Employer representation in the hotel and restaurant industry is being reshaped in Île-de-France. In a joint statement published on 24 September 2026, GHR Paris Île-de-France and Umih announced that, from 1 January 2027, the Paris-region organisation will take the name Union CHR Paris Île-de-France and become an associate union of Umih.
Its scope remains unchanged, covering cafés, hotels, restaurants, bistros, caterers and nightlife venues. The Paris-region organisation’s team and governance also remain the same.
60,000 Paris-region employees join Umih
According to official representativeness figures for the 2024-2027 cycle, GHR Paris Île-de-France alone represents 60,000 employees working in establishments across Paris and Île-de-France. This strengthens the position of Umih, whose status as the leading employers’ organisation in the CHR (cafés, hotels, restaurants) sector was confirmed for the third consecutive time in the 2024-2027 representativeness assessment.
The two organisations place the move against a backdrop of rising costs, recruitment difficulties, competitiveness challenges, changing consumer habits and fiscal and urban constraints. Committed to representing independent entrepreneurs and groups of independents, the Paris-region organisation believes that defending them must remain at the heart of union action.
A shared underlying vision
Beyond the choice of a professional body, the two organisations highlight a common view of the hospitality trades. They share a commitment to defending home-made food and craft skills, promoting the tourist appeal of Paris and Île-de-France, supporting business competitiveness and preserving the ecosystem of cafés, bistros, hotels, restaurants, caterers and nightlife venues.
They also set out a joint ambition: to make Paris a capital proud of its gastronomic history, its cafés, hotels, restaurants and convivial venues, and one that fully embraces its status as a global destination.
Pascal Mousset and Franck Chaumès at the helm
The rapprochement is the result of talks between Pascal Mousset, president of GHR Paris Île-de-France, and Franck Chaumès, national president of Umih’s restaurant branch.
Pascal Mousset explained that the organisation had made a choice founded on consistency and unity. Its priority, he stressed, remains the men and women who take the risk of running a business every day, who bring neighbourhoods to life and who contribute directly to the appeal of Paris and Île-de-France. Joining Umih was therefore a natural choice, he added: one of unity and effectiveness in the service of its members.
For his part, Franck Chaumès said their discussions had quickly revealed a shared vision of a professional organisation close to the ground, able to start from the day-to-day difficulties faced by professionals in order to defend their businesses and trades effectively. In his view, the arrival of the Paris-region organisation should help pool strengths and give a stronger voice to all hospitality professionals.
Making an impact in the 2027 presidential debate
Looking ahead to the 2027 presidential election, the two organisations intend to raise the profile of the hospitality trades in public debate. They will put forward three priority messages: recognising these trades as part of France’s living heritage, highlighting their contribution to the economy, employment and the country’s attractiveness, and defending professionals facing the fiscal, economic and urban difficulties that are weakening their businesses.
The stated aim is to strengthen the ability of independent businesses and groups to make their concerns heard by public authorities, at both national and regional level. Umih already took up this cause in the spring, when Thierry Marx and Franck Chaumès co-signed an open letter opposing the proposed reform of meal vouchers (titres-restaurant).
A realignment to watch
Analysis – The timing is no coincidence. Franck Chaumès is, alongside Brice Sannac, standing to succeed Thierry Marx as head of Umih in an election scheduled for 13 October. The rapprochement he championed therefore comes less than three weeks before the vote. The move marks a departure from the fault lines that have long divided the two employer camps. GHR, formed in 2022 through the merger of GNI, SNRTC and SNRPO, had notably ratified the referencing agreement with Klesia and Malakoff Humanis covering health and provident insurance for the HCR sector, an arrangement contested by Umih.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
GHR Paris Île-de-France joins Umih as an associate union
Effective 1 January 2027, GHR Paris Île-de-France becomes Union CHR Paris Île-de-France
Represents 60,000 employees in Paris and Île-de-France (2024-2027 representativeness cycle)
Team and governance remain unchanged
Deal led by Pascal Mousset (GHR Paris IdF) and Franck Chaumès (Umih restaurant branch)
Joint agenda ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election
