This Monday café Vrijdag opened on the corner of the Amsteldijk and the Vrijheidslaan in Amsterdam. Owners Sikko de Jong and Reinout Ezinga want to create a ‘second living room’ for neighbours and offer an alternative for people in the South of Amsterdam for the (over)crowded city center. The interior is designed by ‘Koelhuis Frigo’ and has characteristic raw elements like stone, wood and steel.
Until October 1st Chef’s Table is located at pop-up location ‘Undercurrent’ in Amsterdam. Chef Jeffrey Verwey and his team will present accessible classical dishes on this floating restaurant at the IJ. From August 15 onwards there will be a recycle art gallery in Undercurrent as well. Curator Naleye Sultan Buddista will exhibit special –buyable- artworks in the build up to the Art & Design Recycling Fair 2014. The pop-up location is the former information center of ‘IJburg’.
The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston has introduced a Spa Happy Hour. Guests and locals can get USD 30 off at a 60 or 90 minute massage, facial or body treatment from Monday through Thursday from 12:00 to 6:30 pm. They can also choose a special Happy Hour menu that includes free Spa cocktails and snacks. The promotion continued to December 31. A new kind of happy hour, not just like the Happy Hour at a bar…
In Japan a phone-holding camera stand is installed on tourist spots so tourists can take pictures of themselves without the help of others. The camera holder can rotate 360 degrees and is installed at the right height and distance to take a group photo. The stand is suitable for any smartphone and even tablets.
Waving tentacles, a dish that breathes or wriggles around? Sounds unreal, but it is possible! With the project ‘Living Food’ Minsu Kim brings food to life. Through synthetic biotech artificial life can be created in dishes. The synthetic biology pearsin haute cuisine and molecular gastronomy, but Minsu Kim brings this to another level with the project ‘Living Food’.
Artist Alex Schweder has developed a floating pop-up hotelroom named ‘Lloyd in the Sky With Diamonds’ for hotel chain ‘The Curtis’. The inflatable hotel room is located on top of a van and can be lifted up 22 ft in the air. The room has a bed, couch, curtains and a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Because the wall and ceiling are transparent guests can enjoy the view of Denver when the van is parked. One night in the hotel is now offered for $ 50,000 as part of a special package.
An ice cream soda, refreshing, old-fashioned and blessed! The last couple of warm days I experimented with this drink from my childhood. The base is a soda with a scoop of ice cream. You don’t see this drink in the most restaurants, while it is a easy drink to make! My daughter especially liked the sweeter varieties with vanilla ice cream. Personally I find the variant with a dash of lime juice and lime ice cream with sprite delicious! Yesterday I served this drink to my colleagues and they found it wonderfully refreshing! I also made the Mojito ice cream soda with lime ice cream, it was very tasty! ^Marjolein.
There are more and more food sherpas in touristicareas. Food sherpas are local people who receive tourists and show them the city. Unlike tourist agencies, the food sherpas lead you to local restaurants where you normally wouldn’t come as a tourist. They take you on a local culinary discovery tour and not only tell you where to go, but also what to order in restaurants. For example food sherpas can be found in Paris, where they guide tourist to the not so touristy Paris.
Hotels could set up an agreement with local people to guide the hotel guests through the most local hotspots. This as reaction to the deployment of an AirBnB host, because the success of this concept is that tourists can stay at the local people
In the area around São Paulo, Brazil residents can share stories in a special and direct way. The project ‘Mensagens Que Brilham’ equipped the street lights with special lenses with printed text. In the evening when the streetlights are switched on, different messages of residents are projected on the streets. This project is developed for AES Eletropaulo, an energy company. But we think that this is a special way to transmit a message, or fun for events or as an eye catcher for the entrance of a restaurant or hotel.
Most hotels charge the same price for a double room, whether you are alone or with two people. The website of Easynest enables solo tourists to share a hotel room with another traveler and share the costs. When you sign in on the website you can start looking for a companion to share your hotel room with. Although the focus of the site is on saving money during your trip, Easynest also provides a way for travelers to make friend, or even find a companion, while visiting a city. Looking at their website we imagine that the service will specially be used at big events.
Briggo has developed a robotic coffee machine in conjunction with Yves Behar and Fuseproject. The coffee machine ‘Briggo Coffee Haus’ offers people the opportunity to order a coffee through a touch screen or via a smartphone app. The range consists of many types of coffee, even with coffee syrups. The app will remember your favorite coffees. The Briggo Coffee Machine offers a fast and easy way to order a coffee, without any hassle or wait. At this point the coffee machine is tested at the University of Texas and will soon be at Bergstrom airport Austin.
