The ‘NAVITIME For Japan Travel app’ helps tourists by finding a free Wi-Fi spot through augmented reality. By using the function ‘Free Wi-Fi Spot Search’ tourists and locals can search offline for the nearest Wi-Fi Location. The feature comes with an augmented reality mode and users can see the nearest Wi-Fi spot with distance and directions on their screen. The app provides information on over 50.000 free Wi-Fi spots.
Novotel Maastricht introduced a new meeting concept. The hotel offered the traditional meeting arrangements, but changed it into a modular manner. There aren’t fixed packages any more, but the guests can compose their own package and everything can be combined. Each room has playful elements. And for more creative inspiration during a meeting, the guests can play table tennis or table football or get a short massage. Novotel Maastricht provides customization for each guest with a personal approach.
To measure the hospitality of restaurant in The Hague for people with disabilities ‘Voorall’ has launched a contest. For people with disabilities its often the question if they can enter the restaurant with wheelchair, if the guide dog is welcome and if the dishes fit into their diets. With the contest ‘meNU Ongehinderd’ people with or without disabilities can select a restaurant in The Hague and give their opinion. Information about the accessibility of these restaurants will be added to the app ‘Ongehinderd’, which ‘Voorall’ and The Hague has launched in March.
The first Marks & Spencer Food hall in the Netherlands opens its doors in The Hague today. The Food hall is approximately 750 m2, the warehouse is with 6.000m2 the largest international store of Marks & Spencer. The Food hall focuses on the Dutch market with limited proportion of pre-packed vegetables and meat specialties. Alternating with Dutch and English favorites like fresh bread, cheese and biscuits. There is a wide range of convenience food ‘for now’ and ‘food later’. Previously, Marks & Spencer opened a shop at a BP gas station in September 2013.
Philips demonstrated its new ‘indoor-GPS-system’ for retail during the EuroShop (Düsseldorf 16-20 February). A special app analyzes the light signals of the store and the system provides location-based information to the customer. The lighting communicates with the app and sends offers and additional information to the customer. The customer can easily find the way via his smartphone or tablet through the store. Retailers can equip points of sales with specific information. Philips is testing the system in a number of retail stores. Download the infographic.
J&B Rare whiskey goes back to its roots and has released 25 tattooed limited edition bottles. The bottles are coated with a latex skin, so they could be tattooed just like a human skin. Tattoo artist Sébastien Mathieu tattooed the bottles and it took him about 20 hours per bottle. The tattooed bottles are available in Paris at Publicis Drugstore and L’éclaireur rue Herold.
Airline Virgin America has launched a new social network app, the ‘Here On Biz’ app. The app connects people on the plane or at the airport through their LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Travelers can make contact with people on the same flight or another Virgin America flight, people at the airport or with people at their destination. The airline wants to reinvent the flying experience for their customers and the app is part of the campaign.
Consumers often do not know where their food comes from. Cisse Trading Co, a company that focuses on Fairtrade chocolate bakes and drinks, gives consumers the opportunity to send a message to the farmers. There is a QR-code at the packaging of the food that can be scanned by the customer. The consumer is linked to the Facebook page where they can leave a message to the farmers. So there is more transparency and it creates a connection between the farmer and the consumer who buys their products.
This Monday 24 February the ‘Koksgilde’ and Gastronomixs organize the Young Talents Festival at Koppert Cress in Monster. Syrco Bakker (Pure C resto bar – Lounge*), Bas van Kranen (Restaurant De Leuf**) and Maik Kuijpers (De Librije***) give live demonstrations and there are several other activities. The festival is targeted on the chefs that gratuated in 2013 on level 3/4, but there are also limited tickets available for members of the Koksgilde and Gastronomixs.
