Top business schoolEMLYON has partnered with the INSTITUT PAUL BOCUSE, one of the world's leading schools for hotel management and gastronomy, to develop a specialist Masters in International Hospitality Management commencing this August.
Raised and educated in Portugal, Duarte Bon de Sousa has over 15 years worth of experience in the hospitality industry. Before joining the Oekter Collection Duarte, supervised the pre-opening of two boutique hotels in Lisbon. Previous to that he worked with the Choupana Hills Resort & Spa, Maderia, The Ritz in Lisbon and Le George V, Paris. In Autumn 2013 Duarte took up his new position with the Oetker Collection managing L’Apogee Courchevel , overseeing its first successful season.
Pricing is naturally a major concern for hotel customers, and thus hotel professionals. But concretely speaking, what strategies are being implemented? Hospitality On addresses French hoteliers’ current practices in France.
"Father, watch out on the left! Father, beware on the right!" called out Philip the Bold to his father, at the Battle of Poitiers. History's teachings remind us that threats can come from anywhere and we must look wide and far to not be caught by surprise. Today, danger lurks in the increasingly rapid market change and among its actors, whether they are customers or producers. But the right know-how can turn these dangers into opportunities to be exploited.
Europe's largest online travel portal HolidayCheck and Brand Karma, the only holistic digital marketing solution for hospitality and travel brands, have announced their partnership to generate relevant and deep insights about European travelers for hoteliers. Reviews sourced from HolidayCheck are now integrated into Brand Karma iO, which is used by international and luxury hotels worldwide to monitor, manage, and monetize their online reputations.
For the French hotel industry, 2013 is not likely to go down in history, either in a good or a bad way. The key word of the year is unquestionably, "stagnation": for the majority of categories and territories, RevPAR generally remained at 2012 levels, with only limited variations. Even Paris remained listless, as rooms revenue grew only slightly.
Old England did a successful publicity stunt. London is strutting about on the radio waves and in the gazettes boasting first place as world tourism capital with 16 million international visitors, ahead of Paris, Bangkok and New York. TYPO3SEARCH_begin CONTENT ELEMENT, uid:72857/text [begin] Text: [begin]
Companies are increasingly reticent about authorizing their managers, even their highest officers, to stay at properties that are discordant with the notion of saving on overhead. Ostentatious luxury is no longer seen as a sign of success but as a kind of arrogance that is less and less acceptable. Former president Sarkozy's celebration of victory in a famous Champs-Elysées venue remains ingrained in memories as in poor taste, casting a shadow on the image of palaces in public opinion.
November was a difficult month for the French hotel industry, as performances generally stagnated. Indeed, without the presence of Paris and a number of dynamic destinations, the month's results would have been even more disheartening: hotel performance in regional France, the Côte d'Azur and most large cities was down on last year. Traditionally, November is a quiet month for the hotel industry, and the morose economic situation didn't help.
Karl Lagerfeld has been commissioned to design two suites for Hôtel de Crillon, which is currently closed until 2015 for a complete restoration. Lagerfeld will bring his discerning eye, his expert knowledge of the finest craftsmanship and his philosophy of reviving history with an edge to this Parisian landmark, which was originally built in 1758.
Hilton Worldwide has reached an agreement which will see it rebrand the historic Concorde Opéra hotel under its Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand in late 2014.
Paris—December 19, 2013—FastBooking, the world's leading provider of digital marketing and technology solutions to increase hotel direct online reservations, announces the signing of a long-term contract to provide Pershing Hall hotel with GDS services to optimize high-end corporate accounts and top-tier leisure business.
Historically, the evolution of French RevPAR has been influenced by the growth in GDP and major events like the soccer World Cup in 1998 or the rugby World Cup in 2007. No such major event is scheduled in France before the soccer Euro in 2016 and the Ryder Cup in 2018. However, the perspective for 2014 is rather better than in 2013.
A typical grassroots industry, greeting customers 24/ 7 in its establishments, the hotel industry has felt the need to gradually centralize support functions as hotel networks expand. While it is desirable to take advantage of economies of scale and to have a global vision to develop national and international strategies, there is a risk of falling out of touch with local market realities and disempowering hotel management. TYPO3SEARCH_begin CONTENT ELEMENT, uid:71895/text [begin] Header: [begin] Header: [end] Text: [begin]
Shangri-La Hotel, Paris announces the arrival of Stefan W. Bollhalder as general manager. With 35 years devoted to hospitality, Mr. Bollhalder's career illustrates a life of service in the luxury industry.
The newest and most exciting Palace hotel in Paris has just launched its very own Film Club. Every Sunday evening, hotel guests and visitors alike are invited to the hotel's private cinema theatre to attend a deluxe screening of great cinema classics – such as 'Goldfinger', 'Casino', 'West Side Story' or 'Grease'. Complete with comfortable leather seats and state-of-the-art equipment including 3D, this 99-seat cinema is the cultural jewel of the hotel. It was recently voted as "one of the top private movie theatres in the world" by American Express' Departures Magazine. It is also the only cinema theatre in the world where you can enjoy the most moreish of movie snacks: caramelised pop-corn by Pierre Hermé, the 'Picasso of Pastry'. The perfect idea for a romantic date or friends outing – and a great way to finish the weekend off in style.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® has been appointed to manage the legendary Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. Rosewood is widely regarded as a leading ultra-luxury hotel company whose portfolio includes both contemporary classics and historic properties such as Rosewood London and The Carlyle, the quintessential New York hotel. Hôtel de Crillon is currently closed while it undergoes a complete restoration lasting two years and will reopen in 2015.
The French hotel industry experienced a difficult month in October, with rooms revenue generally down. While certain destinations managed to resist (regional hotel activity remained mostly stable, for instance), many cities saw a drop in trading. These included Paris, where hotel occupancy has been crumbling over the past few months. The capital's hotels are thus faced with an additional pressure. However, the high levels of occupancy in Paris do give the city's hoteliers the means to maintain ambitious pricing policies.
In a message from its communication agency to various publications, Booking.com denies being a greedy distributor who takes advantage of weak hoteliers in order to impose its own conditions. It attempts to restore a better image by rejecting 11 ideas. However, in doing so, it recognizes some practices alleged against it and avoids sensitive issues. The exercise deserves to be supplemented by answers to some additional questions....
Many hotel and tourism actors were banking on recovery from September onwards. Yet, although the month did not turn out too bad, since rooms revenue tended to remain stable compared to 2012, genuine recovery was, unfortunately, not on the cards. Several destinations such as Marseille, for instance, posted good performances, although the underlying trend did not indicate that recovery is round the corner. In short, September fell short of expectations.