Business travel

The Viceroy hotel has opened its doors in New York, marking the arrival of the luxury brand in the Big Apple.

On 14 November, Pullman revealed its new concept for meetings in London: the Pullman St Pancras hotel is the first to be equipped with the "business playground" room, dedicated to boards of directors, before it is rolled out across the network in 2014.

Attention business travellers in Scandinavia: the Swedish hotel group Scandic is launching HTL, a new hotel chain designed to meet demand from a "new target group, with different priorities to traditional customers".

Pending its entry into oneworld in early 2014, Sri Lankan is modernising its long-haul fleet.

Taxis G7 is stepping up the pace on the "mobility" front by now offering 4G Wi-Fi access in 2,000 vehicles. By the end of the year, a thousand tablets will also be deployed in the "VIP / Club Affaires" range of G7 Taxis. Both services are free of charge.

The Sesame concierge service welcomes business travellers to Reims station for their business trips in Champagne-Ardenne.

The Madrid-Miami route is back in service with Air Europa, which will be returning to Florida from 30 May.

Delta Air Lines has decided to fund 40 automated passport reading machines for New York JFK Airport in order to speed up immigration formalities....

The American authorities are preparing to authorise the use of electronic devices on board aircraft during take-off and landing. Telephone communications, however, remain prohibited.

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.