McDonald’s mobile order app
16-9-2013
McDonald’s is testing a mobile order app. Customers can use the app to place an order and pay through their phone. The order can be picked up at the drive through or in the shop. The app provides special offers and a loyalty program. With the app McDonald’s wants to offer more convenience to place an order. At this moment the application is tested in Salt Lake City.
Redesign meeting rooms Kapellerput
13-9-2013
The Kapellerput conference hotel has redesigned its six meeting rooms. The rooms have massive brainstorm walls, interactive projectors combined with glass whiteboards and the curtains have a print of abstracted tree trunk pattern. The carpet of the lobby is replaced by a specially developed design inspired by art and nature. The carpet looks like a cross section of a tree trunk with a length of 75 meters.
Battle of the Bees
12-9-2013
The ‘Waldorf Astoria New York’ and the ‘Grand Wailea’ in Maui, both members of the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand, held a ‘Battle of the Bees’ to celebrate the National Honey Month. Both hotels have a set of beehives and use the produced honey in culinary dishes, cocktails and spa treatments. During the ‘Battle of the Bees’, at September 4, a panel of judges elected the honey of both hotels, processed in dishes. The Waldorf Astoria New York won the judges’ approval by a vote of 3-2, the Grand Wailea got the popular vote as the media attendees awarded its honey as the best. Actually a bit of a tie. Guests are able to taste the honey-exchanged dishes throughout the month of September.
Marks and Spencer Food pilot at BP gas station
12-9-2013
BP Netherlands (gas station) teamed up with Marks & Spencer to open the first Marks & Spencer Food pilot at the new BP gas station along the A12 in the Netherlands. The assortment of Marks & Spencer Food consists of 700 products, characterized by their freshness and high quality. The coffee and tea are Fairtrade, they only use free-range eggs in their products and the products do not contain saturated fats and artificial colors. The products of Marks & Spencer are an addition to the current assortment of BP. This pilot is the first of the in total six renovated gas station where the Marks & Spencer Food pilot will be introduced.
Android KitKat
12-9-2013
Google has launched the latest version of the Android mobile operating system in collaboration with Nestlé, named the ‘Android KitKat’. In 2009 Google started to give their new releases of mobile platforms names of sweet treats in alphabetical order. Like the ‘Android Cupcake’ in 2009 to the latest version ‘Android Jelly Bean’. Recently they introduced the ‘Android KitKat’. To celebrate the launch of the new ‘Android KitKat’ there will be a special KitKat bar in a Android package sold in 19 markets over the world. This package will bring the consumer to the android.com/kitkat website where they can win prizes. Watch the video about the Android KitKat here.
Crooked cucumbers
11-9-2013
Crooked cucumbers, tomatoes in weird shapes or roots with two legs… Research shows that about 5 to 10% of the vegetables in the Netherlands are wasted, because of their shape, color or size. The wholesale Zegro and ‘Kromkommer’ launched a pilot project where they sell four types of imperfect vegetables this month. The vegetables tastes as good as normal, despite of the weird shapes. During the pilot the current assortment of Zegro will be complemented with imperfect cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and red peppers.
The horseshoe hotel or the Donut
11-9-2013
Next month the Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort in Zhejiang (at China’s eastern coast) will open. The building already has a number of nicknames, ‘The horseshoe hotel’ and ‘The Donut’. Besides the great design of the building, the interior must be spectacular as well. With a lobby, full of Swarovski crystal, panorama restaurants and lounges, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools. So if you’re going to Zhejiang, we know a nice hotel for you! Many more photos of Sheraton on the link below.
Pommes Frites Warsauce in New York
10-9-2013
Pommes Frites, a small restaurant where they serve only authentic Belgian Fries, topped with a variety of extraordinary sauces. We thought that ‘a fries warsauce’ is a typical Dutch/Belgian combination was but it’s being served in NYC as well! Leonie van Spronsen, who spotted Pommes Frites, did enjoy her fries!
Opening Hampshire Hotel Fitland
10-9-2013
The Hampshire Hotel Fitland will open its doors on Monday 16 September. The hotel is located on the tenth and eleventh floor of the Level building, next to Leiden train station. The hotel has 120 luxurious rooms and two restaurants with view of the city. There is also a sport center and a complete wellness resort in the building. There are six multi-functional meeting rooms for eight to a thousand people and because of its central location near to the train station it is a great meeting venue.
