Business travel

Announced in the third quarter of 2013, the opening of the Crowne Plaza Lyon, the result of the rebranding of the former Hôtel de la Cité-Concorde, took effect on 7 February.

Without being catastrophic, 2013 did not provide the boost expected by hoteliers after an already complicated 2012.

Germanwings has just announced a new route to Düsseldorf from Montpellier, which will operate twice a week.

Deutsche Bahn is launching the "m-ticket" mobile ticket for French business travellers, who can now receive their pass on their smartphone.

In view of the damage suffered by Véhicules de Tourisme avec Chauffeur since the introduction of the fifteen-minute time limit to protect taxis, the Conseil d'Etat has decided to suspend the measure until further notice.

Ten new routes will be added to TAP Portugal's schedule this summer, including a stopover in Nantes from July. The Portuguese airline will be operating the new Airbus aircraft that are about to be added to its fleet.

The Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport hotel officially opened its doors on 31 January, marking the brand's arrival in the Netherlands. Above all, it also paves the way for the mid-range brand's new European ambitions, which will take shape in two other business destinations - London and Zurich - with a continued focus on airports to target business travellers.

On 30 January, the Intercontinental group announced the opening of the Crowne Plaza JFK Airport New York City hotel. The brand's seventh representative in the Big Apple welcomes business travellers to the New York airport.

On the eve of its tenth anniversary, the Hôtel du Collectionneur is continuing on its own path since leaving the Hilton group. Voted France's best business hotel, it continues to move upmarket.

Frédéric Flageat-Simon, CEO of Alila, reveals the ambitions of the hotel group, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, where a new emblematic establishment will open its doors next March in Oman.  

On 29 January, at the KDS Now event, HRS will unveil its new identity "HRS Corporate - The Hotel Solutions Provider", designed to better embody the business positioning adopted by the hotel specialist, and in particular its advisory role for companies and business travellers.

Scandinavian Airlines is launching a new top-of-the-range service for French business travellers: transfer by chauffeur-driven saloon car to and from Paris-CDG and Nice-Côte d'Azur airports, backed up where necessary by a personalised assistance service to simplify airport formalities.

In 2017, the Marriott group plans to open a new Edition hotel in the heart of New York, in Times Square, two years after the inauguration of the brand's first representative in Manhattan.

On Thursday 23 January, EasyJet begins selling tickets for the new Montpellier-Rome route, which will start operating on 15 June.

The first Renaissance hotel opened recently in Aix-en-Provence, with 133 rooms just a stone's throw from the Cours Mirabeau.

The routes operated by HOP! from Montpellier Méditerranée airport are benefiting from strong demand from business travellers: passenger numbers increased by 60% between April and December 2013.

A new reference in the world of business travel has entered the App Store and Google Play catalogues: Lyria has just launched its new mobile application, to make it easier for business travellers to access the products and services of the Franco-Swiss company.

Taxi drivers are mobilising on Monday 13 January against the unfair competition from chauffeur-driven vehicles (VTCs). Several demonstrations are planned in major French cities - including Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux - and in Paris, where strikers met early this morning at Roissy-CDG and Orly.

The Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels took up residence in New York at the beginning of January in a 68-storey building, making it the tallest hotel in the Big Apple.

The Hilton Group opened the doors of the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center on 6 January. Quite simply the largest hotel in the city, with no fewer than 829 rooms and XXL facilities for hosting MICE events.