Business travel

The new Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills hotel will open in early June in the Japanese capital. It will be the first representative of the boutique hotel brand developed by the Hyatt group.

Melia is continuing its expansion by signing its first contract on the American market: the Innside Manhattan hotel is due to open in New York in 2016, marking a new turning point in the history of the former German brand, which became part of the Spanish hotel operator in 2000.

Eleven hotels in Turkey, including seven in Istanbul alone: Marriott is continuing to invest in this dynamic market, with the inauguration of a five-star establishment, the new Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli.

Passengers at Frankfurt airport are the most frequent users of online check-in and mobile boarding passes, according to figures published on 13 March by aviation telecommunications specialist SITA.

A study published by HRS analyses the differences in breakfast prices charged to business travellers in different countries. Singapore is the most expensive destination. French hotels rank twelfth.

TGV Lyria carried more than 5.9 million passengers in 2013, enabling the Franco-Swiss company to record improved results.

Iberia is teaming up with Samsung to get a head start on NFC. The Spanish airline intends to become the first in Europe to adopt contactless technology, which should make the experience of business travellers with suitable smartphones much smoother.

Airports Council International (ACI) has named Moscow Sheremetyevo airport the best hub in Europe in 2013. The Moscow airport came ahead of Zurich and Porto.

Lufthansa is setting a new course with the unveiling at ITB Berlin of an all-new Premium Economy, the first class introduced by the airline 35 years ago. Lufthansa's aim is to join the club of "five-star airlines", while meeting the expectations of customers looking for a combination of comfort and economy.

Eurostar posted good results for 2013, with record traffic of 10 million passengers, driven in particular by an increase in business customers (+6.2 %).

Twenty months of work and more than 32 million euros (40 million Swiss francs) were needed to completely renovate the Crowne Plaza Geneva, which was completed in February.

Sébastien Calmejane, Sales Director in France for easyJet, looks back at the low-cost carrier's growth among business customers. New business services, the unbundling of low-cost airlines, competition from Ryanair, areas for development: S. Calmejane takes stock of developments in the European air travel market, in which the orange airline is determined to win new market share. 

Air France will be operating a daily A380 flight between Paris and Hong Kong from 27 May. The Asian business destination will thus become the seventh city served by the airline's wide-body aircraft this summer.

In a few days' time, the Citadines City Centre Frankfurt will open, the third German representative of the Ascott Group's chain of residences.

Thalys is extending the range of services it offers to the many business travellers who use its network every week. Business customers can now pre-book the menu served on board, and access an online media kiosk.

Turkish Airlines' Marseille-Istanbul flight will become a daily service from 30 March.

Regus is strengthening its offering for the many business travellers using Frankfurt airport by opening a new business centre, the 19th for the German business destination.

Hilton, which has been absent from Paris since the departure of the former Hilton Arc de Triomphe, now the Hôtel du Collectionneur, has found a new prestigious address with the takeover of the Concorde Opéra, opposite the Gare St Lazare.

Malaysia Airlines has just completed its plan to renovate the airline's business lounges at Kuala Lumpur and Penang airports.

The first Okko hotel opened its doors in Nantes at the beginning of February, inaugurating an innovative concept in the French urban hotel market. Olivier Devys, who founded the company with Paul Dubrule, sets out the brand's roadmap and explains the Okko philosophy.