Jaap Urban started a project to provide a temporary practical solution for one empty building in Groningen at the end of April or the beginning of May 2014. With the launch of tijdelijkestad.nl he motivates citizens and entrepreneurs to think along about the optimal use of a building for one week. Potential buildings can be suggested via the website, when one is found, the contents of the program and pop-up stores can be filled in. This can vary from temporary shops and sport facilities to restaurants and office space for entrepreneurs. Next that events and workshops will complement the program for the period.
Within three weeks a suitable building will be picked.
The Canadian beer brand Molson Canadian has placed a striking red fridge full with Molson Canadian beers in Canada’s Olympic House. However, the fridge can only be opened with a legitimate Canadian passport. A passport is first inserted into a slot located to the left of the fridge door and the door will be unlocked. Once the door is open, anyone can grab a beer, also the people who are not from Canada. The fridge encourages people to look for a Canadian friend. The refrigerator was placed at multiple locations in Europe before the Winter Olympics.
For the pastry chefs among our followers: the International Culinary Center literally takes a bite out of fashion! To promote the New York Fashion Week the International Culinary Center has made an exact copy of a Coco Chanel purse out of chocolate! In the video above, the model suddenly begins to eat her purse in the middle of a subway.
The ‘Shanghai Tower’ will open its doors in Shanghai in 2014. The building has a total height of 632 meters with 121 floors. Between the 84th and 110th floor of the building there will be a hotel with 320 rooms. This is the highest hotel in the world. The building has walls of glass so it gives a 360 degree view of the city. The ‘Shanghai Tower’ will also have a number of retail stores, offices, cultural facilities and an observation deck.
Restaurant, Bar & Marina Terrace I-Dock, located on the ground floor of the new Room Mate Hotel Aitana Amsterdam, opened its doors at February 8. The hotel bar I-Dock is a place where hotel guests and passers-by can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks. The menu is Mediterranean oriented with the concept of small dinners. Guests can taste different dishes or share the small bites with each other. At night the hotel bar transforms into a night club with DJs and live bands. I-Dock is a initiative of business caterer Vitam.
Now KLM Royal Dutch Airlines makes it possible for customers to pay their booking through social media. Consumers are already able to book extra services through social media, such as a seat reservation or extra baggage addition, but they can now pay their booking via Facebook or Twitter as well. KLM will send the customer a link in a private message on Facebook or Twitter, consumers can choose the method of payment and complete the transaction. A KLM service agent receives a payment confirmation and sends a message to the customer. KLM is the first airline that makes it possible to pay through social media.
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
Ikea opens a temporary hotel for short naps along the highway. Motorists can nap for 20 minutes on one of the Ikea matrasses in Beaune (France) from the 13th to the 31st of July. Ikea states that it wants to help improving road savety but also interest people for its matrasses.
Whatser launches a mobile hotspot sharing app in collaboration with Heineken. The aim is to share and recommend hotspots with the app instead of your actual location. Whatser is available for iPhone, Android (from 2.2 on) and Blackberry. (Hospitality) locations that want to inform their regular visitors can keep track for a small fee per month.
One of his lines is ‘In Coffee We Trust’ and the love for food, drinks and Italy is visible in much of his works. This pop up contemporary art exposition located at Rokin 75 (Amsterdam) is open daily from 9.00 – 21.00 o’çlock untill the 21st of July.
One of his preferred lines is ‘In Coffee We Trust’ and the love for food, drinks and Italy is visible in much of his works. This pop up contemporary art exposition located at Rokin 75 (Amsterdam) is open daily from 13.00 – 20.00 o’clock until the 21st of July.
Well known liquor brands and Amsterdam bars join hands to surprise the audience during the Amsterdam Bar Week from the 19th to the 23rd of September. A few concepts are already confirmed, others will develop over the next months. There is for example an exclusive Hennessey tastery in The Sopranos Piano Bar, a ‘Contreauversial’ make-over by Cointreau and Rob Peetoom in collaboration with Okura’s 23rd bar and a ‘Barista meets bartender’ evening with cocktail-coffee blends from Drambuie and Buscaglione in Little Buddha.
