The Tree Lighting Party by The Pierre New York

5-12-2014

Last weekend I happened to see a tweet of hotel The Pierre New York which invited its followers to The Pierre’s Holiday Tree Lighting Party. The Pierre New York, celebrates the lighting of their Christmas Tree by offering their guests a free cocktail if they take a little toy for charity!

We have recently written an article about the Christmas trees at the Claridge Hotel in London. For several years already they invite great designers to decorate their Christmas trees. They also organize a Tree Lighting Party just as the large department stores in London, New York and the ‘Bijenkorf’ in the Netherlands celebrate their ‘window lighting party’, since a couple of years.

Combine the Tree Lighting party with charity

The Pierre New York Hotel is trying to tempt guests to take along a toy for charity. A couple of years back I read about parties in Hollywood where Christmas trees decorated by celebrities were auctioned for charity. Nice idea to create a similar auction with your local celebrities!

^ Marjolein van Spronsen

Use the #selfie in your benefit

10-11-2014

The luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris created a new example of the use of the #selfie that benefits both the company as the consumer.

Marjolein wrote about it in the beginning of September; the #Selfie as a trend. In that article she provides a few examples, recently she spotted a new one from the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris. The hotel launched a ‘Selfie in Paris’ campaign in August 2014. Offering their guests a tour of Paris’ best selfie spots with a private car and driver.

The best #selfie time is yet to come

As from the end of November it will be booming with all the #Christmas decoration #selfies on the social media. In front of the Christmas Tree on famous spots, with the decorated windows at all the big warehouses et cetera. Make use of this #selfie trend by creating the perfect Selfie spot in your restaurant or hotel. As city you can organise your own best selfie spot tour to promote your most photogenic spots as well.

NIVEN’s new kitchen

29-10-2014

In the beginning of October chef Niven Kunz started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for a new kitchen in his Michelin starred Restaurant NIVEN. He hopes for your support in co-funding the renovation of his kitchen. He needs to raise € 50.000,- for the kitchen including a chef’s table with room for 12 guests.

Several ways to back the project

You can pay € 60,= for a 10 course tasting table or reserve the entire chef’s table for one night for € 1.250,=. After Christmas, the restaurant is closed for remodelling. Co-funders can come and eat when the renovation is completed, early 2015. It’s also possible to order the Niven 80/20 cookbook (only available in Dutch) or a bottle of NIVEN’s liqueur, The Gold Selection.
Niven Kunz quotes about the crowdfunding campaign: “Because of the fact that I’m active on social media, all my guests are involved with my restaurant. This action will only increase this. Isn’t it great to be able to tell that you have helped with the renovation of a kitchen in a restaurant?” The action will continue until 8 November and the fund raised so far is € 7.000,- (29 October).

New website

The new website of restaurant NIVEN recently launched. It’s a minimalistic website with a prominent role for the suppliers of the restaurant, with beautiful pictures by Daniel Maissan.

About the chef

Niven Kunz is a chef with an eye for great ingredients. He uses 80% of vegetables and 20% meat or fish in his dishes.

Having crow for dinner

30-9-2014

This year, restaurant MOES in Amsterdam and the ‘Keuken van het Ongewenste Dier’ (Kitchen of Unwanted Animals) organize the fourth edition of the unwanted animals dinner on 5 October. As we wrote last year in the article about the Christmas edition, the dinner of unwanted animals is dedicated to animals that are undesired for whatever reason. Examples are gooses, muskrats, crayfishes and the swans. As always, Rob Hagenouw and Nicolle Schatborn (of ‘Keuken van Ongewenste Dieren’) give explanations of why these animals should be eaten. One of the animals that will be on this year’s menu is crow. It is a four course diner, including appetizer, welcome drink and tea/coffee for € 39,50. Reservations can be made via the website of restaurant MOES.

Open happiness with Coca Cola

6-1-2014

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.

Collaboration Carlton Oasis and Intratuin

30-12-2013

The Carlton Oasis in Spijkenisse (The Netherlands) works together with Intratuin in Rhoon and Rhoon Groenprojecten BV to decorate the hotel in Winter atmospheres. The hotel buys its Christmas and buffet decorations from the local garden center, that decorates the lobby as a return of favor.

Written in the stars

24-12-2013

A revolution in Christmas-cards. Write it in the stars with an iOS device via stars.akqa.com.

Collaboration Hotel Mitland and Nimeto

13-12-2013

Hotel Mitland and Nimeto, a creative commercial intermediate vocational college, have a long collaboration history in Utrecht. Every year the Nimeto students decorate the hotel, restaurant and the bowling alley in Christmas atmospheres. Mister Wim Plijnaar is closely involved in the decoration, he is one of the four brothers that run the hotel. The example was suggested after a Tweet we sent about collaboration possibilities for hotels and garden centers for Christmas decoration.

Winter cocktails

13-12-2013

Want to serve a delicious cocktail during Christmas dinner or after? Baileys Chocolat Luxe asked three bartenders to create a winter cocktail with their beverage, they came up with the following. The “Rococo” was created by Bompas & Parr from England and is served in a highball with ice cream and raspberry. Liquor expert Missy Flynn from London came up with the “Chocolat Black Forest” and “Chocolat Mint” (with mint infused ice cubes). You can find all recipes here. Or turn a mojito into a Christmas mojito by adding a pinch of cranberry juice and cranberry’s. For the non-alcoholic cocktail lovers, Happy Drinks have some recipes on their site. Download our booklet ‘Christmas gestures‘ with more easily usable Christmas gestures.

Recyclable wrapping paper

28-11-2013

During Christmas a lot of wrapping paper is used and thrown away, certainly not environmentally friendly. Therefore you need to use the ‘Eden’s Paper’. This wrapping paper does not only looks cheerful, but you can grown carrots, broccoli, red peppers, onions and tomatoes with it. The seeds are hidden in layers of biodegradable paper. So when the presents are unwrapped, plant the wrapping paper, give it some water and a few week later you will have vegetable plants. ‘Eden’s Paper’ is a crowdfunding project, the paper has been developed but they are still looking for funds to start the production.