Are you a massive Harry Potter fan; did you prefer to read Harry Potter books over your school books and did you always wanted to know how the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry treats would taste like? Than the Llety Cynin bed-and-breakfast in South Wales is the place to be! read more
One of the first underwater restaurant where you actually have to dive to. So if you enjoy dining out and love to dive, The Pearl in dive center Nemo33 in Brussels is where you have to be. We have seen a couple of underwater restaurant and hotel locations but somehow this made us think of the ‘Genussgondel in the ski area Serfaus, Fiss, Ladis’. Back in 2009 we wrote about their smallest restaurant in the world in a gondola. Well The Pearl has the same capacity. read more
Spring 2017 the new hospitality concept Hofhouse, located next to the central station of The Hague, will open its doors. Hofhouse is situated on the ground floor of the new flexible government office Rijnstraat 8, during the year several government departments will move to this location. The architecture and interior of this sensational building is designed by the renowned architects of OMA by Rem Koolhaas. Hofhouse is inspired by a veranda and will be the hospitality lobby of The Hague. The exploitation of Hofhouse is managed by ISS Facility Service. The project has been guided by our colleagues of Van Spronsen & Partners hospitality consultants, they are responsible for the concept and the recruitment of the hospitality entrepreneurs. read more
Emporium Chicago Wickerpark
Emporium Chicago Wickerpark
Arcade Hotel
Art District Brewing Co (Credit: Rainbeau Tharp)
Arcade Hotel
Art District Brewing Co (Credit: Rainbeau Tharp)
Arcade Hotel
Art District Brewing Co. (Credit: Rainbeau Tharp)Do you like specialty beers and old-school arcade games? We spot this combination more often. Beer breweries and pubs which not only offer a wide variety of specialty beers but also give you the opportunity to play nostalgic retro arcade games such as: pinball, air-hockey, pool or even get rid of your frustrations by playing the shooting game Mortal Kombat. In Amsterdam we even have a hotel where you can play, The Arcade hotel. read more
At Horecatrends we spot a lot of national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write articles about, the smaller trends we use in our column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week amongst others about nut milks to create vegan lattes and in Boston you could go to a Big Mac ATM and pay with a tweet.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading! read more
It’s a fact that our smartphones have become a huge part of most of our lives. This way you miss the real interaction with friends or family. So you could go to the IKEA in your vicinity and ask them if you could buy the hot pot table they used to make this add for IKEA Taiwan! This phoneless hot pot table will only charge when everybody at the table hands in their mobile phones and place them below the pot. read more
KITKAT Chocolatery Sushi Tuna
KITKAT Chocolatery Sushi Sea Urchin
Sushi KITKAT
KITKAT Chocolatery Sushi Omelet A strange idea isn’t it? The well-known sweet treat Kit Kat, the chocolate-coated wafer bar with its distinct crunch, on puffed rice wrapped in seaweed. At least, that is what we think. From today onwards these sweet ‘sushi’s’ created by Nestlé will be available at the first street-facing Kit Kat Chocolatory specialty shop at the Ginza district in Tokyo. Other Kit Kat Chocolatory shops in Japan are located in department stores or in underground areas. Okay real sushi fans might not be happy with this…but it’s a great gimmick, don’t you think? read more
Last Tuesday, this brilliant advertisement for the Maestro burger from McDonalds Netherlands aired. The reactions at the advertisement have been almost unanimously positive. The advertisement shows how you should enjoy the first bite of a Maestro Burger… it’s accompanied via a live connection by Guido’s Orchestra from Guido Dieteren and the singing of soprano Wendy Kokkelkoren. The new advertisement is an expression of the new campaign of McDonald’s Netherlands: ‘Always Open for Good Times’. read more
Pip & Nut Toast Bar, Selfridges Foodhall, London
StrawberryToast by Pip & Nut 
Avocado Almond Butter Toast by Pip & Nut Toast BarAt all Dutch markets and in many shops you can buy fresh nut butters from all kind of nuts. Well it seems that this craze came has reached England as well. We spotted a pop-up in the Selfridges Food Halls, the Pip & Nut Toast Bar. The pop-up will be there until the 12th of February. The bar will serve a selection of gourmet toast with toppers as peanut butter, grated apple and maple syrup to avocado.