Google will deliver wireless networks at Starbucks in the next year. Starbucks is planning to upgrade Wi-Fi in more than 7,000 of its stores in the United States over the next year, starting with the locations where the use of Wi-Fi is highest. Google will provide Wi-Fi access, the internet will be ten times faster and more accessible. In addition to speeding up the Wi-Fi, Starbucks and Google will also work together to improve the Starbucks Digital Network, a page where users are directed when accessing Wi-Fi.
World’s first Twitter hotel is located on the Spanish island Mallorca. The Twitter hotel Sol Wave House opened a year ago and uses Social Media to offer guests a unique experience. The hotel has Twitter themed rooms, Twitter drinks and through the virtual community #SocialWave guests can start conversations or flirt. By logging in to the hotel network, guests can share photos, send private messages and they can see who’s online and their location in the hotel. Guests can also submit requests via Twitter, such as filling the minibar or offer other guests drinks and food.
The demand for healthier food during festivals is increasing, the offer of healthy food needs to grown wider and bigger. Caterer ‘Adams Appels’ responds to this need by providing a Healthy Food Camp during the Mysteryland festival in the Netherlands. The Healthy Food Camp will consist of a healthy dining area with honest juices, slow Mediterranean food and an extensive healthy menu. There will be a natural nutritionist who can advise you on your food choice. Besides the Mysteryland festival, the caterer will also provide the Healthy Food Camp at other festivals.
McDonald’s has launched an interesting campaign in France. The fast-food chain has used super close-up photographs of McDonald’s BigMac, French fries, Sundae ice cream and fish fillets without mention the names. The photos do not even have the signature logo but are instantly recognizable. This campaign shows the undeniable power and reputation of the brand.
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
The young Serbian designer Denis Bostandzic invented nachos shaped like a spoon, ‘Spoonachos’. With this new shape it’s easier to dip you nachos in guacamole or any other sauce.
Creative artist Luong Lu en energie maatschappij Vattenfall willen buren stimuleren om bij elkaar te gaan eten. Zij hebben een website gemaakt waar buren kunnen zien wie er kookt en wat er op het menu staat. Vervolgens kun je een verzoek indienen om bij deze persoon te eten. Mensen die koken voor meer personen dan alleen zichzelf krijgen dan korting op de energierekening.
A bar in San Francisco has created a special menu for its visitors. The Beer & shots are composed of different types of beer and liquor. Combinations are: Pilsner Urquell & Bols Genever, Session Lager & Black Buffalo Trace Bourbon Pumpkin Ale & Zaya Rum, Moose Drool & Dickel and Tennessee Whiskey and Session Lager & Black Buffalo Trace Bourbon. What are weird Dutch combinations? Nice to list it in your bar.
Not everyone knows that the ‘spumantes’ of Martini belong to the assortment since 1863. Since last week they are available in The Netherlands. To celebrate this addition a they threw a bubbly party and created a special YouTube channel.
The Artisan Nature Bar in Paris has a simple philosophy: “Everything that can be smeared on the skin is also edible and drinkable.” Thus, the bar offers various kinds of mineral water, juices and cocktails that are prepared from natural oils and plants.
During the traffic jams on November 5th CêlaVíta poptatoes, in collaboration with th-chef Stan, made different potato dishes in Amsterdam, Leiden and Almere. Bus shelters owned by JCDecaux were converted into small kitchens. The purpose of this campaign was to make peopleaware that preparing a good meal does not always takes a lot of your time.
Starbucks will open a new store om the new cruise ship ‘Allure of the Seas’. Besides the Starbucks shop the ship, which will set sail to the Caribbean Sea in December, boasts a ‘Central Park’, water parks and an icerink.
The next four months The Clarion Hotel Stockholm will test whether it is possible to use a smartphone asa roomkey and check-in device. Guests receive a temporary phone equipped with a so-called NFC chip. This chip allows the exchange of data between different devices. The smartphone as a key would also be safer than a traditional key. In case of theft or loss it can be blocked. Previously spotted in March: smartphone opens doors by Open Ways.
Starbucks has teamed up with Yahoo and rolled out a digital network in the U.S.. In 6.800 Starbucks stores in the U.S. customers can visit online news sites that usually are not free of charge. The network consists of six channels: news, entertainment, wellness, business, careers, and a Starbucks channel. Besides the news, restaurant reviews, music and videos are also available. The network is suitable for a wide variety of devices such iPads, Blackberry, and Android phones.
