Amadeus Strengthens Presence at Two Key Travel Milestones


Amadeus développe de nouvelles solutions technologiques, de la réservation hôtelière aux contrôles biométriques aux frontières - DepositPhotos.com, MamunSheikh

CroisiEurope


Amadeus continues developing its technology solutions in the travel sector.

The group announces two developments affecting key stages of the journey:

– planning the trip, with the integration of travel insurance into hotel bookings ;

– arrival at the destination, with the rollout of contactless border controls in the United Kingdom.

These two initiatives rely on introducing new features into existing systems.


Integrated travel insurance with hotel bookings

Amadeus enriches its central reservation system (CRS) iHotelier with its Amadeus Travel Protection offering.

Already available to travel agencies and to some airlines, this solution is now extended to the entire hotel sector.

Two partners are integrated into this offering. Battleface, providing insurance covering medical emergencies, cancellations and baggage losses, and Sensible Weather, specialized in weather-related guarantees.

Depending on the cover chosen, travelers can be reimbursed up to 100%, without having to file a claim.

Hoteliers can offer these insurances directly at the time of booking, without needing to manage them themselves. They also receive a share of the revenue generated by their sale.


In the United Kingdom, new security gates

At another stage of the journey, Amadeus innovates in border controls within the United Kingdom. The UK has begun a phased rollout of a contactless, passport-free screening system based on the group’s Seamless Gates, installed at 13 international airports.

The system works thanks to a camera that photographs the passenger as they approach the gate. The image is compared with verified information regarding their identity, travel details, and passport.

The rollout covers the airports of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, and Stansted.

According to Amadeus, all the gates involved are expected to be progressively upgraded by early 2027.

The contactless passage, initially reserved for British citizens, should be extended to eligible foreign nationals.

Sofitel to Expand Berlin Presence Through SO/ Berlin Das Stue Transformation


Le SO/ Berlin Das Stue deviendra Sofitel Berlin Das Stue au premier trimestre 2027 - Photo : Sofitel

CroisiEurope


Accor announces the arrival of Sofitel Berlin Das Stue, which will replace the SO/ Berlin Das Stue brand in the first quarter of 2027.

Located in Berlin’s embassy district, along the edge of the Tiergarten and facing the zoo, the property occupies a 1930s neoclassical building, former royal Danish embassy and today protected as heritage.

The property comprises 78 rooms and suites, including a Bel Étage Suite and a Penthouse Suite. It also offers an indoor heated pool, a spa, fitness facilities, private meeting spaces, and a gastronomic offering.

As part of the rebranding, several improvements are planned: renovation of the guest rooms, replacement of bedding and textiles, refreshing of the public areas and corridors, new signage and lobby redesign, including the integration of new artistic and decorative elements.

Sofitel’s stated objective is to evolve the property to meet its standards while preserving its identity tied to its Danish diplomatic history, its architecture, and its contemporary design.


A New Address for Sofitel’s European Development

With this arrival, Sofitel continues its development in the major European capitals.

The brand indicates it is present or in development in 15 key European destinations, with notably the announced opening of Sofitel Dublin in 2027.

For Accor, Germany also represents a strategic market. The group operates nearly 300 hotels there, representing more than 43,000 rooms, all segments combined, while around thirty projects are currently in development.


Amelia Brille Written by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
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Arsenale Group Takes a 33% Stake in SJourney, Expands Its Presence in Asia


Arsenale Group prend 33 % de SJourney et entre sur le marché vietnamien - Photo : Arsenale Group

CroisiEurope


Arsenale Group announces a 33% stake in SJourney, a Vietnamese brand specializing in luxury rail travel.

The Italian group thus aims to continue the development of its international network of premium trains and strengthen its presence in the Asian market.

The operation follows the acquisition of Golden Eagle Luxury Trains by Arsenale in 2025.

It is part of the group’s strategy to develop an international offering of luxury rail travel across various destinations.


A New Milestone in SJourney’s Development

As part of this investment, Arsenale becomes a strategic minority shareholder of SJourney.

The group will notably contribute its commercial network and international distribution channels to support the growth and visibility of the Vietnamese brand on foreign markets.

Arsenale also intends to contribute to the development of new itineraries and to a potential expansion of SJourney into other markets. The group will also bring its expertise in evolving onboard service standards and offerings.

For its part, SJourney will preserve its Vietnamese identity and its positioning around experiential rail tourism. The brand offers itineraries that enable travelers to discover the landscapes, cultural heritage and local communities of Vietnam.


The Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City Axis at the Heart of the Offering

Among the main itineraries proposed by SJourney is notably the link between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This route traverses Vietnam from north to south and highlights several landscapes and cultural sites of the country.

The partnership also foresees the possibility of granting a license for the Golden Eagle brand. A potential positioning under the name “SJourney by Golden Eagle” remains subject to strategic and operational alignment between the two groups.


Amelia Brille Publié par Amelia Brille Rédactrice TourMaG.com
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Breathe in Travel Continues to Grow, Expanding Its Presence in Balkan Tourism


Dubrovnik - Croatie © Unsplash - Matthias Mullie

Climats du Monde



Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, but also Romania and Bulgaria: the Breathe in Travel network is gradually expanding across a large portion of the Balkans.

