Cuddly toy hotel opens in the Netherlands
11-10-2017
The first cuddly toy hotel in the Netherlands will open next week in Sittard, Limburg. Children between the ages of 0 and 12 can bring their stuffed animals to the hotel while they go on holiday with their parents. The temporary hotel is an initiative of Dutch childcare center ‘De Rode Loper’, which recently opened its doors in the city.
Paxxio | Generates more direct online bookings
10-10-2017
Every hotelier wants his or her hotel to have 100% occupancy. And preferably with direct online bookings. However, the reality is that a growing number of online hotel reservations are made through online travel agencies, such as Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com. Result: you have to pay the online travel agency. The technical startup in hospitality Paxxio has developed a set of tools, with just one goal: to generate more direct online bookings for hoteliers. Martin Paardekooper, General Manager of Best Western Dam Square Inn Amsterdam uses Paxxio, he indicates: “Since using Paxxio, we notice that we receive more direct bookings through our own website. Also, we’re now able to anticipate at the moment our direct prices are higher than the prices at other channels.”
JACKS Juice & Kitchen | Healthy hotspot in ‘De Pijp’ district
10-10-2017
In Amsterdam JACKS Juice & Kitchen officially opened at the Ferdinand Bolstraat 48 in district ‘De Pijp’. During the opening party, they served healthy gingershots and appetizers. JACKS Juice & Kitchen is a new healthy hotspot that focuses on a personal approach.
Hotel Jakarta Amsterdam | Greenest hotel in the Netherlands
9-10-2017
The greenest hotel in the Netherlands is currently being built in Amsterdam and is expected to open its doors in 2018. The innovative hotel is called Hotel Jakarta Amsterdam and is part of the WestCord Hotels group. The hotel will be built on the exact same spot where the passenger liner between Amsterdam and Jakarta used to depart from.
Trends we spotted | Week 40
6-10-2017
At Horecatrends we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week, amongst others, the interview with Chef Grant Achatz and feathers which will be transferred into food for humans.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading!
From market stall to pop-up | Vegan Snack Shop
5-10-2017
Ali Saqid decided to move from his market stall on the Pekmarkt in Amsterdam North to the Beukenplein, where he started his pop-up vegan snack shop in the formal ice-cream store “het IJsboefje”. Ali Sadiq started with selling samosa’s, typical southeast-Asia streetfood, what sold really well. Nowadays, he is selling his vegan snacks until March 2018 on the Beukenplein 5 in the east of Amsterdam
Urban glamping | At the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Los Angeles
5-10-2017
The Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel and a landmark since opening in Los Angeles in 1928, is bringing a touch of the “great outdoors” to its Veranda Suite terrace with the first urban glamping experience available in Los Angeles. The tent, which is 16 feet (4.9 metres) in diameter and more than 10 feet (3 metres) high in the centre, offers the coveted Four Seasons sleep experience with a queen-size bed, Four Seasons linens and a fireplace. Also, you will have the possibility to have an outdoor rooftop diner! You can even order a special menu with as dessert campfire s’mores made with 24 karat gold leaf, Tahitian vanilla bean marshmallow and a smoked 55 percent Valrhona chocolate bar, paired with a vintage Champagne flute.
Gnoccheria by Luzzo’s | NYC’s first 100% gnocchi restaurant
4-10-2017
Gnoccheria by Luzzo’s is the first restaurant in NYC that is specialized in fresh homemade Gnocchi. It opened in 2016 and is created by Executive Chef Michele Iuliano, the man behind Luzzo’s La Pizza Napoletana, Ovest Pizzoteca & Da Mikele.
Glamtainer | Unique extendable shipping container
4-10-2017
Glamtainer, a combination of glamorous and container, is a Dutch company that modifies 20 foot high-cube shipping containers into high luxury hotel rooms of 26m2, including a luxury bathroom, toilet, kitchenette, closets and a bed and lounge area. The bed can be fold up to the wall, and then offers an integrated dining table. The Glamtainer Skybox is designed from scratch and has got an official CSC Safety Approval. Meaning that it can be shipped all over the world, at any time. With the introduction of the Glamtainer Extendable, the company created an unique product which gets a lot of attention in the recreational and event sector but also in the care industry.