British designer Lee Broom had the idea to reuse old decanters as a lamp. Crystal decanteerkannen of antiques and flea markets, he stripped of their soil and confirmed a fitting. For a contemporary look, he gave some a gold finish. Broom’s creations are available at Liberty in London.
On November 3rd Unilever and NS started a Unox shop at the trainstation in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. In this shop travelers can enjoy winterly-like meals, such as traditional Dutch pea soup. The Unox-shop is an initiative of the NS-subsidiary Servex and Unilever Food Solutions. When winter is over, the shop will be replaced bij Swirl’s Ice Cream.
The labels of the sauvignon blanc wine of winery Mobius Marlborough from New Zealand, indicate the CO2 emissions per glass. Consumers can therefore first assess a wine based on the carbon footprint.The lable indicates how many grams of CO2 per bottle is produced during the production and transport of the bottle.
Business travelers of the Thalys train can soon use private spaces for meetings. The concept is called “Le Salon” and can be boked from November 5th. With four comfortable chairs around a conference table, a WiFi network, opportunities for catering, it is a complete workspace. The price for ‘Le Salon’varies per trip, Amsterdam-Brussels for example, costs €444,=.
HeiaHeia is a social network specifically designed for people who play sports and exercise. The originally Finnish social network hopes to offer the benefits of sports and social networks in an entertaining package. People can keep track of their own training and share it with other people, it is also possible to your share your activities on Facebook and Twitter.
Customers of Blue State Coffee shops in Providence in the U.S. can decide for their own to which charity the coffee chain donates part of its revenue. With every coffee purchased, the customer receives a coin, this coin can then be placed in different containers. Each box represents a good cause. Since its opening in 2007 Blue State Coffee has donated more than $ 175,000 to over 50 charities.
For your convenience the recyclable picnic baskets by UpBox already filled with the ingredients for a meal for just £ 6.50. The UpBox has a different cuisine every day. The UpBox is currently only available in the UK.
San Francisco has begun to take steps to fight obesity among children. The board of the city used their veto, that is forbidden to give away free toys with food that contain high-calories, sugar and fat. This means that the Happy Meal as we know it today, is largely banned in San Francisco. Moreover, restaurants must serve fruits and vegetables to children with every meal.
On December 17th Landal Green Parks opens a new holiday parc on the slopes of the Winterberg. For the opening weekend, Landal was looking for four families who want to test the new accommodations. All expenses are paid by Landal and all you have to do this for free ski weekend is to install a pimp on your Hyves (Dutch social network). The campaign aims to increase Landal number of followers on Twitter and Hyves.
Griffins Steakhouse in Stockholm, Sweden is not your average steakhouse. The concept of this restaurant was designed by Stylt and is based on travelling, science and glamour. The imaginary host and his wife (the Griffins), give the restaurant something mysterious.
‘Home made’ by Yvette van Boven is crowned cookbook of the year 2010 in the category Dutch cookbooks. The jury unanimously chose Yvette van Boven. One of the other winners was ‘Master Chefs for Home Cooks’, this book won the audience award. Part of the profit of this cookbook goes to the World Food Program.
A new Japanese restaurant in the Indonesian capital Jakarta is almost entirely constructed outof bamboo sticks. The restaurant has an open character and visitors only protects against the sun and rain. The restaurant is made of bamboo because the owner is not sure of the success of the restaurant. If the restaurant turns out to be not as succesfull as needed the restaurant owner is able to let it dissappear easily.
In restaurant Haute Friture in Antwerp guests can enjoy eco-friendly fries and other dishes. The restaurant tries to minimize waste and is therefore uses a minimum of plastic and other packaging. Customers eat with wooden cutlery out of cardboard boxes. In addition, some meals are also served in compostable containers and palm thatch.
The Swiss Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts opens its first five star hotel in Ramallah on the Westbank. With the construction of this hotel, Mövenpick indicates that the former Palestinian conflict area is ready for tourism and business. The hotel is realized for the estimated amount of $ 40,000,000 with a total of 171 rooms, a swimming pool, fitness center, seven conference rooms and a luxurious restaurant and bar.
Urban Green is an initiative of the Dutch interior designer Mark van der Geest and focuses on urban residents. Urban Green offers a wide range of flowers, plants and accessories for balconies. Urban Green is also developing projects as green roofs and vertical gardens to appertment buildings. Currently there are only stores in Amsterdam but Urban Green hopes to open in 15 stores in Dutch cities.
On Saturday, October 30th, the most expensive bottles of wine were auctioned. They are three bottles of Chateau Lafite’s from 1869. The bottles auctioned seperately for the total sum of $230,000.= U.S. dollars. All three bottles were bought by an Asian bidder over the telephone.
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