routes...

The luxury lifestyle brand Thompson Hotels will be making its European debut in Madrid in the middle of the year with a 175-room hotel a stone's throw from the Puerta del Sol, topped by a rooftop with bar and restaurant.

Volotea will make its debut on the Tarbes-Orly route on 1 June, under a public service delegation agreement. The low-cost airline will offer two daily flights.

In Extenso has drawn up a balance sheet for 2021 for the French hotel industry, showing a further decline of -37% in revenue per room. However, there are a number of encouraging signs for 2022, particularly the new momentum in the seminar business.

Funding for the Bordeaux-Toulouse high-speed line has been completed by the local authorities, who hope to bring this future section into service by 2030. This 30-year-old project is expected to boost the railways' market share compared with air and car travel, thanks to a significant reduction in journey times.

Olivier Petit, partner at In Extenso Tourism, Culture & Hospitality, looks at resilience, the fundamentals of long-stay accommodation and the trend towards more services,

The major hotel groups - Accor, Marriott, IHG, Radisson and, more recently, Louvre Hotels - are all keen to strengthen their long-stay offering. Here's an update on current developments.

With lively restaurants and bars, a design approach and events that open up to local life, a new generation of lifestyle residences goes far beyond the traditional residential offer to help travellers overcome their loneliness.

Urban residence specialists such as Ascott, Adagio and Appart'City are continuing to expand their networks in France and Europe, joined by new lifestyle players.

With better results than the traditional hotel sector over the last two years, a recovery in line with expectations, and an offer adapted to the longer duration of business trips, long-stay accommodation has demonstrated its resilience.

Resilience and dynamic recovery, a record number of projects under way, the lifestyle lyf brand expected in Paris: Ngor Houai Lee, Managing Director Europe of the Ascott Group, reviews the latest news from the world leader in long-stay accommodation, voted best urban residence group in the world at the World Travel Awards in 2021.

Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are capitalising on the reopening of Australia's borders by strengthening their offer. Gulf Air could also make a comeback.