Wrong Christmas Sweater party
23-12-2015
On the Korte Heuvel in the Dutch town Tilburg, they celebrated the last Friday Afternoon Party before Christmas with a ‘Wrong Christmas Sweater’ theme.
Wrong Christmas Sweater party
Last year, the largest Friday afternoon party from Tilburg has been a huge success as well and they had the same theme; Foute Kersttrui (Wrong Christmas Sweater). Hundreds of people gathered at the party area of the Korte Heuvel to kick of the holiday season with colleagues and friends. Santa and his Christmas wives were present and there were torches everywhere. One could eat our famous Dutch pea soup (snert) and there was plenty of glühwein (mulled wine) and beer. This year the ‘Wrong Christmas Sweater’ party was held on Friday 18th December as from 17:00 everyone was welcome. With a wrong Christmas sweater you received free mulled wine at Polly Maggoo. Initiators are the owners of Polly Maggoo and it is now adopted by a number of cafes in the area.
Inspiration
Come up with a nice theme and prolong the festivities surrounding Christmas. Since 18 December, the Christmas Season started and there is no one available for work-related Christmas parties so this initiative in Tilburg is a lovely way to throw a party and to generate additional revenue. Win / win for participants and entrepreneurs. Just as the ‘Kerstmiddag’ (Christmas Afternoon) on 24 December in Hengelo.
Sommelierwijnen; a new Dutch initiative for sommeliers with guts
22-12-2015
Sommelierwijnen (Sommelier Wine) is making exceptional wines from small, but very good winemakers available for the Dutch gastronomy. Sommelierwijnen is an initiative of eight wine importers who have joined forces to sell all their wines through one contact. Various sommeliers from Dutch Michelin starred restaurants already work with them.
Collaboration to make wine from small but major wineries accessible
The founders of Sommelierwijnen are all importers with great skill and passion for wines that are being delivered to restaurants. By combining their offerings they make it possible for sommeliers to work with several wineries that would otherwise be inaccessible or impractical. In plain language: you’re not waiting for yet another wine supplier where you might only buy 60 bottles a year or even less. Even though the wine is very special! Thanks to this initiative, sommeliers are now able to order wines at 8 different importers with the benefit of just one contact and one invoice.
One-stop-shopping at Sommelierwijnen
These importers offer many unique wines from the Jura, Corsica, India and even Thailand. Even from within Europe, they sell classic wines made from unknown grapes like Tibouren, Elbling, Frühroter and Roter Veltliner and unknown wines from for example Madeira, Serbia and Bosnia. The 8 different wine suppliers do introduce themselves at the website, each with two of their so-called ‘signature wines’; wines that are an example for their vision and quality.
SnowPage symbolises the festive spirit at the Peninsula Hotels
21-12-2015
The Peninsula Hotels are ready for the Christmas season. The SnowPage, their mascot and limited edition cuddly toy is for sale for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
SnowPage, the ultimate holiday ambassador
SnowPage is dressed to impress for the holiday fundraising campaign by the Peninsula Hotels. The SnowPage is fashionably restyled by the luxury toy art collective Papinee. They created a limited edition of just 300 toys for each hotel, and all profits will be donated to the Make- A-Wish Foundation®. If guests buy one of the SnowPages they will have a chance on winning an ultimate Peninsula experience with the “Golden Tickets”, offering prizes for all the family. The Golden Tickets are hidden inside some SnowPage boxes.
Papinee created the SnowPages
Papinee has hand-crafted 10 limited edition SnowPage toys, with the lovable snowman dressed in exquisitely embroidered costumes inspired by the arts, culture and architecture of each Peninsula destination. Hallmarked by Papinee’s detailed craftsmanship and vibrant design style, the exclusive SnowPage toys are designed with care using the finest luxury fabrics.
The Peninsula Hong Kong SnowPage will be dressed in a dark navy jacket, embroidered with vintage neon motifs, The Peninsula Beijing SnowPage will wear a signature Page cap with his red patterned coat with a traditional Chinese dragon design. A New York SnowPage is stylish in red, white and blue with hints of New York’s Art Deco movement, while the Tokyo SnowPage will be dressed in a classic cherry blossoms-embellished kimono.
Curiosity Kitchen gives the ancient ‘oliebol’ new flavours
18-12-2015
Curiosity Kitchen has created three unique ‘oliebol’ flavours. An oliebol is a traditional Dutch treat at New Year’s Eve and tastes like a donut. The flavours: hazelnut paste, lemon curd and raisins soaked in whiskey and crispy fried bacon.
The oliebollen
They will make three types of the ancient recipe from oliebollen on the 31st of December. Oliebollen with hazelnut spread, with lemon curd and in whiskey soaked raisins and crispy fried bacon. They searched for bold flavours which also guarantee a good texture so the oliebollen still have the right creaminess, hot and cold.
