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m.welsch1

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Puy du Fou prepares to open a new park

🎠 Puy du Fou plans a €700 million theme park in Bicester, Oxfordshire, opening in phases starting 2029. Spanning 150 hectares, it will have 20,000 trees, 5 km of hedgerows, and 16 hectares of meadows. The park will create 2,000 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs, attracting 1.5 million visitors each year and generating €500 million locally. It will feature historical shows and is easily accessible from London, located near the M40 and Bicester railway station.
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The Social Hub strengthens its global marketing team to support European expansion

💻 Charlie Ayers, Rosa Dinnissen, and Shirley Kind are now part of the Amsterdam-based Social Hub's newly organized marketing team to enhance visibility. This B Corp-certified company has 21 hubs in 18 European cities, boasting over 10,000 rooms and 1,000 employees. With plans to expand in Turin and Lisbon, the Social Hub, founded by Charlie MacGregor, combines hotel, student, and coworking spaces, aiming for consistent brand recognition across Europe.
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Hyatt expands its lifestyle portfolio in France

📍 Facing the Aisne-Marne Canal, Hyatt Centric Reims offers direct access to Reims' cultural landmarks, like Notre-Dame Cathedral and several Champagne Houses. The hotel has 155 guestrooms, a restaurant called Le Néo, eight meeting rooms, and a bar with an extensive Champagne selection. It reflects the character of the Champagne region with vineyard-inspired interiors. This is the first Hyatt Centric in France, providing personalized experiences as highlighted by Nicolas Benfodda, General Manager.
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Premier Inn continues its expansion across secondary UK cities

🏨 Whitbread plans to start converting Verity House, South Bank, Leeds, into a Premier Inn in early 2026, with completion in spring 2027. Acquired in October 2024, this 44,000 sq ft project will bring £5.5 million in annual visitor spending, benefiting local businesses. It will join existing Leeds Premier Inns, and a 143-room project is also underway at Harewood Quarter. Whitbread aims for 125,000 UK rooms, emphasizing sustainability with 100% renewable electricity by 2025.
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Tomorrow’s trends: behind the quest for authenticity, the transformation of hospitality

🌍 Modern travellers, in a world overwhelmed by digital pressures, are shifting from merely sightseeing to seeking meaningful connections. Vanguelis Panayotis highlights how travel is evolving into a quest for authenticity, where individuals aim to escape daily routines and connect deeply with themselves, others, and the environment. This trend emphasizes emotional experiences over traditional tourism, reflecting a broader desire for genuine interactions and personal growth.
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A new stage in Rotana’s development

🏨 Rotana has signed a deal for Rotana Jabal Omar – Makkah, a 655-key hotel near Al Masjid Al Haram, during the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai. The project supports Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing pilgrimage capacity and service quality. Rotana operates 12 hotels in Saudi Arabia and plans nine more. Makkah is expanding its hospitality infrastructure, with hotel rooms expected to increase from 63,000 to over 71,000 by 2027, aiming to host 30 million pilgrims annually by 2030.
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European outdoor hospitality in transformation

🏖 European Camping Group (ECG) has rebranded, two years into its transformation plan, to unify corporate and operational brands. Following Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund investment, ECG aims for a cohesive identity. From 2026, all French operations will consolidate under the Homair brand, which holds a 43% brand awareness. Alannia Resorts, acquired in July 2025, will also adopt the ECG identity. A new Homair website and a Europe-wide campaign are set to launch in December.
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