Each month, CDS Group presents the « identity card » of one of its partners who make up the CDS Group Network. This week, we take you to meet Contact Hotels.

1/ What is Contact Hotels?

Contact Hotels is a group of some 300 independent establishments, of 2, 3 and 4 star categories, present throughout France, mainly in urban areas.

Founded by 3 colleagues, we have been in existence for about 30 years and have as a common objective to combine the skills of all in order to always improve the French independent hotel industry. In this perspective, everyone participates in the success of the group.

2/ What is your positioning in the business travel segment?

The business traveler represents 80 to 85% of our clientele, it is essentially professionals coming individually. We offer them a specific loyalty program, which is highly appreciated and very effective. Today, independent hoteliers are joining us with the aim of addressing this business clientele and employees on the move come to us because we offer them a warm, non-standardised service at attractive prices.

3/ What sanitary measures have been put in place since the Covid crisis?

At the time of the first containment, we were on a rate of 15% of opening of the hotels. Today, 85% are open, not always in their entirety but open.

We have applied sanitary measures since the end of April with the implementation of our « Covid Protect » charter, signed by all our hoteliers and displayed in all our hotels.

It includes 5 commitments:

• to reinforce the hygiene of our establishments;
• to protect our clients during their stay;
• reorganize our catering solutions;
• protecting our employees;
• limit the spread of the Covid 19 virus.

These actions are the commitment of all of us and we are particularly vigilant and scrupulous regarding government announcements in order to be always in conformity to ensure the continuation of our welcome.

4/ What is your vision of the partnership with CDS Group?

The partnership between Contact Hotels and CDS Group is the possibility of a direct relationship between the companies and the hoteliers, it is the insurance of a tariff transparency which is very important in the current situation.

This partnership allows us to develop our corporate clientele by targeting large groups.

It is above all a Franco-French partnership, very well received by our hoteliers because it is a bond of solidarity from which everyone will benefit.

5/ Benefits for CDS customers: What is the added value of your services for CDS customers?

Thanks to our partnership, CDS Group’s clients will benefit from a structured chain with invested hoteliers.

Contact Hotels is a human, welcoming, modern and non-standard hotel.

The notion of proximity is very important to us, by going to our establishments, our customers also promote consumption in local shops.

Apeca is the only association today that brings together public entities and their suppliers in the same ecosystem. It is an association of committed actors, passionate people who want to move the lines in their fields and develop good practices. As an association of economic actors and public entities, Apeca’s ambition is to optimize public purchasing. Particularly mobilized during the confinement and the crisis we are going through, Apeca wanted to make very concrete its values of sharing, accompaniment and support. In this perspective, it is committed to the training of its members by proposing learning paths for companies and public entities. For example, Apeca offers a three-step course on purchasing performance:

• knowledge: the fundamentals of a purchasing policy
  • establish or revisit its Purchasing policy
  • manage a purchasing organization
  • organize the sourcing
  • write a call for tenders
  • negotiate purchasing conditions
  • manage purchasing risks

• understanding: key elements to master
  • certification and labels, products and services
  • certification and labels of management systems
  • value and full cost analysis
  • challenges and contents of a responsible purchasing policy
  • the sustainable supplier and purchasing label
  • import mechanisms

• act: apply your purchasing policy and monitor your performance
  • evaluate its purchasing performance
  • evaluate its suppliers
  • integrate CSR criteria into a contract
  • evaluate its full cost of ownership
  • to guarantee the conformity of the products

Sandrine Bailly

Secretary General ACOA

sbailly@association-apeca.org

Introducing AppartCity: Why is your company relevant to business travel?

Located in the heart of major French cities, in Belgium and Switzerland, in business districts, near public transportation and shops, our apartment-hotels offer the freedom to enjoy your stay.

Our offer adapts to all lengths of business trips and provides greater comfort for medium and long stays.

Flexibility is our spearhead, but it does not exclude a qualitative service offer that meets the expectations of employees on the move.

The added value for the business travel industry: what are the benefits of this partnership for the business travel industry?

This partnership allows us to offer our customers the possibility of finding all the establishments in our chain on a single platform where availability is updated in real time.

We are also able to guarantee, always, the best price.

The partnership with CDS Group in brief

CDS is an operator that allows for real rate parity. Daily, it allows us to propose the best rate of the day, systematically updated.

Benefits for CDS customers: What is the added value of your services for CDS customers?

Thanks to our program negotiation expertise, CDS clients enjoy a 100% hotel program load rate.

In the complicated context that we are currently experiencing, what are the advantages of using Appart City?

