Sapphire House Antwerp
19-5-2022
Opening – Sapphire House Antwerp, the long awaited Marriott hotel in Antwerp, opened its doors this week. The five star hotel is the first hotel in the world that is completely plant-based. This five star hotel is located on the 16th century site of the Antwerp Stock Exchange and was carefully renovated with the idea to protecting international cultural heritage. Sapphire House Antwerp has 139 rooms, all unique and with their own character, a plant-based bistro PLANTn, a lively cocktail bar, and a gym. It promises to be a unique hotel experience for every guest…exactly like nothing else.
Royal Spelt starts first 100% organic bitterballen and kroketten factory
17-5-2022
Royal Spelt has opened the first 100% organic bitterballen and kroketten factory in Nieuwegein in the Netherlands in mid-May 2022. Owners Fabienne Muller and Michael Kapoen started this factory to have full control over the production. The reason for this was the control over of the entire production process. Royal Spelt draws stock from fresh vegetables and herbs instead of stock grains or powder. In its own factory, Royal Spelt can take all the time needed for the cooking process of the spelt ragout (salpicon) and the recipe remains a (family) secret.
All the food festival inspiration you need
17-5-2022
The sun is shining and the Netherlands is enjoying the outdoors! There are plenty of festivals where we can go again! We love to visit a food festival, don’t you? We’ve seen some nice small scale festivals like last weekend FestiValk and the ‘Shit hot Fest’ in April, below a list of small, fun and tasty food festivals in the Netherlands and some nice international concepts, maybe inspiration for the Dutch hospitality industry and festival organizers! We found among others the Fête du Champagne et Vins, an oyster festival, a tapas festival, Singelpark dinner and an espresso martini festival..
You can organize a small scale festival within your own company or companies or build a ‘festival’ with fellow hospitality entrepreneurs, what’s stopping you as long as there are no festivals happening in your area? In this article some inspiration!
Trends we spotted | Week 19
13-5-2022
At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.
With this week links to articles about amongst others the small blocks of Parmigiano Reggiano at the McDonald’s in Italy! Might be inspiration for the McDonald’s in the Netherlands, we have great cheeses as well!
Karen’s Diner is coming to the Netherlands, this chain from Australia serves ‘great burgers with very rude service’. We had to explain to our older colleagues what a ‘Karen’ is, do you know it? And Domino’s Pizza Germany launched the Nutri-Score on products and an A-Pizza ‘Fitness Fan’.
The legendary cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2 becomes an Accor branded hotel: MGallery Hotel Collection. After renovation it will be permanently located in Port Rashid, Dubai.
Lowering the temperature on a terrace: aerMist. We have already experienced a similar system in San Francisco and the Far East, but perhaps also useful in the north of Europe with the rising temperatures?
The Belgian brewery ‘Scheldebrouwerij’ has created a new, fresh look for their special beers. And the Fletcher hotels introduced their own private label in skincare products: BLUE Collection by Fletcher.
NEO KVL hotel by Tasigo | Located in the building of the old KVL leather factory in Oisterwijk
10-5-2022
Opening – The charming village of Oisterwijk in the Dutch region Brabant has a new four-star hotel: the NEO KVL hotel by Tasigo. The design hotel has 68 modern furnished rooms, a restaurant, spa, meeting rooms, 2 hotel bars including the Sky rooftop bar and an impressive atrium. The hotel is located within walking distance of the center of Oisterwijk and 500 meters from the Oisterwijk train station. It also has access to a private parking lot.
UMI by Imperial Heritage Caviar | Caviar inspired by Asian influences
6-5-2022
Imperial Heritage Caviar, the premium caviar house in Belgium and favorite of many celebrity chefs, launches their newest addition: UMI. Elisabeth Colman, new generation of the Colman family, owners of Imperial Heritage Caviar, was stimulated by the Asian influences in our modern cuisine during the company’s constant search for innovative flavours. They developed a brand new caviar with a surprisingly different pearl. The new caviar is called UMI by Imperial Heritage Caviar (‘Umi’= ‘sea’ in Japanese) and will be available exclusively in a selection of fine dining restaurants. UMI will also have two ambassadors: restaurant Cuchara** and restaurant DIM Dining.
Trends we spotted | Week 18
6-5-2022
At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.
