Bidroom alternative booking websites
5-2-2014
Bidroom is a commission free booking website where hotels can offer rooms via a reversed auction. The guest selects a city and a room (3 to 5 stars and choice between single, double of triple) and within 24 hours hotels can make an offer, while the prices of competitors are visible. In the future Mark Bradshaw (CEO), Michael Ros (COO) and Casper Knieriem (CFO) want to generate revenue from advertisements.
Ten fun Valentine’s day ideas for hospitality
4-2-2014
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the weekend. This means that you have three opportunities in a row to use all your Valentine’s weekend ideas! We gathered some fun suggestions for you here.
Unlimited Lobster Night hospitality Amsterdam
4-2-2014
Last Sunday Joris Bijdendijk (Executive Chef Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam ) organized a Lobster Night for the hospitality industry in Amsterdam at Restaurant Bridges. The goal of the night was to create more bonding between the Amsterdam hotels, restaurants and cafés. For € 35,- (drinks excluded) invited guests could indulge themselves with unlimited lobster and selected wines by ‘Kwast Wijnkopers’. Chef and DJ Ron Blaauw arranged the musical context.
Starwood Preferred Guest advertises on Instagram
31-1-2014
Starwood Hotels & Resorts guest loyalty program Starwood Preferred Guest advertises on Instagram. It is the first advertising campaign by a travel brand on the social media platform. The campaign runs through February 4 on mobile and desktop devices. The photos used in advertising on Instagram are already published by the brands and promoted within the feed of people who don’t follow them.
Aloft Hotel introduces virtual key
31-1-2014
The check-in process at a hotel can be long and often much paperwork must be filled in. The Aloft Hotel in Manhattan has a solution: a digital key to open the hotel room. Guests receive a virtual key through the Starwood app, compatible with both iPhones and Android devices. The Bluetooth enabled system will open the door. With this technical development the hotel chain wants to attract young people and offer an additional service.
Hotel V opens 6 V lofts in Amsterdam
30-1-2014
Hotel V Frederiksplein has opened six V lofts in the center of Amsterdam. With all the amenities of a hotel but the comfort of a city apartment, each V loft has the same style as the hotel with a mix of design and vintage furniture. Each V loft has a fireplace, compact kitchenette, bathroom, sleeping area and free Wi-Fi. During their stay, guests can use the breakfast service, bar, meeting rooms and the lobby of Hotel V.
Marriott Travel Brilliant
29-1-2014
Marriott organized the Travel Brilliant competition in 2013. Recently the hotel chain started developing the winning idea by Anjanna of a healthy vending machine, with for instance olives and dried fruit, in London. The idea is not new, but it’s interesting how a large hotel chain like the Marriott will implement it. The company is focusing more on content marketing around the competition and got a deal with websites like Fast Company, Wired and Mashable to support this.
Hotel shabbyshabby
29-1-2014
From 23 May to 8 June 2014 the Hotel shabbyshabby project will take place in the context of the Theater der Welt 2014 festival in Mannheim, Germany. For this project creative geniuses, students of architecture and professionals have build the hotel room of their dreams, made from the city of Mannheim’s trash. The rooms have to consist of mostly used or recycled materials (except for the beds and bedclothes) and may cost maximum €250,-. Contestants can send in their designs until 31 January and will construct them in 20 groups at a purpose-built construction camp in the week before the event. With the project the festival organizers want to change the view of residents and visitors on Mannheim. The reception and breakfast room is centrally located at the National Theater, while the rooms are scattered across town.
Cragels, the kickoff of the year of hybrid foods
27-1-2014
Cragels – the adventurous hybrid between a croissant and a bagel, the newest “famous” pastry of New York. Originating from The Bagel Store on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg this is the snack that tries to challenge the cronut in 2014. Saturday January 25, was the first day that the bakery was serving flavored cragels next to the basic cragels and we were there to try them out! They were selling plain, chocolate, bacon-cheddar-egg and parmesan spinach cragels. Personally I was especially impressed by the way both items were actually to be found in the eating sensation. When you take a bite, the first you notice is the flakiness of the croissant but when you are really eating your bite you feel and taste the denseness of the bagel. On top of that the flavor is very full and I have to say the bacon-cheddar-egg cragel was a delight for the taste buds! Hospitality insiders already predicted it.. 2014 will be the year of hybrid foods and I would say, this is a great kickoff!^Leonie van Spronsen
Design contest for bed Sofitel Luxury Hotels
24-1-2014
Sofitel Luxury Hotels organizes a design contest in collaboration with the Wallpaper magazine. Designers, artists and students worldwide can submit their bed design inspired by MyBed (the Sofitel bed concept). The winning design will be displayed in the lobby of Sofitel München Bayerpost and the winner gets a free night at a Sofitel Hotel.