Restaurant Hemingway | Each season a new ‘Dragon egg’ as dessert
3-10-2017
Restaurant Hemingway of the oldest hotel in the Netherlands, Grand Hotel and Résidence De Draak (The Dragon) in Bergen op Zoom, has a new dessert item at their menu. A ‘Drakenei’ or in English a Dragon egg. The new chefs of the restaurant will make a new dessert every season with what nature has to offer at that moment and serve it in a ‘Dragon egg’.
Umaimon Amsterdam powered by Takumi Düsseldorf | Sapporo noodles from Japan
3-10-2017
In Amsterdam opened an authentic Japanese ramen noodle bar, Umaimon Amsterdam powered by Takumi Düsseldorf. This Japanese-style noodle bar is well known in Düsseldorf and now also serves ‘Japanese soul food’, a stone’s throw from the famous Leidseplein, on the Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 51. The new hot spot for noodle lovers! The authentic Sapporo noodles are imported from Japan and ripened to 18 degrees Celsius within three days in a special noodle climate cabinet.
POD Hotels | Affordable overnight stay in the heart of New York
2-10-2017
The POD Hotels in New York make it possible to spend the night in neighborhoods like Brooklyn and Manhattan at an affordable rate. This winter their flagship property Pod Times Square will open in the center of New York city. This fall Pod BK in Brooklyn will open, the fifth asset in the Pod Hotel collection, following the success of Pod 51, Pod 39 and the Pod DC (Washington), the first property outside NYC. In these budget hotels, all unnecessary facilities have been eliminated and only the primary needs are provided in the capsules. As a result, they’re able to reduce the prize with as result an affordable overnight stay for their guests at A-locations.
Trends we spotted | Week 39
29-9-2017
At Horecatrends we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column. This week, amongst others about a chatbot that consults tourists and gave them personalized tips to visit Antwerp. And it’s possible to meet Rembrandt in virtual reality.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading!
Hanoi House in New York | Here they serve egg coffee
29-9-2017
You might think, the combination of egg’s in coffee will not be tasteful at all, but Vietnam locals are drinking it for decades. The texture of the egg yolk is perfect to make a great creamy foam layer. In 2013, a couple brought it to Manhattan in New York, where they opened their own Vietnamese café named Hanoi House. Until now it is the only place in Manhattan where you can get this delicious egg coffee.
Pannenkoekenhuys ‘t Noorden | Has his own ‘kids-sharing-books-station’
28-9-2017
The Dutch ‘Nationaal Fonds Kinderhulp’ (National Child Support Foundation) thinks that all children should be able to read. Therefore, they initiated the National ‘Kids-sharing-books-day’ on October 4th. Everywhere in the Netherlands children books will find their way to multiple ‘kids-sharing-books-stations’. This day is initiated to stimulate reading amongst children, since reading is very important for the development of every child.
Hurts Donut Company | Scary clown delivers… donuts
28-9-2017
Inspired by Pennywise, the scary clown from Steven King’s IT movie, used by multiple locations of Hurts Donuts, to do scary clown deliveries as part of their services. Your donuts brought to you by a delivery guy dressed up as clown and with creepy smiles. He even has the popular red balloons with him! The movie was released on the 7th of September in the Netherlands, making Pennywise a popular topic in conversations. But to use Pennywise the way Hurts Donuts did? Scary but an effective marketing stunt….
Treck Hostel | Indoor Camping
27-9-2017
The weather in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium is unpredictable, even in the summer months of July and August it can rain for a number of days. That’s not what you hope for when you’re on a camping trip with friends. The Treck Hostel in Belgium has the solution: a camping in a an old industrial building with a roof upon you head.
