Partnership hotel and church
22-11-2013
The Bilderberg Parkhotel and the monumental Arminius church in Rotterdam started a collaboration. The Bilderberg Parkhotel is not suitable for organizing conferences and other meetings due to lack of large meeting rooms. Arminius has this space. Through this partnership, the hotel can now offers space for weddings, conferences etc. in Arminius and the guests at the church can use the luxurious hotel facilities such as catering and the ability to stay overnight.
Champagne vending machine
22-11-2013
To approach the shoppers in the British department store Selfridges in London, Moët & Chandon sells mini champagne bottles in a vending machine. The champagne vending machine is located at the Christmas section at the department store. The 200ml bottles cost $29,- and are packed in a gold with crystal packaging. Moët & Chandon wants to make the luxury drink more accessible to a broader audience.
Luminous carpet
21-11-2013
Philips started a partnership with carpet specialist Desso. The companies will develop innovative light-emitting carpets based on LED lighting. It will be possible to integrate LED lighting in surfaces, which also gives the carpet a safety function such as painting out emergency exits and escape routes. The luminous carpet brings atmosphere and inspiration in areas and it will appeal to the senses of people. It is a new innovative way to inform people in areas like offices, hotels and conference centers. Philips and Desso are working on pilot projects, but in 2014 they will introduce the product name.
NIX18
21-11-2013
The age limit for buying alcohol and tobacco in the Netherlands will increase to 18 years on January 1, 2014. The Ministry of Health has launched the campaign NIX18 in collaboration with a number of partners. The campaign was kicked of on November 18 in the Feyenoord Stadium by Ronald Koeman and the secretary of Healthy Martin van Rijn. NIX18 draws attention that young people under the age of eighteen should not smoke or drink. Some famous Dutchies tell their story about not drinking or smoking under the age of eighteen on the website of NIX18. Partners of the campaign also organize some one-on-one activities for children and their parents to encourage to explain that they are not allowed to buy alcohol and tobacco.
YESTAP puts the FAST back into fast food
20-11-2013
Startup YES.TAP is removing the annoying queue’s at fast food restaurants. They’ve developed an app that lets you order by tapping your smartphone on a poster of the product you want to order. Through this innovative approach, they expect to attract new customers and retain loyal customers by offering a simple one tap mobile solution. The YES.TAP team are supported by Startupbootcamp to boost their concept. Visit getyestap.com to learn more.
Ghee Easy
20-11-2013
Ghee-easy makes traditional Indian cleared butter from Holland. In India Ghee is used to bake and fry food. It doesn’t splatter nor burn and has a smooth nut-alike taste. According to the traditional Indian Ayurvedic philosophy, Ghee is healthy, stimulates the digestion and supports the absorption of nutrients.
Baileys Chocolat Luxe cocktails
19-11-2013
The dark days before Chrismas deserve special winter cocktails. Baileys Chocolat Luxe inspired us with three different cocktails. The Rococo serve is created by Bompas & Parr from the U.K. and served in a high glass with ice and raspberry. Liqueur expert Missy Flynn from London came up with the Chocolate Black Forrest (with cherry liqueur) and Chocolate mint (with mint frozen into ice cubes).
Streetsmart project in Amsterdam
19-11-2013
Sandra Chedi (Amstel Botel) and Bert van der Leden (Supperclub) are entrepreneurs in Amsterdam’s hospitality industry that took the initiative to launch Streetsmart Amsterdam. The initiative asks restaurant visitors to pay one euro on top of the bill to prevent people to get homeless. If the project is successful in Amsterdam it will be deployed nationwide. Check streetsmart.nl for a list of all participating restaurants. For the occasion a book with recipes of chefs from Amsterdam is published as well.
Truth Coffee Shop
18-11-2013
A beautiful authentic coffee bar with the smallest details, located in Cape Town, South Africa. The Truth Coffee Shop is designed by Heldane Martin, who incorporated each detail in the interior. Steel railings, copper tubes, vintage typewriters, old chandeliers and mirrors give the coffee shop an authentic look. Truth Coffee Shop stands for honestly and serves the best coffees with simple machines. The store shows the transparency as regards a cup of coffee, something different than the modern coffee shops of today. Click here for more pictures. Truth Coffee HQ interior design by Haldane Martin, Photo Micky Hoyle.
Sugar Factory American Brasserie
18-11-2013
Saturday night, 11 PM, New York City. As expected, the bars, restaurants and cafes in the meatpacking district and throughout Manhattan are bursting with people. But what I did find to be unexpected, were the insane crowds at Sugar Factory American Brasserie, I mean eating desserts is not exactly my idea of a crazy night out! The Vegas native restaurant with a focus on sweetness opened in the Meatpacking District April 2013 and has not had a silent moment since! They feature a “normal” menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner but the crowds get wild for the candy store at the front, the endless desserts and the candy cocktails. We know New Yorkers love places that are new, unique and fill a specialized niche and this is exactly what sugar factory does. Where else would you go for a fishbowl of gummy bear cocktails (or any other cocktail inspired by candy), chocolate fondues with 6 special types of chocolate and 15+ types of dippers or specialty desserts as red velvet pancakes or specialty variations of the classic sundae? If you are planning to visit New York, get on that reservation because they are hard to get and will remain that way for a while I expect!^Leonie van Spronsen