There are several of them. First, there is a financial benefit that allows customers to roll over agreements obtained in 2020 into 2021. There are also health benefits, which are particularly important at this time. Not only does the traveler benefit from an apartment-hotel that applies a strict sanitary program, but he or she can also choose the rhythm of cleaning the room that suits him or her: daily or weekly. The last but not least advantage is the already existing configuration of the hotel apartment for telecommuting. The customer will be able to take advantage of Appart’City’s 100% fiber broadband connection. This was already the case in our spaces before the pandemic, it is more essential than ever today.

Each month, CDS Group presents the « identity card » of one of its partners who make up the CDS Group Network. This week, we take you to meet Logis Hotels.

• Express Presentation

Creator of experiences of stays and gastronomy for 70 years, the Logis Hotels group is the first chain of independent hotel-restaurateurs in Europe with 2400 establishments and 1800 restaurants. Logis Hotels are owned by independent owners, rooted in their region, who favor short circuits and seasonal products. Voted for the third time in a row « best budget chain » by CAPITAL in 2019, Logis Hôtels promotes a hotel industry made in France, made with passion.

• Added value for the business travel industry

By integrating Logis Hotels’ tools, CDS Group is able to increase the number of hotels offered. Logis Hotels is essentially composed of independents, independents that represent 50% of the French hotel industry. On the CDS Group platform, companies will be able to access an offer of 1600 Logis Hotels and Citotel establishments, in France and in 7 countries in Europe. Business travelers will have a real alternative to standard hotels. The prices charged are generally lower than those of hotels in integrated chains, thus helping to control accommodation and food budgets.

• The partnership with CDS Group in brief

By developing this partnership, CDS Group and Logis Hotels create an offer that did not exist until now. The two entities also want to show through this partnership a willingness to accelerate the recovery by supporting it with concrete actions. With its usual agility, CDS integrated seamlessly into the Logis Hotels distribution tool.

« The agreement between CDS Group and Logis Hotels Group allows companies and professional travelers to benefit from an incomparable network for their travels, a modern, de-standardized and sustainable hotel, to affirm their social and environmental commitment, and to actively contribute to preserving local employment while significantly reducing their travel costs. Welcome to our homes  » Karim Soleilhavoup – CEO Logis Hotels Group

• Benefits for CDS customers

By integrating Logis Hotels, CDS is integrating it into its global traveler information project. This project is all the more important today as pandemic risk and health issues must be considered with the highest degree of precision and transparency. Logis Hotels has proven to be a very complementary partner and fits perfectly into this approach, allowing travelers and travel validators greater readability of criteria.

In order to better meet the needs of its customers, CDS has encouraged Logis Hotels to develop a partnership with Amex to enable hoteliers to offer this payment method, which is widely used by business customers. The partnership between Logis Hotels and Amex is now underway and will allow for rapid progress in the services offered.

• A partnership that is in line with current events

Aware of the necessary changes required to fight against pandemics and more particularly against Covid-19,
Logis Hotels has set up a charter summarizing its commitments
. These include the establishment of a Covid-19 referent who will ensure strict compliance with the protocol. CDS supports this approach with strength and conviction and makes it clear to all its users by introducing a label indicating the level of security in the face of pandemic risk.

CDS Group highlights one of its partners in the world of business travel. This week, we unveil the common axes of development of the partnership with AirPlus in harmony with CDS news. CDS Groupe has developed a strategic collaboration with AirPlusIn addition to providing essential services to HBT customers, the two companies are working together to develop this relationship based on the proven needs and innovations of both companies.

As a central player in France, AirPlus allows us to equip corporates directly with the embedded card as well as to offer the customer enriched statements and payment terms associated with the entire CDS offer.

On the development within the travel agencies, the independent agencies, the networks and the big brands are equipped with CDS solutions integrated with the virtual payment card A.I.D.A.

As part of its partnership with Dimo, CDS is now available directly on the travelhub. This offer, essentially dedicated to French ETIs, allows them to set up direct hotel & SNCF connectors. The latter continue to benefit from AirPlus lodged cards and A.I.D.A. virtual payment cards on demand. The relationship is then managed in a Dimo Soft CDS and AirPlus project. If the customer wishes to centralize with his agency, the parameterization is also available through the NBT connector. The project is managed between Dimo, Traveldoo, the CDS agency and AirPlus. The flexibility and the number of infinite possibilities of settings allows CDS to offer centralized payment via AirPlus to all customers wishing to benefit from Booking.com for business, hotels.com, the GDS and its hotel program, without mark up.

As part of its development in Europe, the AirPlus teams in the United Kingdom and Italy are aware of the new CDS solutions allowing them to offer the services of a transparent and comprehensive hotel center in their market. Thus, with the local teams, projects and trainings are organized to promote the AirPlus CDS solutions.

Finally, within the framework of its innovations, AirPlus is also associated on the two developed segments:

• the use of payment methods and voice recognition ;
• group reservation and prepayment.

