Christmas inspiration 2018
Claridge´s Christmas Tree by Karl Lagerfeld
We are already receiving plenty of newsletters with announcements for Christmas dinners, time for some Christmas inspiration! We have listed some top ideas from (inter)national companies. Do you already gave a ‘Tree Lighting ceremony’? Or do you decorate your Christmas tree already with cutlery or Christmas balls with liquor? Are you tempting your guests to share photos of your restaurant or hotel via Instagram on Christmas, in other words is your company ‘Instagrammable’? Enjoy reading and success with preparing your Christmas dinners!
Tree lighting ceremony
The tree lighting ceremony is celebrated in a lot in hotels in England and America. The event symbolizes the beginning of the holidays and takes place on the first day that the Christmas lights go on. Some hotels make it a recurring event or even support a charity. It is really unique to celebrate this especially if you have worked with local designers, flower shops or garden centers. We have examples from New York on our website but also from London where this is always extensively celebrated in the Claridge Hotel. Even the Dutch Amstel hotel held a tree lighting ceremony in both 2016 and 2017.
Collaborating
Working together with local designers or celebrities from your own city to decorate the Christmas tree ensures free publicity. Of course, this should be celebrated with a party, possibly a ‘Tree Lighting Ceremony’ and do not forget to invite the local press! The Claridge hotel in London has published an archive containing all Christmas trees they have had designed by famous designers over the years. They have worked for example together with Dolce & Gabbana for several years and Karl Lagerfeld designed the tree last year. Nice to take a look at this archive! Of course you do not have to choose always a world-famous designer, a local designer will probably work much better!
Being Instagrammable
‘Being instagrammable’ is really trendy nowadays. Make use of this by, for example, placing a decorated wall, a romantically decorated arch, or a bench in front of the Christmas tree where guests can pose for. The guests will probably post the photo online and will tag your hotel. Another idea is to work together with a photographer who, for example, take a picture as soon as people enter in combination with the beautifully decorated tree. In this way people will never forget the tree neither your hotel!
Inspiration for the Christmas dinner
We have to start thinking about the Christmas dinner again. Where half of the Netherlands choose for a traditional ‘gourmet session’, it is also the perfect time for many chefs to dig out with a dinner. A little inspiration for an ‘Instagrammable dish’: glittery gravy that was served last year at The Fox Under The Hill Hungry Horse pub in England. We have also spotted glitter beer, cocktails and bubbles in recent years. Furthermore, the ‘Irish Coffee Liquor with White Chocolate Caramel’ and the ‘Espresso Martini’ popcorn from Joe & Seph’s are fun to serve during the Christmas drink. You can also choose to serve your cocktail in a Christmas ball, especially if you bundle it as a present you have a simple and delicious gift for your guests.
Decoration for the Christmas tree
Like the classic song, ‘Christmas time, whiskey and wine!’ … or something like this! Christmas is fast approaching and The Lakes Distillery gave a special touch last Christmas with Whiskey Christmas balls. Christmas balls with drinks for in the Christmas tree and to drink after the Christmas dinner! Jajem also offered these Christmas balls in the Netherlands last year! A nice way to serve drinks in Christmas balls in bars and restaurants! Furthermore, cutlery or mussel shells is a nice addition for the tree. The special Christmas action of Bagels & Beans from 2016 can also not be missed. During the visit, guests receive a sticker to stick any coins to the cardboard Christmas tree. The decorated money was donated to Warchild. You can decorate your tree with almost everything. We have even spotted pizza boxes in the Christmas tree as decoration.
Make sure your Christmas event is a success
Organizing a Christmas event is a great way to generate extra sales before Christmas with a fun activity. You also extend the festivities around Christmas. Win / win for both the participants and the entrepreneur! A good example of this is the Christmas afternoon in Hengelo where the locals meet with friends, family and acquaintances in the various catering establishments around noon to simply be together. Of course, this nice event is paired with a glass of beer or other alcoholic drinks. Last year on the Korte Heuvel in Tilburg took a successful ugly sweaters Friday afternoon event place which attracted hundreds of people. This enabled people to prelude the Christmas holidays.
Special activities
The Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam created a special Christmas atmosphere in and around the hotel last year. The hotel used an Advent calendar! The hotel gave away 24 prizes, one for each day of Advent. Participating was easy, just giving the right answer to the Dutch element that was hidden behind the 24 boxes, every day. By following them on Instagram, you receive all the instructions. Everyone could participate and could win prizes.
In 2010 during ‘the London restaurant weeks’ the well-known London Eye temporarily transformed into a culinary highlight during the festive season. Eleven top chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Boulud prepare their best dishes in one of the capsules of the gigantic Ferris wheel. The guests were served a four-course dinner, one course for each round of the Ferris wheel. The costs for a table of ten were around the 10,000 euros, of which part went to charity.
Scent marketing | Use your own fragrance brand
Last week I was drinking a cup of coffee in a bakery / lunchroom, a cake was not needed according to my mother because it smelled faintly to burnt apple pie. Well, some older people still have a great nose. At such a moment, scent marketing can be a solution. But also to prevent unpleasant alcohol odors, which often spill into the woodwork or floors and whose smell is no longer neutralized by the smoking ban. Or the unpleasant odor of a deep-frying! Bigger problem, nowadays all smokers have to smoke in front of your restaurant and new guests will enter through this smoke and have to forget that smell as soon as possible. All situations in which scent marketing can play a role. More and more entrepreneurs see the added value of scent marketing in the hospitality industry. With a scent system you can replace unwanted odors with a pleasant scent so that your guests experience the environment more pleasantly. Especially in the case of a bar it is about obscuring unpleasant odors, but in addition larger companies can also try to do upselling … don’t you start longing for a sandwich if you smell bread?
