Le Bleisure as seen by Conrad Hotels
Bleisure is a major trend in business travel. The Conrad brand, part of the Hilton Group, is thinking of all those professionals who only have a few hours between two meetings or at the end of the day to feel the mood of a destination. In October, the brand launched the StayInspired.com website, offering experiences to be enjoyed in one, three or five hours, from art and culture to shopping and gastronomy. These Conrad 1/3/5 experiences are also available via the Conrad Concierge app.
Hotels connected
Samsung and AccorHotels have signed a partnership agreement to deploy the technology giant's "SMART Hospitality Display" offering. The agreement will result in a host of Ultra High Definition screens in lobbies, bars and restaurants, as well as in hotel rooms. Customers will also have access to a whole range of intuitive home automation services. The two groups have also announced the construction of a pilot hotel in Seoul, combining cutting-edge technology with multiple connectivity for an interactive customer experience. Last April, long-stay hotel operator Ascott also formed an alliance with Samsung to roll out 'connected home' technologies to its residences. A test residence is due to open in Asia during 2016.
Airport intelligent
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji airport has launched an innovative application to make passengers' journey through its T2 terminal interactive. Using both augmented reality and beacon technology, the Mumbai T2 app gives travellers a geo-localised view of services within the terminal and information on departing flights.
A brief history
From the evening of Lufthansa
With their overloaded diaries, business travellers don't always get back to their children in time to tell them a little story. Until the end of the year, Lufthansa is helping them to overcome this problem. In Frankfurt and Munich, the airline has installed moon-shaped "Bedtime Stories" studios in the boarding areas, where parents can record themselves reading the story, then send it by e-mail or SMS. A microsite is then available for downloading or streaming.
Literature rail
Travelling by train is a great time to read. The SNCF is capitalising on this idea by launching the e-Livre service on TER and Intercités trains. Passengers can access a digital library of 100,000 books offline, including 5,000 classics of French literature. While these famous novels are available free of charge, the entire library, after the 45-day introductory offer, can be accessed for a subscription fee of 9.90 euros per month.