Themed bars | 10 TV shows inspired bars
26-9-2017
Hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants with a specific theme, we do spot it more often. Whether it’s a pop-up concept or a permanent location, it’s always fun to see the weird themed bars created by entrepreneurs. A popular theme for a bar nowadays are inspired on TV shows, sitcoms or series, for example recently we wrote about bars named after series like ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. We created a list of 10 themed bars inspired by TV shows.
BookDinners | New Dutch reservation platform for restaurants
25-9-2017
KHN (the Dutch entrepreneurial organization for Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés) announced a business initiative: a new reservations platform for and by restaurants: BookDinners. At this platform, restaurants will be in charge of their online relation with their guests, the guest data and the marketing activities. Restaurants participating will do this for free until mid-2018 and early 2018 BookDinners will be launched towards the Dutch consumer.
Trends we spotted | Week 38
22-9-2017
At Horecatrends we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week, amongst others about new truffles species that are discovered in Thailand, let’s hope they won’t be as expensive as the real deal! And about a new product in the Netherlands: Meat Your Veggies, part vegetables, part meat. Who knows, maybe they can persuade meat lovers to eat less meat!
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading!
Eating a Golden Calf | This is possible at STAN & CO
22-9-2017
From the 20th of September, Utrecht will be the centre of Dutch Film Industry, during the ‘Nederlands Film Festival’. Restaurant STAN & CO, located in Utrecht, launched its own opening night at the 20th of September. They have created a special film menu which is offered during this Film Festival. The menu includes a ‘Golden Calf’ (the Dutch equivalent of the Oscar) as one of the main courses. Besides that, they’ve designed 3 cocktails which are linked with the movie industry: ‘Popcornstar Martini’, ‘Soldaat van Oranje’ (from the movie ‘Soldier of Orange’) and ‘Gooische vrouwen’ (a Dutch comedy/drama along the line of ‘Desperate Housewives’ or ‘Sex and the City’). When showing a movie ticket, guests will get two cocktails for the price of one.
Sir Hotels | Instagram as City Guide
22-9-2017
Sir Hotels launched five city guides using Instagram, an innovative manner to inform guests about the city and its must-visit places and areas. Each of the hotels in the collection has its own Instagram account, which has been transformed into an easy-to-use city guide including local favorites and hidden treasures; Sir Savigny’s Guide for Berlin, Sir Nikolai’s Guide for Hamburg, Sir Joan Guide for Ibiza, and Two Guides for Amsterdam; the sophisticated Sir Albert in ‘De Pijp’ and the hip Sir Adam located in the A’dam Tower in Amsterdam Noord.
Red King Crab | Taiko’s Ingredient of the Year
21-9-2017
Taiko, the modern-Asian restaurant of the Conservatorium hotel in Amsterdam announced her new ‘Ingredient of the year’. It’s the Kamchatka crab, also known as the Red King Lobster. Chef Schilo van Coevorden has created a completely new Omakase menu with as special ingredient the Kamchatka crab, which you can enjoy until the 18th of September 2018.
Starbucks Roastery | Cold-pressed Americano exploration flight
21-9-2017
Starbucks unveiled Cold-Pressed Espresso this September, a new patent-pending cold extraction process that will serve as the foundation for a new menu of sparkling beverages that will debut at the company’s premium, Starbucks Reserve® Roastery in Seattle. They even serve a cold-pressed Americano exploration flight, a great idea to get people to taste the cold-brew coffees. We spotted the first cold brew coffee in 2014 and since it’s growing extensionally but is still rather unknown to most of us. Great way to get familiar via a cold-pressed Americano exploration flight.
Ripple, plant-based milk | Will this change the dairy industry?
20-9-2017
Ripple launched a new line of dairy products in April 2016 powered by $44 million from Google and Silicon Valley venture capitalists. But what is Ripple? Milk made from simple yellow peas. It’s a plant-based milk, high in protein, low in sugar. Ripple has a good taste (it has a creamy texture which is something other dairy free products are missing, according to the company), it nourishes your body and leaves a small footprint on the planet. Ripple milk is nut-, gluten-, lactose- and soy-free and 100% vegan.