This growth rests on a philosophy the company has upheld since its beginnings: to be locally present to better know, understand and showcase the destinations.


A rapidly growing activity

These past years have seen a notable acceleration in the development of Breathe in Travel, with a significant rise in the number of travelers welcomed across its entire network.

This progression notably reflects the growing trust placed in Breathe in Travel by its partners and confirms the rising interest of European travelers in the Balkans.

Individual travelers, couples, families, groups, escorted tours or MICE projects: Breathe in Travel develops different segments while maintaining a strong emphasis on tailor-made journeys and authentic experiences.

This growth is also accompanied by the development of new partnerships with travel agencies and tourism players across several European markets.


A network taking shape across the Balkans

Breathe in Travel’s growth is primarily rooted in the field.

The company is progressively building a network of local teams, offices, and partners to directly manage operations in the various destinations it offers.

This presence enables Breathe in Travel to work closely with hoteliers, guides, drivers, producers, restaurateurs and local activity providers.

It also allows maintaining true control over the trips proposed: partner selection, itinerary creation, quality control of services, and traveler assistance during their stay.

The aim is not merely to add new destinations to a catalog, but to progressively build a genuine receptive network across the Balkans.


Piran - Slovénie © Bram Van Geerenstein


Violaine Fejoz, the Balkan passion in daily life


Violaine Fejoz

This adventure is also carried by the women and men who make up Breathe in Travel.

Among them, Violaine Fejoz, passionate about the Balkans and deeply committed to the company’s philosophy.

Through her travels and on-the-ground experience, Violaine has developed an in-depth knowledge of the region’s destinations. What she particularly cherishes about the Balkans is their incredible diversity: in a few hours, shifting from a bustling capital to a mountain village, discovering a small family-run operation, sailing along the Adriatic coast, or sharing a traditional meal with locals.

At Breathe in Travel, she participates in this drive to offer trips that go beyond the major tourist sites.

Her approach perfectly reflects the company’s DNA: know the terrain, prioritize encounters, and offer a more human way of discovering destinations.


This strong growth represents, above all, a new milestone for Breathe in Travel.

The company aims to continue its development, strengthen its local teams, expand its network of partners, and support more agencies and tour operators wishing to program the Balkans.

New destinations are gradually complementing Breathe in Travel’s historic markets, enabling the company to offer an ever wider coverage of the region.

Yet despite this growth, the philosophy remains the same: to grow without losing proximity to the field, local expertise, and the human dimension that define Breathe in Travel’s identity.

With activity continuing to rise and a presence that keeps expanding, Breathe in Travel today holds an increasingly prominent place among inbound tourism operators in the Balkans.

And for the team, the adventure has only just begun.


Kotor - Montenegro © Unsplash - Olga Brajnovic



Sargassum Presence: Can the Agency Be Held Liable? [ABO]


Présence de sargasses : la responsabilité de l'agence peut-elle être engagée ? - Depositphotos.com Auteur ArkadijSchell

Dream Yacht


Two female travelers turned to Mediation following a Caribbean stay, claiming they had endured degraded accommodation conditions. They were requesting a full refund of their trip.

The clients had booked a package tour with a travel agency for a stay at a seaside establishment. They report several difficulties encountered on site that, in their view, affected the quality of the stay.

They specifically mention sanitary conditions that they deem degraded, as well as a strong presence of sargassum along the coast, making swimming difficult and limiting access to the hotel’s outdoor spaces. They also report material inconveniences after swimming and substantial stress that, upon their return, led to medical examinations.

They further indicate that they could not alert the agency on site due to connectivity problems.

They believe they were deprived of the normal enjoyment of their stay and request a full refund of the services.

In response, the travel agency states that the establishment had been selected by the clients with full knowledge. It notes that the presence of sargassum is a natural phenomenon in this geographic area, which can be amplified by recent weather conditions. It also argues that no complaint was made during the stay despite exchanges with the agency’s staff.



What the texts say:

Legally, Article L.211-16 of the Tourism Code provides the professional’s strict liability for carrying out the services included in a package holiday, unless it is proven that the damage resulted from the traveler, a third party, or exceptional and unavoidable circumstances. Article L.211-8 also imposes a clear and complete pre-contractual obligation to inform about the essential characteristics of the stay.

Because the sargassum phenomenon is a known and recurring natural event in the area, it should have been the subject of clear and intelligible prior information from the professional, in order to allow travelers to book with full knowledge.

If this natural phenomenon itself is not, by itself, capable of giving rise to compensation, provided that it does not constitute a fault attributable to the professional, the lack of prior information is treated differently.

Indeed, it is this formal lack of information on an essential feature of the stay that can engage the professional’s liability and justify compensation. The file also shows that the presence of sargassum indeed altered the conditions for using the coast and the establishment’s outdoor spaces, thus partially affecting the quality of the services.


What the Tourism and Travel Mediation recommends:

Since the stay has already been consumed, a full refund cannot be considered. The Mediation also notes that it is not competent to rule on medical or bodily damages claimed.

Under these conditions, and in order to amicably settle the dispute, the MTV recommends granting compensation in the form of a credit, based solely on the lack of prior information regarding the presence of the sargasses.


Find all the practical cases of the Tourism and Travel Mediation by clicking HERE.