Business travel

Kazakhstan's hotel landscape has acquired a new player: Ritz-Carlton has opened its first Kazakh establishment in Almaty, within the imposing Esentai Tower.

From 30 March, Vueling will be operating two flights a day between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Barcelona El Prat airports.

Air France is preparing to deploy an A380 on the Paris CDG-San Francisco route from 30 March to 25 October 2014.

Taiwan's leading private airline and a member of the Star Alliance, Eva Air has a modern fleet of 61 aircraft and covers a network of 63 destinations in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

At a time when companies need fresh ideas to stay in the economic race, hoteliers are reinventing the classic, somewhat worn-out model of meeting rooms by giving them a new design, creative and resolutely technological impetus, in tune with the new generation of business travellers.

The economic crisis has prompted companies to take a fresh look at their travel policies. The train, widely used for travel in France and neighbouring countries, is no exception to the rule, with companies increasingly opting for the most attractive fares.

Sophie Amsellem is deputy managing director of events agency le Public Système.

The Rosewood hotel opened its doors in London on 15 October. The establishment is the first representative of the luxury brand in the British business destination.

The DoubleTree by Hilton brand is venturing into new markets with the opening of its very first property in Quebec: the DoubleTree by Hilton Gatineau-Ottawa.

On 10 June, Miami will become the sixth American destination in the Qatar Airways network. The airline will operate four flights a week to Florida.

Nick Pendred is Cathay Pacific's Director of Sales and Marketing for France.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has just announced its fifth inauguration in Mexico in 2013 alone, with the opening of the Holiday Inn Mexico Buenavista. An impressive pace, which testifies to the ambitions shown by the hotel group on the Mexican market.

Air Canada is confirming its ambitions for business customers in Europe with the inauguration of a business lounge at Frankfurt airport. The new Maple Leaf Lounge at the Star Alliance hub is the airline's 21st lounge, and its fourth in Europe.

Lyria is proposing a new range of fares with an emphasis on flexibility to better meet the needs of business travellers. The Lyria Flex fare will be aimed primarily at business customers, while the Semi-Flex offer and a fortiori the Non-Flex fare will target the leisure segment.

Iberia has just unveiled its new visual identity: the logo presented on Tuesday 15 October is intended to symbolise the transformation of the airline, which aims to be "strong, modern, competitive and forward-thinking". The makeover is due to begin by the end of November.

The inauguration of the new Radisson Blu hotel in Algiers Hydra will mark the arrival of the Carlson Rezidor group in Algeria. The hotel is due to open its doors in early 2015, around twenty kilometres from the airport.

Eva Air is gaining in visibility on the French market, where the Taiwan-based airline is launching a fourth weekly flight. Its entry into the Star Alliance network should help strengthen its profile in France and Europe, as Manuel Le Gouellec, Sales Director France for Eva Air, explains. Interview by Florian Guillemin

A ninth Ritz-Carlton hotel opened its doors in China this week, in Chengdu. The 353-room establishment marks the arrival of the American hotelier in south-west China, in a particularly dynamic business destination.

Business travel by air will be disrupted this Thursday 10 October by a strike notice issued by the UNSA-ICNA and SPAC-CFDT unions. The DGAC is forecasting a drop in overall traffic of 10% from French airports.

Air France will be adding a daily flight to Jakarta from 30 March 2014, extending its Paris-Singapore route.