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.
The municipality of Amsterdam appointed four locations for pop-up stores at the ‘Zuidas’, near Amsterdam Zuid train station. From 1 May onwards the locations are available to unique concepts that complement the existing offer for six months. All competitors, with both food as well as non-food concepts, can send in their plans before 5 March 2014. The four winners will be announced on 13 March. Perhaps the area will be enriched with a test sleep facility, a tasting area or a collaboration between local entrepreneurs like we’ve seen in the West of Amsterdam.
The QBara restaurant in the Fort WAFI Leisure Complex (Dubai) opened late 2013. The restaurant serves dishes inspired by the flavors of the region with a modern twist. Guests choose multiple dishes from the menu, which are served ‘family style’. For example we ate a few small dishes like ‘scallops, sumac and sweet & sour shallots’ and ‘tomatoes, watermelon and homemade Shanklish & mint’. The dishes we tasted were delicious with mysterious ingredients (for us) like za’atar butter and grilled vegetables ‘mechouia’. The desserts were also delicious; we loved the tempura Medjoul dates. As the alcohol consumption is less in this region, many restaurants have an extensive mocktail menu with great combinations of ingredients. All of this combined with the unique environment, with elements as the ‘magic wall’ (see a YouTube video of the wall here) and the house-Arabian music, makes for an amazing experience. The restaurant has a modern design that is enriched with oriental style. ^Marjolein
The first Dutch hot tub cinema is located in Amsterdam from 6 to 9 March. In the ‘Machinegebouw’ at the Westergasterrein are 21 hot tubs and two cinema screens. You could book a hot tub with five friends and you will get a waiter service, bottle of cava and a private bath robe but it is already sold out. After the movie there is a bathrobe after party with a DJ. The concept is inspired by the Hot Tub cinema in London.
Tripadvisor gives an overview of 10 jaw-dropping hotel pools around the world. Like the Hanging Gardens Ubud in Bali with a beautiful view over the rainforest or the swimming pool located at the 24th floor of the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao. The video above shows ‘The Library’ hotel in Ko Samui, Thailand. The name of the hotel pool ‘The Red Pool’ says it all. The pool is not made of the standard blue tiles, but of yellow, orange and deep red mosaic tiles. The pool looks like red blood, but the red mosaic tiles give a warming and special effect. The video is a bit long, but shows the inspiring design of the hotel. Look for the other pools at Tripadvisor.
Late 2013 Maison F opened in Paris, a high-end restaurant specialized in French Fries. They serve the fries with all their dishes. As guest you can choose the size (7 or 10 mm), with or without skin and the taste of the day fries. Clotilde Dusoulier, food blogger from the website Chocolate & Zucchini has eaten fries made of saffron risotto with her duck fillet. The fries are served with dishes that are prepared with products of the best craftsmen. They also have a bar with an extensive cocktail menu. Nice to visit when you’re in Paris!
Jonathan Leijonhufvud
Jonathan Leijonhufvud
Jonathan LeijonhufvudThe Golden Egg Bar is the latest restaurant design by BAM (Ballistic Architecture Machine) and located in Beijing. The design is a blend between Chinese elements and a typical American dining from the fifties. The polished Egg functions as a bar and service counter. The extraordinary combination of contemporary Sichuan cuisine and fifties dinner culture creates a vibrant and convivial dining atmosphere.
Nicky’s is a restaurant concept in Gandia Spain, designed by Oscar Vidal of Ozone Group. Nicky’s is part of a recreational center with cinemas, bowling, a playground, souvenir shop and ice cream parlor. Hispabowling, the source behind the recreational center, was used as inspiration for the design of Nicky’s. A lot of wooden materials is used in the restaurant and it has wooden tables and chairs, some armchairs and to highlight the bowling theme, pins hang on the ceiling. Pins are placed at the end of a long table, so it just looks like a bowling alley. A lamp has been designed using galvanized old wash-basins to add a funny touch to the place. Click here for more pictures.
The Wahaca Southbank Experiment is a temporary restaurant build of eight recycled shipping containers, arranged in two floors with panoramic views over the river and a tequila bar with terrace. It is a creative and innovative restaurant with retro chairs, lamps made from recycled soda bottles and a relaxing atmosphere created by neon lights. Artists Daniel Melim has made Mexican street art works at the outside of the building. Wahaca is a Mexican restaurant that serves Mexican market food and they experiment with dishes, every month there is a new special on the menu. Wahaca has several locations in the London area. Check out this video of Wahaca Southbank being built.
Hotel V Frederiksplein has opened six V lofts in the center of Amsterdam. With all the amenities of a hotel but the comfort of a city apartment, each V loft has the same style as the hotel with a mix of design and vintage furniture. Each V loft has a fireplace, compact kitchenette, bathroom, sleeping area and free Wi-Fi. During their stay, guests can use the breakfast service, bar, meeting rooms and the lobby of Hotel V.
