Business travel

AccorHotels took advantage of François Hollande's visit to Angola to sign an exclusive partnership with local group AAA ACTIVOS LDA. The agreement provides for the opening of 50 hotels in the country by 2017.

Integration of iAlbatros and Infinite Hotels, new application, loyalty programme, expansion abroad: the Citotel network of independent establishments is moving forward.

Acquired last year by the Chinese group Jin Jiang, Louvre Hotels has just signed a distribution partnership with American franchisor Magnuson.

Whether historic hotels or former department stores' warehouses converted into palaces, Milan's establishments often have a great story to tell. Of varying length, but always very elegant...

Cathay Pacific's fierce opposition to the creation of a low-cost carrier based in Hong Kong has finally paid off. 

Air Canada will be launching a brand new route between Lyon airport and Montreal next year. This new direct flight will operate all year round, up to five times a week: a first for Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport, as the airline points out.

EasyJet has announced the forthcoming opening of six new routes, which will have a direct impact on business travellers in Lille, Grenoble and especially Lyon. Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport alone will benefit from 4 new destinations.

Nhow, the NH group's 'trendy' brand, is preparing to make a grand entrance in Amsterdam. 

Craig Dewey, American Airlines' Commercial Director for EMEA, was in Paris on Tuesday. While no scoops were released during his visit to the French market, he did take the opportunity to provide a progress report on the merger with US Airways, which has been underway since December 2013. Investments, the network and the overall strategy of this "new" airline giant in Europe and France were also discussed. Interview.

Who are the French business travellers of today: this is the title of the study published by Aparthotels Adagio. It reveals that generation Y now accounts for 22.5% of business travel, with all that this implies in terms of new expectations and new uses. Bleisure" is also targeted as one of the major future trends for aparthotels.

A new Tribute brand, the relaunch of Sheraton, technological innovations: the Starwood group continues to expand despite a number of uncertainties.

The strengthening of the Air France schedule to Cuba will be accompanied by route closures on destinations which have not met with the expected success, particularly in the business travel segment.

A few days ago, Cathay Pacific inaugurated a new lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. 

Lille, the city where the AccorHotels adventure was born almost 50 years ago, saw the unveiling of the brand new "Sweet Room by ibis" room concept.

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. 

The SNCF has transformed the historic Mistral train, which ran between Paris and Nice in the 1950s, into an original venue for receptions, cocktails, dinners and evening events.

Like all the world's major airports, Paris CDG dreams of becoming a new "aerotropolis", an airport city. That's why Aéroports de Paris (ADP), the airport operator and landowner, is so keen to support the development of Roissypôle. New hotels for business travellers will soon be built here.

It now seems to be just a matter of formalities. After almost being taken over by its enemy Ryanair, Ireland's national airline Aer Lingus is finally set to merge with the IAG group, the holding company for British Airways and Iberia. 

The heads of Europe's five largest airline groups met in Brussels on Wednesday. Alexandre de Juniac (Air France KLM), Carolyn McCall (EasyJet), Willie Walsh (IAG), Carsten Spohr (Lufthansa) and Michael O'Leary (Ryanair) agreed on a joint strategy to ensure the competitiveness of European carriers. Four measures have already been targeted following this first meeting.

Air France has just unveiled its newly refurbished business lounge, which has been welcoming business travellers to Bordeaux-Mérignac airport since 12 June.