Industrial interior of Generator London
3-4-2014
Generator London is one of the eight hostel accommodations of the Generator in Europe. Generator London opened in 1995 and now features 212 rooms. Designer Anwar Mekhayech (DesignAgency) worked in partnership with ORBIT Architects and converted the building into the hotspot of London. The impressive interior shows the industrial past of London and includes the eclectic culture, architecture and history of the city. Besides the modern industrial look there is a replica of a Routemaster London Bus inside. Generator London has an internet café, a lounge with game tables, a bar and a café where guests can have an artisan sandwich and drinks.
Give Back Getaways
3-4-2014
#Throwback Thursday. We started in August 2007 with horecatrends.com / hospitalitytrends.eu, in May 2008 we posted an item about the Give Back Getaways from the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain. With this program they invite their guests to join their employees in half-day volunteer tourism experiences that contribute something meaningful to the communities surrounding the hotels. Each Give Back Getaways project is unique to the destination. At the website of the chain you can see the whole list of possibilities. As example the video from the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, we can’t image that you don’t want to help!
Floating hotels
31-3-2014
Thrillist.com gives an overview of seven floating hotels around the world. Like the Salt & Sill, a floating hotel in Sweden with a modern Swedish interior or the Yellow Submarine that is inspired by the movie ‘The hunt for red October’ with Sean Connery. The video above is from the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Resort in Thailand. This unique floating hotel is located in the jungle of Kanchanaburi and only accessible by boat. The hotel is built of wood and bamboo, the rooms are simple and have a veranda with hammocks. Take a look at the complete list here.
Small gestures in hospitality 3
28-3-2014
March was a great start of spring, for us as guests and for your turnover as hospitality entrepreneur! In this edition you will find examples of extra services for your guests that you can offer without making large investments, because some gestures are so small that the guest barely registers it. With examples of the Hampshire hotel, Hotel Mitland, the Carlton Oasis and some inspiring, special sweets to be served with your cup of coffee or tea. Download the edition here.
The luxury resorts from Virgin
27-3-2014
#Throwback Thursday. We started in August 2007 with horecatrends.com / hospitalitytrends.eu, in April 2009 we posted an item about Richard Branson who had decided to open a number of boutique hotels for the richest guests in the world. He already had an island that he rented regularly. Meanwhile, there are some wonderful locations! We saw the above shown video from 2011 and find it unfortunate that we are not yet so rich ;-). The video is a bit long but show some beautiful locations and it might inspire other hotel entrepreneurs. Also, check out the V’LOG (Virgin Limited Edition’s blogs) page on the website.
Nocospray at Van der Valk Arnhem
11-3-2014
Van der Valk Hotel Arnhem is the first hotel in the Netherlands that cleans rooms with the ‘Nocospray “, this device removes all micro-pollutants biologically. The hotel works together with Dutch Smart Solutions for the pilot and it takes about half an hour to complete the cleaning with the Nocospray. During the pilot period, the hotel provides the cleaning as an extra service.
Street Lofts
7-3-2014
In Vienna you have Street Lofts. The Urbanauts project turned abandoned stores in design hotel rooms for adventurers. You can sleep in a spacious and comfortable Street Loft where the history of the former shop is still visible. Explore Vienna from your loft. Check in via a key-safe and for breakfast, spa or dinner they have made arrangements with the neighbors of the loft (nearest breakfast cafe etc …) The brainchild of a group of local architects.
Rooftop hot tub resorts
7-3-2014
Rooftop bars, restaurants and swimming pools have been popular for a quite some years. The website Trendhunter.com recently published a related luxury at the rooftop; a luxury hotel in a ski resort with a hot tub at their rooftop. The hot tub at the L’Apogée Courchevel Luxury Ski Chalet is impressive, especially the view.
Sightseeing on the run
6-3-2014
#Throwback Thursday. We started in August 2007 with horecatrends.com / hospitalitytrends.eu, one of the first trends we did post was about running tours in New York, Washington DC and Chicago, where you could run through the city with a guide along historic and tourist attractions. The guide supports the runnin and gives historical and tourist information. Meanwhile, the organization City Running Tours is located in 13 U.S. cities among them Boston, San Francisco, Denver and San Diego. #isstillagoodidea
Toss Your Boss from the Hyatt Regency SF
4-3-2014
Rappeling from the 23-story Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, this is possible at the 27th and 28th of March! On the 28st various VIP’s will be rappelling and labelled as ‘City Rappel Day’. With this promotion Outward Bound California and the Hyatt Regency will raise money for OTE (Over The Edge). This is an organization in America that offers outdoor learning opportunities for people with low incomes, and teach those people that they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. One can register as an individual, but it’s also possible to ‘Toss Your Boss’ as a company. Make your reservation at cityskylinechallenge.org. Learn more about the Hyatt Regency via their YouTube video.