Business travel

The French group is playing the technology card and rethinking the way it welcomes its customers by deploying a new digital solution. 1,000 hotels worldwide will be equipped by the end of 2014.

Low-cost aviation is undoubtedly the biggest revolution in air travel in the last twenty years. Initially aimed at leisure travellers, low-cost airlines are now openly targeting business passengers. And they are being copied by the "classic" airlines...

Kayak has published an international study on the connectivity offered in hotels, noting that 90% of establishments worldwide now offer WiFi access. However, the booking site points out that this does not necessarily mean that a connection is offered in the room: free access in the lobby is enough to be included in this "free Wi-Fi" category.

Iberia will resume operations between Madrid and Montevideo from 1 January.^er September, with timetables adapted to facilitate connections for French business travellers.

On 17 April, Etihad Regional inaugurated its new flight between Toulouse and Geneva. The pink city has become the airline's first permanent French destination, enabling business travellers from Toulouse to reach Etihad's vast international network via its new Swiss hub.

Volotea will be making its debut at Marseille airport on 27 November with the inauguration of the new Marseille-Strasbourg flight.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of Thalys, Franck Gervais, Managing Director of Thalys International, gives his analysis of business travel between France and its European neighbours. A market in which the rail company has been able to grow in strength over the last few years, emphasising its strong points - service, flexibility, comfort - while working on the network of destinations and train punctuality. Interview. 

Eurostar has just completed a successful first quarter, with an increase in sales and traffic driven in particular by business travellers.

Tokyo Haneda Airport has recently opened up to the international market.

The Waldorf Astoria hotel has opened its doors in Jerusalem, replacing the former Palace Hotel. A new emblematic address for the Hilton group, which is focusing particularly on the Meetings & Events segment.

The Selectour Préférence Affaires network is teaming up with HRS Corporate to expand its hotel business.

From London to Vienna, Milan to Dubai, the Spanish group Melia International is calling on the greatest names in architecture to help it envision its future. 

Google has taken another step towards the world of travel by signing a licensing agreement with Room 77, a hotel booking platform whose technological skills could soon be exploited by the search engine to refine its ambitions in the world of travel. Ambitions that are becoming less and less concealed by the web giant.

Air Astana's ambitions for Europe are set to increase: the European Commission recently lifted restrictions on the Kazakh airline, allowing it to expand its network. A Paris-Almaty flight could be inaugurated as early as the end of 2014. 

United Airlines has just given a foretaste of its plans for business travellers at Heathrow airport. The airline will soon be inaugurating two new business lounges by transferring its infrastructure to the London airport's new Terminal 2.

Vueling is preparing to launch its first WiFi-connected flights: an agreement signed between the Spanish airline and Telefónica will see four aircraft equipped from this year, offering high-speed in-flight navigation.

Ethiopian Airlines will launch a new weekly service to Paris from 1 January.^er June, bringing the total number of flights between Addis Ababa and CDG airport to six.

The inauguration of Hotel Indigo Madrid - Gran Via was celebrated on 9 April, right in the heart of the Spanish capital. This is the brand's second boutique hotel in Spain, after Hotel Indigo Barcelona, which opened in 2012.

On Tuesday, Emirates inaugurated a business lounge for business travellers at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome. This new lounge is the 35th developed by Emirates within its global network, and the second in Italy after the one at Milan Malpensa, inaugurated last year.