Curiosity kitchen oliebollen pick-up party
The three friends, Dennis Favier, Joeri Hollink and Jeroen Advokaat will be baking the oliebollen themselves and will organise a party while selling them. The friends will start baking early in the morning and hope to sell more than 2,000 oliebollen! You can pre-order your oliebollen but they also make sure that people who are spontaneously visiting the pick-up party in Pavlov cafe in Gorinchem (The Netherlands) will be able to buy some oliebollen. Don’t be disappointed if all the oliebollen have been sold already During the pick-up party the café will serve glühwein (mulled wine) and there will be music!
Plans for 2016
Officially Curiosity Kitchen will start in 2016 and within the concept they will design new food concepts and products. Meaning that with this initiative they will start 2016 appropriately! Dennis and Joery both are educated food designers and they have many plans, including a series of Kitchen Takeovers. As Dennis Favier told on the phone; they are going to bring their hobby into practice and hope that this will grow beyond their wildest dreams. We wish them lots of success! ^ Marjolein
#RFWinterTale storytelling around the Christmas Season
18-12-2015
The winter tales about Rudy the elk’s journey celebrating Europe’s Festive experiences. His journey is made even more special by the Rocco Forte hotels. Creating storytelling with the #RFWinterTale.
At the website of the Rocco Forte Hotel chain, you can find different stories about Rudy the elk, who is experiencing different elements of all the cities where the Rocco Forte chain has a residential hotel. In short all the stories are about Rudolph, the elk’s adventures while he travels through Europe. Every winter, he suffered the humiliation of being mistaken for a reindeer. So Rudy packed his bags for a grand tour through Europe, in order to educate the world about the mighty elk, which is definitely not the same as the reindeer. Even though his parents called him Rudolph….
Create your own story aroundRudolph, #RFWinterTale
As we write Rudy has already visited the Rocco Forte Astoria hotel in St. Petersburg, the hotel Savoy in Florence, the Villa Kenedy in Frankfurt and hotel Amigo in Brussels. Nice short bedtime stories to tell your kids, especially if they love to travel! At the website of the Rocco Forte chain you can create your own Winter’s Tale about Rudy. After sharing your tale at your social media channels, you can enter to win a 6-night stay at three of their luxurious properties, for two nights each.
About the Rocco Forte Hotel Chain
Established by Sir Rocco Forte and sister, Olga Polizzi in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels is a family of 10 individual hotels and resorts in Europe. Located in Edinburgh, London, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Florence, Rome, Sicily and St. Peterburg. Each hotel is a landmark and they’re all individual hotels with exclusive design and distinctive dining and service. The hotels are member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Roast Chicken Bar, a hip chicken concept
17-12-2015
On Sunday, 13 December a new restaurant, the Roast Chicken Bar has opened in Haarlem (The Netherlands) on the Turfmarkt. A hip chicken concept with rotisserie chicken!
The initiators and owners of Roast Chicken Bar, Bas Lammersen and Michael Kras want to create a place where you can eat the best chicken of Haarlem and surroundings. The hen and her eggs are the highlights on the menu. The eggs are served in many ways, for example as ‘Egg Store Sliders’ (in a brioche bowl) with names like ‘The Hangover’ (egg with bacon and gorgonzola). And ‘The Eggsperience’ including an Avo & Egg combination which is really appealing! In addition there are some classics on the menu such as Egg Benedict and Florentine and snacks, salads and sides such as bio chips with homemade mayo. We think that the menu sounds good. When we are in Haarlem, we most certainly will visit the Roast Chicken Bar!
Hip chicken concept
In March 2015 our colleague Guido Verschoor wrote in his blog (unfortunately only in Dutch) that he expected a revival of chicken concepts in the coming months. Partly based on rotisserie chicken concepts in New York, such as Papa Poule, but also closer to home, Poule Poulette in Antwerp. This is what happening now, in a fairly rapid pace! Even in Haarlem they have a second chicken concept: De Kippenhal.
We wish Michael and Bas lots of fun in their new business and success of course! ^Marjolein
CityHub, a capsule hotel in Amsterdam
15-12-2015
Last month CityHub opened its doors on Bellamystraat in Amsterdam’s Oud West district. Fifty state-of-the-art sleeping units, a ‘digital first’ lobby and an app that familiarises travellers with the city.
We spotted CityHub in 2012 when they got the idea and were exploring the possibilities. CityHub is an initiative of college friends Sem Schuurkes (32) and Pieter van Tilburg (29). The young entrepreneurs set themselves the goal of improving the traditional hotel experience in line with the current zeitgeist and technological capabilities. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, they opened a small pilot branch, ‘CityHub Beta’ in Amsterdam’s Oud West neighbourhood in July 2012. With an average occupancy rate of 95% and enthusiastic reviews on Booking.com, Airbnb and TripAdvisor, the pilot was hailed as a great success. Their popularity and success also resulted in a private investor (angel investor) and ABN AMRO coming on board to help Schuurkes and Van Tilburg set up the location with 50 Hubs on Bellamystraat.