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wastED - Dan Barber, Adam Kaye, Jonny Bone and Ian Scaramuzza discussing ideas
wastED - Dan Barber and Adam Kaye testing recipes at Selfridges 
NYC wastED dish Hearts and CoreThe pop-up restaurant wastED of Dan, David and Laureen Barber and the team behind New York’s internationally known Blue Hill restaurants will pop-up in London at the rooftop restaurant of Selfridges. This pop-up will run from February the 24th to April the 2nd, serving menus designed to raise awareness of food waste. They will convert food waste into £15 ($18) sharing dishes and a ‘not so customary’ £32 high tea. Expect quirky dishes with skin and bones and other ingredients you normally wouldn’t expect. read more
Hunny Pot
Mr Tumnas Tipple
Float Like a Peach
Dream Jar
Half a Pint oÔÇÖButtah
Languid Caterpillar
Lost and Found
Rabbits Remedy 
X Marks the SpotThe Soho cocktail spot The Blind Pig has created a whole new cocktail menu inspired by children’s stories, this menu is entitled ‘Long and Short Great British Tails’. For example they recreated the Hunny Pot from Winnie the Pooh…
Here in the Netherlands we have the bubbles of Jip and Janneke but we wonder what kind of cocktail will be served if you create a famous Dutch story into a cocktail? Take the story of Hans Brinker from the book The Silver Skates about the boy with his finger in the dyke? Well we hope to inspire those who create cocktails and we think the taste must be a little salty … read more
On the 27th, 28th and the 29th of January a team of 60 men and women with disabilities provided the guests of the King’s Inn City Hotel in Alkmaar in the Netherlands a warm welcome. Under the guidance of the foundation Showhero and the regular staff of the hotel, the participants took care of all the tasks in the hotel and provided a good dose of entertainment.
Infuse your gin or vodka in order to obtain subtle notes between different aromas and flavours. Allow your guests to create their own Gin and Tonic botanicals or choose their own Té pyramid-shaped silk botanical flavour. read more
At Horecatrends we spot a lot of national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write articles about, the smaller trends we use in our column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week amongst others, swimming without getting wet and the new InPaella concept by Quique Dacosta.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading! read more
A centralized and standard platform for lost and found gear. In the Netherlands the iLost.co crowdfund was backed with €238.000,= last year and are rapidly expanding their iLost network. read more
We couldn’t find an immersive Christmas Light Maze in Europe yet, howevere correct us if we are wrong. But we love the idea, another fun read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
This ad from McDonald’s in a bus shelter in Sydney is only fully displayed when it is dark. During the day it seems like it lacks the half of the famous ‘M’ , but as soon as it gets dark the entire ‘M’ appears in the reflection of the glass. This ad is part of the new campaign by McDonald’s to announce that the fast food chain is open all night.
The need for sustainable produced meat increases. At the website koopeenkoe.nl consumers can buy a ‘horizontal’ part of a cow together with other consumers, also called ‘crowd butching’. The cows of koopeenkoe.nl have three times more space than an average cow and don’t eat manipulated food or antibiotics. If the entire cow is sold, the cow is slaughtered and the meat matured. Buyers receive a 7,5 kilo meat packet for two persons, from steak to sausage. The more people buy a cow, the faster you receive the meat package at home. Because the meat of koopeenkoe.nl goes directly from farmer to consumer, the meat is affordable.
At the ‘Ziferblat’ café everything is free, except the time you spend there. In the café consumers can use the wi-fi, bring their own food and drinks, drink unlimited coffee and the ingredients to make a lunch are presented. Guests pay € 0,04 per minute, but many consumers give an extra tip on top of the bill. There are 10 Ziferblat cafés, mainly in Russia. Recently the first pay-as-you-feel café opened in London.
Pravda Pressroom opened a pop-up coffee and cocktailbar ‘L’Orangerie’ in the old ‘orangerie’ near the Harmoniegebouw in Antwerp to extend their communication activities. The bar will be open until the buildings are renovated. This will be at the end of 2015 or later. The building got a modern facelift to recover from the esthetic demolition in the eighties and is decorated with chic and shabby elements. The safety net prevents ancient plaster from falling on visitors and the small covered terrace is waiting for Spring to come in. L’Orangerie presents itself a a low energy bar, background music and dimmed lights invite for a proper glass and nice conversation. For this glass mostly cocktails are suggested.
Pravda Pressroom opened a pop-up coffee and cocktailbar ‘L’Orangerie’ in the old ‘orangerie’ near the Harmoniegebouw in Antwerp to extend their communication activities. The bar will be open until the buildings are renovated. This will be at the end of 2015 or later. The building got a modern facelift to recover from the esthetic demolition in the eighties and is decorated with chic and shabby elements. The safety net prevents ancient plaster from falling on visitors and the small covered terrace is waiting for Spring to come in. L’Orangerie presents itself a a low energy bar, background music and dimmed lights invite for a proper glass and nice conversation. For this glass mostly cocktails are suggested.
