Business travel

At the end of June, Iceland's low-cost airline PLAY will be launching its first flights to Europe, including one to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

The IHG group is extending its hybrid meetings offer in France with studios installed in InterContinental hotels in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Paris.

Alongside Canopy in the top-of-the-range segment, the Hilton group intends to carve out a place for itself in the lifestyle hotel sector with two low-cost brands, Tempo and Motto. These two brands are just beginning to take off.

The Mondrian lifestyle brand is moving into London's Shoreditch district in July with a 120-room hotel featuring a private club and trendy culinary areas. The opening marks the start of the Accor brand's global expansion.

Priority Pass continues to expand despite the pandemic. The group of airport lounges, rail and ferry terminals and luxury restaurants has announced 150 new units for 2021 alone.

Ultra-fast saliva test coupled with an app, customer flow management technology to streamline check-in: British Airways is evaluating new solutions to make life easier for passengers.

Flixmobility is back with a vengeance in Germany, with a network of trains covering 40 towns from this May. What's more, FlixTrain has also just set up in Sweden.

Algeria plans to gradually reopen its borders to international travellers from 1 June, subject to the presentation of PCR tests less than 36 hours old on arrival.

Australia's Qantas has not given up on a non-stop service between Europe and Australia. It has simply postponed it until 2024 with the launch of a route from London. New York should also benefit from non-stop flights. Still a distant dream, given that the Australian government is still putting off reopening its borders...

A new brand, Radisson Individuals, a focus on long stays and the new expectations of business travellers, development in France: Valérie Schuermans, Vice President Business Development at Radisson Hotel Group, reviews the latest news from her group.

Passengers transiting through Amsterdam will no longer need to remove liquids and electronic items from their bags when passing through security checks. A welcome technological innovation for business travellers...

Popular with business travellers, the Okko brand is opening a new hotel in Lille as part of a much-anticipated development at 31, rue de Béthune.

While lifestyle brand Canopy has just opened a hotel a stone's throw from the Trocadero, Hilton is preparing to open other hotels in Paris, with two Tapestry establishments due to open in the summer.

Etihad Airways is extending its range of services for passengers departing from Abu Dhabi with the possibility of home check-in, baggage testing and boarding passes.

Air Senegal plans to launch direct flights between Dakar and the United States in September. The airline is thus continuing its international expansion after starting operations in Lyon in March 2021.

Following the example of Marriott's Autograph Collection or Accor's MGallery, hotel brands that bring together fine independent hotels under the umbrella of major groups have proved their appeal. With the current crisis, this trend could gain even more momentum.

Hotel group results for the first quarter of 2021, which are still trending downwards, show a gradual improvement in the United States and China, in contrast to Europe, where health restrictions have weighed on hotel occupancy.

As the decontamination process gets under way in France, FREENOW for Business is helping companies and their business travellers to get back on the road safely. A practical guide.

Deutsche Bahn is moving towards all-digital ticketing by 2022.

In Budapest, InterCity is continuing to expand its presence close to major railway stations and airports. The next hotel is due to open at Amsterdam Schiphol later this year.