NH Hoteles has created a fanpage on Facebook where people can claim their own hotel room. All NH Hoteles are mapped and the room is claimed by loggin in with the Facebook username. Only one registration per room is possible and visible by a sticker next to the door. The winner can stay a week in his or her ‘own’ room for free, travel expenses are also paid for by NH Hoteles.
For everyone who sports for the social element there is the football cocktail shaker. The two parts lock tight and after a heavy match one can look forward to a well shaken cocktail.
Wake up with the smell of bacon. This alarm clock starts to bake bacon 10 minutes before the wake up time. A tasty start of the day.
A bike ride turns out to be romantic with this ‘Sofa Bike’. The bike is build around a loveseat for two, to ride through the city relaxed and romantically. The ‘Sofa Bike’ was presented during DMY Berlin 2011 (International Design Festival). Nice to rent this bike to your hotel guests.
With this free app you find all the top restaurants on your iPhone. Users can find restaurants by searching on name, location, province and price, but as well by the rankings of the Michelin, GaultMillau and Lekker restaurant guides. Since the launch in October 2010, the app is almost 100.000 times downloaded.
Tea is healthy. The creators make a statement by packing Rosy Lee’s Remarkable Remedy tea as medication.
An urinal on the tree is a nature friendly solution for crowded toilets at festivals. It’s possible to connect the urinal to the sewage system or a septic tank.
The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain hotel, located in Arizona, has introduced a new dinner experience called Splash Dining. The table is set in the pool, so the legs of the guests are refreshingly immersed in the water, while a three-course diner is served. The dinner is served by chefs wearing the aquatic version of a chef’s jacket.
For going out for dinner you don’t have to leave the house anymore. At the new Dutch website completentje.nl, complete dinners can be ordered, which are delevered at home. A dinner box provides the meals, the drinks, a description how to prepare the dinners and even the napkins and the candles. You can choose between an Italian menu or a French menu.
Brasserie Sailors Inn, located in de Dutch village Bruinisse, launched new coasters, called the ‘Infoviltje’, to increase the (online) interaction with the guests. Guests can scan the QR-code on the coaster to obtain information about the company, the menu, the wine list or to leave a review.
Pretty soon we will be drinking from aerosols. Turbo Tango is the first beverage from an aerosol. The drink is available in the UK from the 19th of August 2011.
The city of Amsterdam offers a terrain in the Eastern district to the Magneet Festival (Magnet Festival) from the 19th of August until the 11th of September. This is a crowdsourced event where everyone is cocreator and owner. Under the motto “No spectators, only participants” everybody is involved in some way.
This printer makes customized chocolate. It’s developed at University of Exeter and like most 3D printers, the device works by depositing successive layers of the building material.
The perfect restaurant for the meat-lovers. The [M]eatery just opened in the SIDE Hotel in Hamburg, Germany (part of the Design Hotel Group). This is a modern steakhouse, which provides a meat locker room where you can watch the dry-aging process of the meat, through a wall of glass.
To celebrate the festival season, Pringles developed an app to create your own rockband. Watch the movie.
You prefer your whisky cold, but not watery? Than try the Whisky Rocks. Keep these rocks in your freezer, and they will perfectly cool your drink.
Supermarket chain Tesco has developed a virtual shop at a subway station in South Korea. People can shop with their smartphone from billboards and get their order delivered when they get home.
Update: The Bilder & De Clercq grocery store from Amsterdam introduced an interactive wall.
There is a one stop shop in Oslo that combines a stylish cafe, laundry and a library. The philosophy of the Laundromat concept is to offer a warm and friendly environment where you can meet a diverse mix of visitors on your laundry day.
This furniture lights up your garden, looks nice, and is very comfy. Vondom designed this furniture of recycled materials.
This insects hotel is located in the Dutch province Limburg (village Beesel), next to a large frog pond, with the aim to house insects and to stimulate nature.
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