Smart Lid
9-9-2013
The ‘Smart Lid’ is a special disposable lid that indicates when a drink is too hot to drink. The Smart Lid slowly changes from a red color into a dark red color when the drink cools, so it is the right temperature to drink (under 48 Celsius degrees). The lid prevents people from burning their mouth and hands to the drink. Very useful for restaurants and cafés that sell take-away beverages.
Zeppelin hotel
9-9-2013
The Swiss architect Fredy Isela is planning to build a gigantic zeppelin hotel. This zeppelin hotel will be build on four piles of 30 meters high. The hotel should be 236 meters long, six floors and will have 500 suites. The hotel will also have several restaurants, a spa, conference rooms, shops and some luxury apartments. The hotel will be fully sustainable. The project will costs approximately 200 million euro, investors are still being searched.
Top 10 hotel waterslides
6-9-2013
Trivago gives an overview of ten popular hotels with waterslides all over the world. Ranging from slides with a view of the beach and sea to slides through aquariums with sharks and rays. Steep slides but also slides with many turns. The pictures above is from Artis The Palm hotel, a five-star resort located in Dubai. The 42 acre waterpark ‘Aquaventure’ is known as the best waterpark in the Middle East and Europe. The waterpark has slides where you are surrounded by sharks and rays, but also uphill water roller coasters and slides that catapult you through shark filled lagoons. A zipline circuit providing an exhilarating sky-high experience is under construction. For the other waterslide, check the article in The Huffington Post.
Beer tap with built-in spray tap
6-9-2013
Through Twitter Café Valentijn (Schiedam, The Netherlands) told us about their special beer tap of InBev. The beer tap has a built-in spray tap, so the glasses can be rinsed quickly and easily. Café Valentijn is one of the first in the Netherlands that will use this installation. We wish them a lot of fun and succes with the opening on September the 12th.
Creative with bottles
6-9-2013
Last summer we had a delicious lunch at Bistrot Chic Le 7, by Anne Sophie Pic, Valence (France). A bistrot crowded on a weekday, on a non tourist location. Formulas like a main dish with half bottle of mineral water for € 18 and a 3-course formula – Plein des sens – for € 30. Including a delicious ‘carpaccio de tomates’ with an emulsion of vanilla and old rum. At her twitteraccount /blog, I noticed a couple of great recipes, nice to follow for culinary enthusiasts. The interior of the bistrot is sleek with red accents … At the website of Anne Sophie Pic they show a video of the hotel and its three-stars restaurant and the bistrot. A nice impression and inspiration. In the toilets we found this red lamp made ??from bottles Sanbitter (of Sanpellegrino). Personally, I prefer to drink it but it’s a simple and surprising color accent … ^Marjolein
Pin Pack Go travel planner
5-9-2013
Four Seasons brings the guests journey to life with Pin.Pack.Go, a new travel planning service on Pinterest. Via Pinterest you can make your own Pin.Pack.Go board and specify the Four Seasons hotel you will be visiting during your holiday. Follow that specific hotel and the hotel will follow you back. The Four Seasons hotel will pin recommendations like tourist attractions, restaurants and shops. And through your board they have an insight in your interests. The Four Seasons thus plans your ideal travel from start to finish via Pinterest. An interesting and innovative way to inform your guests before their stay, a kind of concierge. And it increases the anticipation for your guests…
Pin.Pack.Go travel planner
5-9-2013
Four Seasons brings the guests journey to life with Pin.Pack.Go, a new travel planning service on Pinterest. Via Pinterest you can make your own Pin.Pack.Go board and specify the Four Seasons hotel you will be visiting during your holiday. Follow that specific hotel and the hotel will follow you back. The Four Seasons hotel will pin recommendations like tourist attractions, restaurants and shops. And through your board they have an insight in your interests. The Four Seasons thus plans your ideal travel from start to finish via Pinterest. An interesting and innovative way to inform your guests before their stay, a kind of concierge. And it increases the anticipation for your guests…
Instagramhotel
5-9-2013
After the Twitter hotel in Majorca, the first Instagramhotel is now opened in Australia. Hotel 1888 has 90 rooms decorated with photos take by guests and is fully dedicated to Instagram. When you have more than 10.000 followers on Instagram you will get a free stay at the hotel and the guest/photographer of the Instagramphoto (of the hotel) of the month also receives a free additional stay. The hotel has a special room where you can take photos of yourself and guests are guided through the environment by an Instagram map.