Approachable inspiration, trends and highlights from 2025 that can be easily applied to your own business in 2026. A whitepaper to scroll through when you read more
We’ve been enjoying glorious summer weather for a few weeks now, and the popular seasonal drinks are already known. Mocktails, cocktails, spritz variations, rosé, and read more
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.
The municipality of Amsterdam appointed four locations for pop-up stores at the ‘Zuidas’, near Amsterdam Zuid train station. From 1 May onwards the locations are available to unique concepts that complement the existing offer for six months. All competitors, with both food as well as non-food concepts, can send in their plans before 5 March 2014. The four winners will be announced on 13 March. Perhaps the area will be enriched with a test sleep facility, a tasting area or a collaboration between local entrepreneurs like we’ve seen in the West of Amsterdam.
The QBara restaurant in the Fort WAFI Leisure Complex (Dubai) opened late 2013. The restaurant serves dishes inspired by the flavors of the region with a modern twist. Guests choose multiple dishes from the menu, which are served ‘family style’. For example we ate a few small dishes like ‘scallops, sumac and sweet & sour shallots’ and ‘tomatoes, watermelon and homemade Shanklish & mint’. The dishes we tasted were delicious with mysterious ingredients (for us) like za’atar butter and grilled vegetables ‘mechouia’. The desserts were also delicious; we loved the tempura Medjoul dates. As the alcohol consumption is less in this region, many restaurants have an extensive mocktail menu with great combinations of ingredients. All of this combined with the unique environment, with elements as the ‘magic wall’ (see a YouTube video of the wall here) and the house-Arabian music, makes for an amazing experience. The restaurant has a modern design that is enriched with oriental style. ^Marjolein
The first Dutch hot tub cinema is located in Amsterdam from 6 to 9 March. In the ‘Machinegebouw’ at the Westergasterrein are 21 hot tubs and two cinema screens. You could book a hot tub with five friends and you will get a waiter service, bottle of cava and a private bath robe but it is already sold out. After the movie there is a bathrobe after party with a DJ. The concept is inspired by the Hot Tub cinema in London.
Tripadvisor gives an overview of 10 jaw-dropping hotel pools around the world. Like the Hanging Gardens Ubud in Bali with a beautiful view over the rainforest or the swimming pool located at the 24th floor of the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao. The video above shows ‘The Library’ hotel in Ko Samui, Thailand. The name of the hotel pool ‘The Red Pool’ says it all. The pool is not made of the standard blue tiles, but of yellow, orange and deep red mosaic tiles. The pool looks like red blood, but the red mosaic tiles give a warming and special effect. The video is a bit long, but shows the inspiring design of the hotel. Look for the other pools at Tripadvisor.
Late 2013 Maison F opened in Paris, a high-end restaurant specialized in French Fries. They serve the fries with all their dishes. As guest you can choose the size (7 or 10 mm), with or without skin and the taste of the day fries. Clotilde Dusoulier, food blogger from the website Chocolate & Zucchini has eaten fries made of saffron risotto with her duck fillet. The fries are served with dishes that are prepared with products of the best craftsmen. They also have a bar with an extensive cocktail menu. Nice to visit when you’re in Paris!
The Golden Egg Bar is the latest restaurant design by BAM (Ballistic Architecture Machine) and located in Beijing. The design is a blend between Chinese elements and a typical American dining from the fifties. The polished Egg functions as a bar and service counter. The extraordinary combination of contemporary Sichuan cuisine and fifties dinner culture creates a vibrant and convivial dining atmosphere.
Nicky’s is a restaurant concept in Gandia Spain, designed by Oscar Vidal of Ozone Group. Nicky’s is part of a recreational center with cinemas, bowling, a playground, souvenir shop and ice cream parlor. Hispabowling, the source behind the recreational center, was used as inspiration for the design of Nicky’s. A lot of wooden materials is used in the restaurant and it has wooden tables and chairs, some armchairs and to highlight the bowling theme, pins hang on the ceiling. Pins are placed at the end of a long table, so it just looks like a bowling alley. A lamp has been designed using galvanized old wash-basins to add a funny touch to the place. Click here for more pictures.
The Wahaca Southbank Experiment is a temporary restaurant build of eight recycled shipping containers, arranged in two floors with panoramic views over the river and a tequila bar with terrace. It is a creative and innovative restaurant with retro chairs, lamps made from recycled soda bottles and a relaxing atmosphere created by neon lights. Artists Daniel Melim has made Mexican street art works at the outside of the building. Wahaca is a Mexican restaurant that serves Mexican market food and they experiment with dishes, every month there is a new special on the menu. Wahaca has several locations in the London area. Check out this video of Wahaca Southbank being built.
Hotel V Frederiksplein has opened six V lofts in the center of Amsterdam. With all the amenities of a hotel but the comfort of a city apartment, each V loft has the same style as the hotel with a mix of design and vintage furniture. Each V loft has a fireplace, compact kitchenette, bathroom, sleeping area and free Wi-Fi. During their stay, guests can use the breakfast service, bar, meeting rooms and the lobby of Hotel V.
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