HOTELS
IN BRIEF AIRLINES Sebastien Bazin
ACCOR BOSS HITS OUT AT AIRBNB
THE BOSS OF HOTEL GROUP ACCOR has attacked ‘sharing economy’ sites, such as Airbnb, for not having to comply with the same legislation as traditional accommodation providers. Sebastien Bazin, CEO of the French-based firm which includes brands such as Ibis, Novotel, Mercure and Sofitel, said that he wanted all accommodation platforms to be subject to the same legislation as its properties. “I would like the legislation for Airbnb to be the same as for us – corporation tax, tourism tax, disability accessibility,” said Bazin in an interview with The Times. “But I’m not going to hide behind legislators to protect me. That would be foolish and irresponsible.”
Bazin added that Airbnb was “twisting its DNA” as the site
grew more rapidly. “It started off being about sharing somebody’s flat – which you’d use as a home, and behave like a local,” said Bazin. “Now, in New York, 40 per cent of the Airbnb offering is promoted as investor development. Developers converting an entire office building into Airbnb space – this has nothing to do with that DNA.” Airbnb has previously said that it is planning to work with authorities around the world to improve the regulation of the properties featured on its platforms.
■ Qatar Airways is to introduce a second Airbus A380 on to its Heathrow-Doha route from July 1. The airline launched its first superjumbo on the route in October 2014 and had originally intended to add a second daily A380 service to Heathrow from December 2014, but later cancelled the plan.
■ Gray Dawes Travel has acquired The Business Travel Partnership. The move sees Gray Dawes, which has been in the travel industry for 88 years, re-establish a presence in London. The TMC is owned by Ayrshire-based Inchcape Family Estates.
■ Heathrow is to open its first independent lounge at Terminal 5 this summer. Entry to the Aspire Lounge and Spa, located near gate 18, will be available for purchase by all passengers regardless of their class of travel. Aspire is a joint venture between the Collinson Group – the owners of Priority Pass – and Swissport. Pricing will be announced at a later date.
50 LEADING TMCs Bubbling under...
A NUMBER OF NOTABLE TMCs just missed making the cut for inclusion in BBT’s annual 50 Leading TMCs, which lists the top companies in the UK. Applehouse Travel was placed at 51, with UK sales of more than £16 million. Others included Midas Travel Management, West End Travel, Baxter Hoare and Omega Executive Travel, all of whom had UK sales of more than £10 million. The BBT 50 Leading TMCs guide starts on p57
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
Flybe: good restructure results
FLYBE IS EXPECTED TO BREAK-EVEN this year after increasing passenger numbers and revenue. The UK airline, which has just finished the first year of a three-year ‘turnaround’ programme, said passenger revenue rose by 5 per cent for the financial year ending March 31, 2015. Passenger numbers also increased
by 15 per cent year-on-year, matching a 15 per cent rise in capacity. Flybe says it is “on track to achieve around break-even at pre-tax profit level”, compared to a loss of £9 million last year.
As part of Flybe’s restructuring
process, the airline sold all of its Gatwick slots to Easyjet and started flying, instead, from London City airport in October last year. Flybe added that its routes from LCY and other UK airports were being “optimised with capacity diverted to the most successful” and that its routes from LCY were “showing promising progress”.
TMCs
NEW CEO AT REED & MACKAY
FRED STRATFORD HAS BEEN APPOINTED as CEO at TMC Reed & Mackay. Stratford was previously the firm’s chief financial officer, and has been with the business for three years. He replaces Andy Hibbert, who was with Reed & Mackay for eight years. More Movers & Shakers, p120
BBT MAY/JUNE 2015 7
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