Crooked cucumbers
11-9-2013
Crooked cucumbers, tomatoes in weird shapes or roots with two legs… Research shows that about 5 to 10% of the vegetables in the Netherlands are wasted, because of their shape, color or size. The wholesale Zegro and ‘Kromkommer’ launched a pilot project where they sell four types of imperfect vegetables this month. The vegetables tastes as good as normal, despite of the weird shapes. During the pilot the current assortment of Zegro will be complemented with imperfect cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and red peppers.
Pin Pack Go travel planner
5-9-2013
Four Seasons brings the guests journey to life with Pin.Pack.Go, a new travel planning service on Pinterest. Via Pinterest you can make your own Pin.Pack.Go board and specify the Four Seasons hotel you will be visiting during your holiday. Follow that specific hotel and the hotel will follow you back. The Four Seasons hotel will pin recommendations like tourist attractions, restaurants and shops. And through your board they have an insight in your interests. The Four Seasons thus plans your ideal travel from start to finish via Pinterest. An interesting and innovative way to inform your guests before their stay, a kind of concierge. And it increases the anticipation for your guests…
Instagramhotel
5-9-2013
After the Twitter hotel in Majorca, the first Instagramhotel is now opened in Australia. Hotel 1888 has 90 rooms decorated with photos take by guests and is fully dedicated to Instagram. When you have more than 10.000 followers on Instagram you will get a free stay at the hotel and the guest/photographer of the Instagramphoto (of the hotel) of the month also receives a free additional stay. The hotel has a special room where you can take photos of yourself and guests are guided through the environment by an Instagram map.
Family fun all in one
4-9-2013
Our colleague Steven van ‘t Hart celebrated his holiday in America this summer. He went out to eat the ‘Pizza-burger‘ by ‘Boston Pizza’ at the Niagara Falls location. We did mention this burger on horecatrends in April (kind of a April the 1st joke) and the burger will be on the menu in September. But Steven got to taste one! Especially the Pepperoni version was considered very tasty! He also noticed that children received a mini pizza box by entering the restaurant, containing coloring pages, games and crayons. Nice small gesture… That of course can be taken home ….
More Bedtime Stories
4-9-2013
In the first version of the ‘small gestures in hospitality‘, in January 2013, we showed a ‘bedtime story’ that we found on our pillow in Hotel ‘The Palace’ in Dubai. A beautiful, simple poem about going to sleep. At the Copley Square Hotel in Boston, they wish their guest a good night with ‘bedtime stories’ by children. The stories are written by students of 826 Boston. 826 Boston is a non-profit writing center dedicated to supporting students age 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills and helping teachers inspire their students to write. Another great ‘small gesture in hospitality’.
Marriott Underground Lab
2-9-2013
Marriott Hotel asks their reward members to give feedback on the hotel rooms. The members are invited to the headquarters to give their opinion on the rooms, ranging from type of bed to the shower pressure. In the basement of the headquarters ‘The Underground’ lab is opened in June. ‘The Underground’ is an area where they work on innovation and improvement of the future of Marriott. Members can design their own hotel room in this area by moving the interior. Marriott get additional information for improvement in the future.
Taco Bell surprised impatient customers
30-8-2013
Taco Bell has held a fun stunt in collaboration with agency Grip Limited during the launch of the long-awaited arrival of Doritos Locos Tacos in Canada. Impatient customers were surprised during a special fan event. The exasperated tweets from the impatient customers were burned with a special laser on the first batch of shells and served to the specific customer. These customers ate literally their own words on the taco.
&samhoud foodlab
29-8-2013
Two starred michelin chef Moshik Roth and business partner Salem Samhoud will open the DNA restaurant &samhoud Foodlab in Amsterdam on 31 October. It will be the first restaurant in the world that serves DNA in the dishes. The restaurant will serve three natural GenBoosters with DNA extracts. The menu also contains small shakes and meals, as well as lunches, dinners with GenBooster to choice. The exact location in Amsterdam is not confirmed yet. The restaurant will be open seven days a week.
Update: The foodlab appears to be a hoax to feed the discussion about better food for everyone.
Meet the farmers and growers
28-8-2013
During the open door days of supermarket chain Albert Heijn on 21 and 28 September you can personally meet local farmers and growers. Approximately 140 participating farms, greenhouses and orchards are open for visitors. For adults there are guided tours organized where they can learn everything behind the product. Children can experience where there food comes from and get their farmers and growers diploma. Using the online map of Albert Heijn you can see which farmers and growers participate in the Netherlands. During these days consumers can meet the people behind the fresh products of Albert Heijn.
Cafellow
26-8-2013
Cafellow is a new social platform focused on cafés, bars and terraces. Consumers can find a café selected on characteristics such as location, type of cafe, specialties, atmosphere and openings hours. They can also invite friends or share their favorite café through this platform. At this moment the service is available in six cities in the Netherlands, where more than 1,200 cafes are mapped. Cafellow creates a direct connection between supply and demand in the market.