Curious about someone else’s life? With PeekInToo you can look through the eyes of other users for 12 seconds. Select the user based on location to catch a glimpse of a sold out concert for instance or see if the party at your local disco has started already. Facebook and Twitter had a direct influence on spreading the ‘places to be’, this app allows you to have a realtime peek in a café of club. See the video.
Bavaria has made the ‘Bavaria Beer Scepter’ especially for carnival. The scepter has lights and a cup holder for beer on top. There is a storage area in the bottom to put money in. When you buy two sixpacks Bavaria you will get scepter in all supermarkets in Limburg and Brabant. In the new single ‘Drink as a prince‘ of the Dutch artists Gebroeders Ko and La Bamba you will give a sneak preview of the scepter.
For anyone who cooks along with a youtube video, dirty fingers on the screen of the laptop or tablet are very recognizable. The video goes to fast, you need to pause it every now and then. The website ‘Handy’ by Flore avoids this problem. You can upload a youtube video on the site and it is played in full screen mode, while the webcam is activated. When you wave your hand from left to right the video will play, whilst a right-to-left wave will pause it. Additionally you can save the videos in an online cookbook.
Roquette developed flour based on algae. With this flour it’s possible to bake a brioche without eggs, butter or allergen. With the flour the brioche will contain 70% less fat than normal. During the FiE Innovation Award in Frankfurt this November the High Lipid Algal Flour by Roquette won the overall price for most innovate product and was category winner in the Bakery category. The flour is approved as ingredient by the EU and has the American GRAS-label (Generally Recognized As Safe). Roquette joined the ALGOHUB® research program for developers of ingredients based on micro-algae in 2008. Last year we’ve spotted egg-replacement ingredient ‘Beyond Eggs‘.
Around 5 – 10% of the Dutch vegetable and fruit produce is wasted because the products don’t fit the ‘common appearance’. Kromkommer wants to use these weird shaped vegetables and fruits for an alternative series of soups. Therefore Lisanne van Zwol, Jente de Vries and Chantal Engelen started a crowdfunding campaign to raise € 25. 000,- and produce the soups themselves. Their goal is to motivate 20.000 crazy vegetable heroes in 2014. According to the ladies, someone is already a vegetable hero after buying one of the soups, because the content would otherwise be wasted. The collected donations will be used for purchasing vegetables from growers, transportation to the factory, production of the soups and design and print of the labels. Donators can choose from a range of rewards like tickets to the launch event (€ 10,-), a visit to the factory or one of the growers and a fair amount of soup packages (€ 500,-).
In 2013 Kromkommer collaborated with hospitality industry wholesaler ‘Zegro’ to reduce waste. With their Kromkommer concept the ladies are nominated for the ‘Horecava Innovation Award’ 2014.
Graham’s 1890 Lodge, located in Portugal in Vila Nova de Gaia, was reopened after a renovation in March 2013. This stylish nearly 200 year old wine cellar was renovated by P06-Nuno Gusmão with the idea to create a timeless and total concept were it looks like some objects and spaces were already there from the beginning. History and modern are combined and the use of wood the wine cellar gives a quiet and clean look. Not only casks of Port are aged at the lodge but it is also a visitor center where you can see thousands port barrels, cellars and you can taste different types of port. The restaurant VINUM Restaurant & Wine Bar serves traditional Portuguese dishes with an international twist and because of a huge glass wall it looks like you sit between the vessels with port.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst will kickoff the national campaign ‘Start organic’ on Monday, January 13. The campaign has been running since January 2 to January19 and stimulates people to buy healthy, natural and organic food. For each biological product bought, people get a sticker and with a full card (7 stickers) they can win various prizes such as a weekend in an organic Bed and Breakfast. For each full card sent, the organic sector will give ten pieces of fresh organic fruit, vegetables or potatoes to the children of the Giovanni van Bronckhorst Foundation.
The first nhow hotel in the Netherlands will open in Rotterdam this weekend. After Berlin (2010) and Milan (2007), the four-star hotel with 278 luxurious rooms will open in the building ‘De Rotterdam’. The hotel is designed by renowned architect OMA/ Rem Koolhaas and combines contrasts with the latest technology. The hotel gives well-known artists, designers and local talents a platform to share their art. Nhow asked several local artist to show how they see Rotterdam, like the video above.