In terms of payment innovations, the integrated virtual payment card is possible in all new services offered by CDS, including those to come in the first quarter of 2020, notably for group reservations and for payments integrating voice recognition.

« Without payment, there is no development. In addition to being a pioneer in the systematic combination of hotel and payment, AirPlus allows us to consolidate our leadership in France with our customers and distributors, to develop on the two target markets for 2020 and to innovate without constraints. A historic partnership that looks to the future.

Ziad Minkara, CEO CDS Group

« The hotel industry is a strategic axis of our development, CDS is identified as a key partner in this segment. Adding to this the satisfaction of our common customers, we remain motivated to contribute to CDS’ success as an expert in reservation and payment solutions! »
.

Julie Troussicot, Director France AirPlus International

Press release: Following the IFTM by CDS Groupe Hackathon on October 1st and 2nd, during which several teams competed to develop new services for the business hotel industry, CDS Groupe has positioned itself as a technology and BtoB platform editor. The business hotel marketplace announces its collaboration with the team that won the President’s Award, a special prize for its innovative proposal that meets a need identified by CDS Group.

Business Lab is a hybrid digital agency that redefines customer experiences through the lens of brand, digital and commerce. With 120 employees and four different sites in Paris, Lyon, New York and Switzerland, Business Lab is part of the Arneo brand and brings together all the digital expertise.

CDS Group responds with this collaboration to a market that is not yet addressed. If some products exist, on the hotel part, it is a strong innovation. The hotel reservation marketplace is thus positioning itself on group reservations and adding a significant string to its bow.

The objective of this R&D collaboration for CDS Group, whose main targets will be tour operators, is to improve the user experience in group reservations, to simplify this process and to make it more efficient, in particular with a synchronization tunnel allowing immediate verification of availability. The co-constructed platform will improve the booking process and refine the needs of agencies with the immediate introduction of a highlighted booking process and the possibility of specifying one’s needs in a complementary field.

The hackathon by CDS will therefore give birth to an innovative solution that meets a real need in the first quarter of 2020, thanks to the Business Lab and CDS Group alliance.

About CDS Group:

CDS Group is a French company, dynamic, 100% independent and committed to its customers. Its Marketplace meets the needs of corporate clients, agencies and public administrations. CDS Group provides access to a hotel database with 1.5 million establishments. The CDS Network is composed of an open and dynamic ecosystem, strategic partnerships for the benefit of our clients and a development methodology that is 100% compatible with the industry’s offerings and innovations.

Contact: Ziad Minkara, Managing Director, zminkara@pp.cdsgroupe.com – (+33) 01 80 22 00 22

About Business Lab:

For 20 years, Business Lab has been helping its clients anticipate and optimize the digitalization of consumption. Our strong technological heritage fuels all of our initiatives and allows us to leverage new technologies to support our marketing, communication and sales strategies. We offer our clients a major competitive advantage: agility, boldness and the ability to adapt to a changing environment.

Contact: Nathalie GUIET – General Manager – Business Lab, 37-41 rue Fernand Pelloutier 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt – +33 6 13 18 85 26

• Express Presentation

Created in 2008, Viaxoft is located in France and has 4 data centers to meet the needs of its customers. Viaxoft publishes software for travel agencies, TMCs, tour operators, web players and hotel centers. Its objective is to offer a complete solution covering the entire sales process, from invoicing to the generation of reports, including customer relations.

• Added value for the business travel industry

Viaxoft has established many partnerships with business travel actors who immediately understood the interest of such a solution for users as well as for travel managers. Viaxoft positions itself as a brick of the agency, it recovers the flow of information and processes the data directly. It then becomes the agency’s billing tool and provides the industry with significant reliability and time savings.

• The partnership with CDS Group in brief

« Faced with the volume of CDS, there was a significant need for automatic billing. Viaxoft integrates the messages which come directly from CDS, in particular those of the TMC to recover the data and generate an automatic invoicing. This integration was fluid and fast. This development was carried out with CDS to serve the TMC « .. Ziad Minkara, CEO of CDS Group.

• Benefits for CDS customers

Agencies need a comprehensive system that allows them to increase their productivity. In the overall process of booking and paying for a hotel room, the most time-consuming tasks are the processing of supplier invoices and customer rebilling. By automating these actions, the partnership with Viaxoft saves 20 minutes per file for the agents in charge. This is also true for the end user who, thanks to Viaxoft’s transparency, saves precious time. The automation of the invoicing process avoids human errors during the data entry process.

• In summary…

« By partnering with Viaxoft, CDS Group shows its willingness to create the BSP counterpart for the hotel industry « , Ziad Minkara, General Manager of CDS Group.