So last month the CityHub opened its doors enabling their guests, mostly the travel-savvy Generation Y, to explore Amsterdam, socialise with friends and share experiences online. According to the owners a new kind of traveller has emerged: 20- to 35-year-old digital natives. For them, ‘discovery’ is the key: five-star hotels and stereotypical tourists spots don’t make them tick; they want to hear about the city’s hotspots from people in the know and enjoy a personalised travel experience instead. They are connected 24/7 and expect information on the go: a principle that is not optimally utilised by many traditional hotels. CityHub builds the entire travel experience around these new developments in the travel industry, through a city app, an online chat platform with a personal host, and unique Hubs in which to sleep.
Christmas afternoon party Hengelo’s peak of the year!
15-12-2015
Bram Kosterink blogs about a tradition of his native region Twente, in the east of the Netherlands. An inspiration for cities all over the world.
Most Dutch trends are made and tested in the western cities of the Netherlands, like Amsterdam. Something which was mentioned during one of my trend presentations last Tuesday. This remark set me thinking, which cool successful initiative is conceived in my native region Twente? The first thing crossing my mind was ‘kerstmiddag’, our Christmas afternoon party! No it isn’t Christmas eve or a Christmas diner but ‘kerstmiddag’. For several years a successful tradition in my hometown Hengelo. The initiative was conceived by an entrepreneur with a restaurant in the city centre of Hengelo. After he initiated this event, many hospitality companies followed his idea. Nowadays almost all hospitality companies within the city centre are joining this event.
The Christmas afternoon party is an event which all citizens of Hengelo are looking forward to. Students who left their parents homes, citizens who emigrated to other parts of the country, all come back for this special event! Weeks in advance tickets are sold by several hospitality companies. Prices are ranging from € 15,=, some included entrance fee, other companies include drink vouchers.
Christmas afternoon party
What is the meaning of ‘kerstmiddag’? From eleven in the morning the real diehards are gathering together, others will join during the day. Meetings are set with family, friends and relatives to gather over drinks in several cafés and restaurants, just to meet. At four/five o’clock, after a full day of singing, dancing and talking, people are heading home (mostly a little tipsy). They quickly refresh, take a powernap or start drinking again, all to prepare for Christmas eve.
Annually 20.000 till 25.000 partygoers meet in the city centre of Hengelo, a huge success! The commonly support is the major strength of this event, almost every citizen and hospitality entrepreneur joins the festivities. Curious about the event? Join me at the 24th of December. If you are looking for a ‘good’ conversation, you can find me at café ‘t Uurwerk.
I am very interested in your Christmas tradition. If you have one, please share at tip@spronsen.com and I hope to inspire other hospitality entrepreneurs with your story! ^Bram Kosterink
A small hospitable gesture: Children’s buffet
14-12-2015
The 5-star Brown’s Hotel in London, is not only entertaining for parents but for the children as well. Brown’s Hotel offers, besides the normal buffet, a full equipped children’s station on the buffet during breakfast.
Children’s buffet
The children’s buffet at the Brown’s hotel can only be used by children, ‘no parents allowed’! Equipped with a selection of cereal favourites, fresh fruit, pastries and even reading material for when they are waiting for mum and dad to finish their breakfast and newspaper.
The Italian Baglioni Hotel Regina offers a small buffet especially designed for children as well. One of our followers sent us the pictures, as can be seen above, of the hotel situated in Rome. The Brown’s Hotel and the Baglioni Hotel Regina are both member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
If you spot nice hospitable gestures, please let us now and send an email to tip@spronsen.com.
A guide for child-friendly hospitality industry
The children’s buffet could have been mentioned in the guide for a child-friendly hospitality industry named ‘Kinderen aan tafel’, published in Belgium. The booklet provides a self-test for restaurant owners, practical checklists, tips & tricks for child-friendly service, menu suggestions, tips for plate decoration and additional services. Unfortunately it’s only available in Dutch.
Prêt-à-Portea delicacies with a fashionista twist
11-12-2015
The Berkeley London has been serving a designer afternoon tea, Prêt-à-Portea, for almost 10 years. It’s inspired by the themes and colours of the fashion world. The menu follows the seasons in fashion, changing every six months. Hence, a tea with a perfectly worked out theme.
Although we already spotted the Prêt-à-Portea in 2007 and wrote about it back then, we never got to experience it first-hand. This tea is an inspiration for other hoteliers, merely because of the perfection of the theme which is amazing. Every detail is right: a shoe at the table as a ‘reserved’ sign, colourful and specially designed chinaware, a colourful menu with fashionable quotes, champagne of course, miniature savoury canapés, skewers and tea sandwiches followed by the specially designed sweets. Oh, and don’t forget the fashionable doggy bags!
A fashionista twist
The Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 Prêt-à-Portea collection takes inspiration from a lot of distinguished fashion designers. Taking centre stage is Dolce & Gabbana’s popular pink rose dress from their ground breaking ‘Viva La Mama’ collection, as seen on recent covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. This dress is translated in a yummy lychee and almond mousse, set upon pink pâte sablée topped with light pink chocolate and delicate rose detailing. The striped shoulder bag by Valentino tasted delicious as well, sponge cake with cranberry compote amidst multi-colour striped chocolate, finished with a golden handle.
Check out the website of The Berkeley for more details and if you’re in London, I would recommend to indulge yourself with a cozy, delicious tea here. ^Marjolein