The interior of bakery boutique Cioccolato looks good enough to eat. Cioccolato, located in Monterrey Mexico, is specialized in custom desserts and sweets for special events. The boutique is designed by Savvy Studio and derived from the existing Cioccolato but there is a clear differentiation. The interior is sleek and white with sweet brightly colored elements. Chocolate and pink sweetness is dripping from the tables and shelves.
World’s first burrito vending machine is located at a 24 hours gas station in West-Hollywood. Customers can make a choose from five types of burritos: roasted potato with egg and cheese, uncured bacon with egg and cheese, chorizo sausage with egg and cheese, range chicken with beans and rice and beef with cheese. Customers can also add sour cream, tabasco or quacemole. The burrito is made in 60 seconds for $ 3,=. While waiting for the burrito, a music video is played on the screen.
To celebrate the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, the mini sushi chain ‘Hapa Sushi’ has introduced a special weed-food pairing menu to show guests that weed goes well with sushi. Sashimi that is normally served with wasabi is now served with a platinum cookie made of marijuana. In 2009 the sushi restaurant and TDA Boulder made a campaign to encourage smokers to come eat sushi to satisfy their munchies.
People from Amsterdam aren’t impressed by the falafel shops in the city anymore. These shops were a walhalla for Scott and Ariane Bennett and it inspired them to set up a shop in Washington DC, because the city lacked proper falafel shops. They named it ‘Amsterdam Falafel’ and the shop grew into a franchise chain with 3 branches. People can choose from 21 toppings and sauces to create the ultimate falafel that can be served with French fries.
Plastic waste is easily compressed to 50% of its original volume by the Plettum bin. This bin can help (small) restaurants, hotels and bars to save on waste costs. In the 25 liter garbage bag approximately 50 liters of garbage can be compressed. Do you have more tips to save on garbage? Send it to tip@spronsen.com.
Jorit Leijting from restaurant ‘Van de Buurt’ (translated as ‘From the neighbourhood’) recently started serving baby food for kids from 4-6 months, 6-10 months and 10+ months. The chef at the neighboorhood restaurant serves approximately 20-30 kids a week. Jorit Leijting: “It’s not a playground here, but we want to be hospitable to young parents.” The meals are produced by ‘De Kleine Keuken’ (translated as ‘The Small Kitchen’ ), contain no artificial coloration nor preservatives and can be stored for 3 weeks. The developer Kirsten Toeset offers the servings to restaurants and retail.
‘Horeca Vlaanderen’ and ‘Vlaanderen Lekker Land’ have published an inspirational guide for a child-friendly hospitality industry named ‘Kinderen aan tafel’ (translated as ‘Kids to the Table’). The booklet provides a self-test for restaurant owners, practical checklists, tips & tricks for child-friendly service, menu suggestions, tips for plate decoration and additional services. Unfortunately it’s only available in Dutch.
Between the 74th and 98th floor of the Guangzhou IFC building in China the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou opened with 344 luxe rooms. It is the eighth hotel by Four Seasons in China, were this number stands for prosperity and wealth. The presidential suite on the 97th floor has a stunning 336m2 living area. See the video for an impression.
Between the 74th and 98th floor of the Guangzhou IFC building in China the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou opened with 344 luxe rooms. It is the eighth hotel by Four Seasons in China, were this number stands for prosperity and wealth. The presidential suite on the 97th floor has a stunning 336m2 living area. See the video for an impression.
In 2006 Heineken launched the campaign ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ for responsible drinking. Today Heineken launched the ‘Dance more drink slow’ campaign as part of ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’. The famous Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren wrote the track ‘Save My Night’ for the campaign and is the ambassador and protagonist in the video above. The importance of the campaign is to show responsible drinking in an inspiring way. The video will be showed in all countries where Heineken is sold.
Coca Cola stands for ‘Open Happiness’ and there is no better time to open happiness than Christmas. But first you need something to wrap a gift with and therefore Coca Cola placed billboards with free wrapping paper in various shopping centers in Belgium during December. Coca Cola and the Belgium creative agency Duval Guillaume have developed the billboard together with Clear Channel.
During New Year’s Eve, Paramount hotel owner Aby Rosen reopened ‘The Diamond Horseshoe’. The space is located under the Parmount Hotel and was originally opened in December 1938, but closed its doors in 1951. ‘The Diamond Horseshoe’ is a ballroom that not only serves the night life but also as a venue for theatrical performances. The space has undergone a renovation and features two bars, a kitchen and private rooms. During the reopening the show ‘Queen of the Night’ was played, a combination of performances, music, circus and food. During the show guests were served lobster in bird cages, whole roast pork and smoked ribs with cocktails, wine and champagne.
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