With this week links to articles about amongst others ‘Asia’s 50 Best Bars’, sponsored by Perrier has been won by cocktailbar Coa. And the premium quick-service restaurant known for its Chicken Fingerz™, wings and signature sauces, Zaxby’s® celebrates Mother’s Day with Zax Family Packs and a family portrait! Inspiration for Father’s Day?
‘Apaches de Paris’ is a bar clandestine, immersive in Paris in which you can infiltrate gangs. Located in the Musée Grévin. This original 1.5-hour adventure with two period drinks is open till June 30.
Un Dimanche au Cinéma – the French title for the open-air cinema on the Champs-Élysées on May 22, Organized in partnership between TCM Cinéma, Häagen-Dazs and the City of Paris. Hilton boosts eco-conscious travel across properties in Asia Pacific to reach their ‘Travel with Purpose’ 2030 goals.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the introduction of the ‘Caption by Hyatt’ brand with the opening of the Caption by Hyatt Beale Street Memphis in Tennessee summer 2022. And Denmark becomes the first country to introduce a climate label for food.
In a claimed world-first, Japanese innovators have created chopsticks which artificially create the taste of salt. And Dominique Ansel, the creator of the cronut, is celebrating the hybrid croissant-donut’s nine-year anniversary with a 60-piece NFT collection.
A list of special food bikes and food tricycles
2-5-2022
In the Netherlands we cycle a lot and who is not familiar with the bike from which ice cream is sold? Or a coffee bike in a hiking area? But there are many more bicycles from which oysters, cocktails, fries, smoothies, cotton candy, cheese, churros and pizzas are sold. There are a number of professional food bike rental companies, but we also know a number of enthusiastic one-man businesses such as the ‘Oyster bike’ of Jolijn Géboers in Amsterdam and the ‘Cocktail bike’ of Niels den Boogert. With the summer approaching, a list of ‘food bikes’ and ‘food tricycles’! Maybe time for a small-scale food bike / food tricycles festival instead of a food truck festival? And then a joint work-out from the Bakfiets Gym afterwards!
3 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 17
29-4-2022
At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.
With this week links to articles about amongst others Château Galoupet in France, they produce exceptional sustainable rosé and Accor, Ennismore and Country Garden’s Funyard will develop more than a thousand JO&JOE hotels in China.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters partnered with Oatly to serve first-annual ‘Earth Day Latte’ and we can imagine the Pearlsuites by Pierpaolo Lazzarini at our Dutch lakes!
A 50-Pin Challenge with Bowling at the Kabukicho’s Shinjuku Copa Bowl, inspiration for other Bowling centers? And in Amsterdam the Anatara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky recently reopened under the Anatara brand!
Spicy McNuggets return at some McDonald’s locations in the USA for a limited time only. What would your guests like to return on your menu? And a special initiative of chef Niko Romito, the ‘Niko Romito method’ it includes 7 techniques of ‘food transformation’, we spotted it in an Instagram post of the World Economic Forum.
The Fazer Xylitol factory has started operations in Lahti, Finland. The new state-of-the-art factory showcases a unique example of circular economy – a patented process transforms upcycled oat hulls into sustainable xylitol.
Last year restaurant Eleven Madison Park (***) switched to an entirely plant-based menu, and now Daniel Humm starts delivering its green ethos to home kitchens: Eleven Madison Home. And in Berlin Domino’s pizza delivers pizza with robots which are using the sidewalks.
OCEANIX Busan | The world’s first prototype floating city at the coast of South Korea
29-4-2022
Recently the United Nations unveiled its prototype for the world’s first floating city, the futuristic Oceanix Busan will be located off the coast of the city of Busan in South Korea. OCEANIX Busan is created by the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels in partnership with the UN and maritime development firm Oceanix. The project aims to provide breakthrough technology for coastal cities facing severe land shortages that are compounded by climatic threats.
In this article a video about this floating city. We are curious what type of sustainable restaurant and hotel concepts we will spot in this city!
3 minutes read
The Building - © Sapphire House Antwerp
Cocktailbar of the Sapphire - © Sapphire House Antwerp
Restaurant WILDn - © Sapphire House Antwerp
Map Sapphire House Antwerp
Lobby of the Sapphire House Antwerp - © Sapphire House Antwerp
A hotel room of the Sapphire House Antwerp - © Sapphire House Antwerp
A hotel room of the Sapphire House Antwerp - © Sapphire House Antwerp
