France

Réunion will soon have a Radisson hotel in the heart of Saint-Denis. The top-of-the-range brand has announced the acquisition of a property located just a stone's throw from the commercial and financial district of the French overseas department's capital. Opposite the Promenade, between the old town and the main motorway, the hotel is also just a stone's throw...

Ben Smith was quick to announce the colour of his appointment: his presidency will be marked by a move upmarket in Air France's offer, in particular to match the image of luxury and elegance conveyed by the French flag. This is the rationale behind the deployment of Business on the domestic network...

10.15 million passengers. Passing the 10 million passenger mark is more than just a symbol for Marseille Provence Marignane airport. According to the airport's management, 2019 saw some of the strongest traffic growth in a decade, with an increase of 8.1%. This growth is essentially due to the strong development of...

The 3,000th hotel is a symbolic milestone, illustrating Accor's leadership position in Europe, where the group now has 340,000 rooms in 39 countries, representing half of its global portfolio. By way of comparison, Marriott International, the world's leading hotel group, has only...

Aparthotels Adagio has increased its number of openings in 2019. Palaiseau Saclay in January 2019, Montpellier Centre the following month, both in the economy access range, then Lille Centre Grand Place and Paris Nation in the second half of the year for its Adagio brand: the long-stay brand co-owned by Accor and Pierre&Vacances has extended its footprint in...

With four new routes, Bordeaux airport will benefit the most from the new programme announced by easyJet on Wednesday. The airline will soon be basing a fifth aircraft there, an Airbus A320, which will enable it to boost traffic at Bordeaux airport. In fact, easyJet is betting on an increase in the number of seats available, estimated at...

According to Coach Omnium, there were no fewer than 118 convention centres in operation in France in 2018, with a further fifteen or so scheduled to open between now and 2025. This highly varied offering is scattered across the country, with centres of concentration varying in strength from region to region. Unsurprisingly, the Île-de-France region is...

52 million euros: this is the record amount of investment planned by the Puy du Fou for 2020. This financial windfall is aimed in particular at attracting corporate customers, by equipping itself with new ad hoc infrastructures. For example, a convention centre will be built on the Vendée site. Called the Théâtre Molière,...

Saint-Malo is determined to make a name for itself on the French MICE scene, with the aim of attracting no fewer than 100,000 participants by the end of next year. With this in mind, the Palais des Congrès is undergoing an ambitious renovation programme. Completely revamped and enlarged, 'Le Grand Large' now boasts a new Rotonde...

Overlooking the beach in Biarritz with its elegant Second Empire silhouette, the Hôtel du Palais shone in the spotlight for three days at the end of August, providing accommodation for the heads of state during the G7 summit. "Everything went perfectly. We were very honoured to host this summit of world leaders. It was a...

There's no need to travel to the other side of the world to organise an incentive or seminar by the sea. The French coastline, lulled by the waves of the North Sea and the English Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, boasts an incredible variety of landscapes: towering cliffs, rocky coasts, immense sandy beaches...

At a time when 'the shame of flying' is becoming a fashionable phenomenon, and when some people are advocating banning certain domestic flights, easyJet has just launched its first Franco-French service from Montpellier. Since 29 July, the airline has been offering four flights a week to and from Paris-CDG, operating every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday....

Wojo, the ambitious coworking brand supported by Bouygues and the Accor group, is setting out to conquer two new destinations. After introducing its Corner concept at the Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacré-Cœur hotel in November, it is now at another of the hotel group's brands - and in a different part of the world - that Wojo...

How do you view the recently announced ecotax? Paul Chiambaretto - There are several problematic aspects to this eco-tax. Starting with the amount, which seems fairly arbitrary and, above all, does not depend on the type of aircraft. It doesn't matter whether you're landing a highly polluting 25-year-old aircraft or a brand new one...

The decision was taken on Tuesday by French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne: an "ecotax" is to make its appearance, and is expected to raise around 180 million euros ($202 million) from 2020. The revenue would be used to fund daily transport in France, in particular the local rail network. The ecotax will be applied in...

Will regional business travellers one day have to choose between an SNCF train or... another TGV? This is the - barely caricatured - proposal put forward earlier this week by MPs François Ruffin (LFI) and Delphine Batho (Ecologie) during discussions on the Mobility Orientation Law (LOM). The aim would be to...

Here's some good news for business travellers in Strasbourg: since Friday, they have had access to one of the world's major hubs, Istanbul Airport. Turkish Airlines began operations at Strasbourg airport on 31 May. The Star Alliance airline - which is gaining momentum at the Alsatian airport - will now be offering four...

Casil Europe took a 49.99% stake in ATB in 2015, paving the way for a major programme to expand the airport's facilities and develop its network. The French government's refusal to allow Casil Europe to increase its stake in the airport precipitated the group's departure under Chinese management....

An increasingly diversified portfolio of brands: Best Western is putting this new commitment into practice in a number of ways. Firstly, in the budget segment, the group of independent hotels has launched the Sure Hotel by Best Western brand licence. The hotelier has also strengthened its lifestyle offering with its new Sadie brands in the top end of the market...

An all-time record for French airports. That's according to the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), which reports an unprecedented 172.5 million passengers, representing growth of 5.2% in 2018 - and even more than 5.3% if only mainland airports are taken into account. A lot of...