Family fun all in one
4-9-2013
Our colleague Steven van ‘t Hart celebrated his holiday in America this summer. He went out to eat the ‘Pizza-burger‘ by ‘Boston Pizza’ at the Niagara Falls location. We did mention this burger on horecatrends in April (kind of a April the 1st joke) and the burger will be on the menu in September. But Steven got to taste one! Especially the Pepperoni version was considered very tasty! He also noticed that children received a mini pizza box by entering the restaurant, containing coloring pages, games and crayons. Nice small gesture… That of course can be taken home ….
More Bedtime Stories
4-9-2013
In the first version of the ‘small gestures in hospitality‘, in January 2013, we showed a ‘bedtime story’ that we found on our pillow in Hotel ‘The Palace’ in Dubai. A beautiful, simple poem about going to sleep. At the Copley Square Hotel in Boston, they wish their guest a good night with ‘bedtime stories’ by children. The stories are written by students of 826 Boston. 826 Boston is a non-profit writing center dedicated to supporting students age 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills and helping teachers inspire their students to write. Another great ‘small gesture in hospitality’.
Djemaa El Fna square in Rotterdam
3-9-2013
On September 20 and 21 the ‘Museumpark’ in Rotterdam will be transformed into a huge outdoor restaurant. Inspiration is the famous square in Marrakesh, Djemaa el Fna. This square will transform in the evening from a market into an outdoor restaurant where visitors can buy snacks at various stalls. During the first edition of the ‘Djemaa el Fna’ in Rotterdam, some entrepreneurs will make Moroccan snacks with the goal to make the diversity of cultures and nationalities visible. There will also be different Moroccan products for sale, musicians, dancers and camels. ‘Djemaa el Fna’ is part of the ‘World Food Festival’.
Firefly on the go
3-9-2013
During my holiday we were introduced to the PET bottles of Firefly. Attracted by the fresh design, I bought a few bottles on the go. A delicious fresh taste, 100% natural and thirst-quenching. Is currently sold in the Netherlands in glass bottle and soon in PET bottles. Available in the tastes lemon & Lime, Orange & Passionfruit and Rasberry & Pommegrate. Also nice to sell in a hotel lobby shop…. ^ Marjolein
Marriott Underground Lab
2-9-2013
Marriott Hotel asks their reward members to give feedback on the hotel rooms. The members are invited to the headquarters to give their opinion on the rooms, ranging from type of bed to the shower pressure. In the basement of the headquarters ‘The Underground’ lab is opened in June. ‘The Underground’ is an area where they work on innovation and improvement of the future of Marriott. Members can design their own hotel room in this area by moving the interior. Marriott get additional information for improvement in the future.
Hotel offers special kid program
2-9-2013
The Trump hotel in SoHo offers a special program for the children and teenagers. The program is for children between 3 and 17 years. There are child friendly facilities such as special kids cocktails, coloring books and children’s room service menu. But there are also special rates for children at the luxury spa, a map of the city with must see spots and movie channels. Parents can hire a nanny or let their kids have swim lessons.
Glaces & Jus by Marc Veyrat
30-8-2013
Last holiday we enjoyed reading Alain Caron’s book, Tour d’Alain (a French chef living in the Netherlands, so unfortunately in Dutch). Because of his enthusiastic stories about Montpellier we spent a few hours there. There we saw a new initiative by the former French three-star chef Marc Veyrat. In addition to his self-service restaurant ‘Cozna Vera‘ in Annecy, he opened ‘Glaces &Jus by Marc Veyrat’ early August in Montpellier. A small shop where you can pick frozen bio fruit and put it in various size cups, after which you can choose whether they will make an ice cream, yogurt ice cream, sorbet or smoothie from it. We had a delicious rhubarb yoghurt ice cream with raspberry, a smoothie of wild strawberries and a banana milkshake … Delicious …. And if you’re ever near Montpellier, go soak up the city and a bowl of healthy fruit processed at Urbanfruits. ^Marjolein
Taco Bell surprised impatient customers
30-8-2013
Taco Bell has held a fun stunt in collaboration with agency Grip Limited during the launch of the long-awaited arrival of Doritos Locos Tacos in Canada. Impatient customers were surprised during a special fan event. The exasperated tweets from the impatient customers were burned with a special laser on the first batch of shells and served to the specific customer. These customers ate literally their own words on the taco.
