Central Park by Ron Blaauw
23-10-2014
Restaurant and boutique hotel Savelberg will be transformed into Central Park by Ron Blaauw. The hotel and restaurant is located in the historic building ‘Vreugd en Rust’ (Joy and Peace), in the green area of Den Haag-Voorburg. With the arrival of Ron Blaauw as chef they chose for a new culinary formula. The restaurant concept is inspired by the accessible formula of his successful Gastrobar (*) in Amsterdam.
Central Park by Ron Blaauw
Culinary entrepreneur Carsten Klint is the new owner of the historic building. Along with Ron Blaauw he turns it into an affordable, culinary meeting spot: “from Picnic to Château Petrus.” The new name devised Carsten Klint with Perry Valkenburg, President Europe and COO International TBWA Worldwide, and this name emphasizes the new concept and its focus points: surprising, innovative and international. Currently the building is thoroughly restyled and adapted to today’s spirit, but with respect for the monumental details. Early November the doors of Central Park by Ron Blaauw will be opened.
Last summer we experienced in Napa Valley in California, how much fun it is to combine wine tastings, small dishes and picnics. Several wineries offer this option in their gardens. Great that a ‘culinary responsible’ picnic will be possible next year in Central Park by Ron Blaauw. We wish Carsten Klint and Ron Blaauw success with their new business! ^Marjolein
Dos Palillos: the new generation ‘open kitchen’
21-10-2014
Niek Timmermans, consultant at Van Spronsen & Partners horeca-consultancy, visited restaurant Dos Palillos in Berlin. There, he saw his signature menu being prepared in the kitchen while seated in the restaurant. An ‘open kitchen’ 2.0, where the whole restaurant takes a seat at the chef’s table.
During my city trip to Berlin I’ve eaten at Dos Palillos (two chopsticks), a restaurant concept by Albert Raurich. Raurich started in 1997 as an intern of Ferran Adria at the famous El Bulli restaurant. Within five year he started working as a chef and stayed at that post from 2001 until 2007. Out of the many inspiration trips he made with Ferran the idea for Dos Palillos was born. In 2008 he opened his first location in Barcelona, followed by a second location in Berlin in 2010. And there I did experience his signature menu, which consists out of a total of 17 courses.
Kids & fine dining; do they pair?
17-10-2014
Sit down, relax and enjoy watching this 7 minutes video from a group of second graders from P.S. 295 in Brooklyn enjoying and reacting to a seven-course tasting menu in the French restaurant Daniel from Chef Daniel Boulud. Great start of the weekend, it makes you smile.
Opening NH flagship hotel at Madrid: NH Collection Eurobuilding
16-10-2014
After three months of renovation and investments the Spanish flagship hotel of the NH Hotel Group, NH Collection Eurobuilding, opened in Madrid on 9 Oktober. This four starred hotel has 431 rooms, all equipped with the Brilliant Basics of the NH Hotel Group such as showers with rain effect, special mattresses and flat screens. The hotel is leading in haute cuisine: it has four restaurants including the only three-star Michelin restaurant in Madrid, ‘DiverXO’. The hotel also has a pioneering position in the field of engineering. The NH Collection Euro Building has the only ‘Living Lab’ in the world. This is a place where innovations for the hotel industry are tested in a real life environment. NH Collection Euro Building also offers a spectacular health and wellness center, Metropolitan, with a gym, tennis facilities and 500m2 spa.
A lobby as living room the hotel
9-10-2014
Last Thursday 2 October the flagship hotel of Mercure reopend, the Mercure Amsterdam City. The entire lobby, restaurant, the flexible workplaces and the lounge are merged in order to meet the changing needs of their guests: “People are travelling more than ever, they are aware of what they want and strive to achieve this. The call for comfort and authenticity is great. At the fully refurbished Mercure Hotel Amsterdam City we offer the high international standards that can be expected from an international hotel and at the same time we let guests get acquainted with local elements that give the hotel its own personal touch” according to Caro Eekelen, COO Accor Hotel Services Benelux.
How much was your stay worth?
2-10-2014
To promote the renewed Dorint Airport-Hotel Amsterdam launched a promotional campaign which allows guests to pay whatever they think the stay was worth. In terms of ‘how much was your stay worth?’ the hotel offers guests an overnight stay in one of the renovated rooms. On 24, 25 and 26 October, you can book a room, give online feedback and decide what you want to pay.
Pay-as-you-wish
This temporary pay-as-you-wish concept gives guests the chance to get acquainted with the hotel. It is also an ideal way for Dorint Airport-Hotel to receive feedback from their guests. And if guest share their positive experience through their social media, it’s quite a great way to promote the remodeled rooms.
Add a splash of color to your bath
2-10-2014
A floating, battery-powered, water drop that spreads a soothing light. Instead of candles, you can use this saver alternative in bath: the Rainbow Drop Bath Light of Firebox. It turns on automatically when touching water and floats calmly in the water. The luminous bulb spreads different colors, which has a soothing effect.
Small hospitable gesture
These Rainbow Drops could be a small hospitable gesture that your guest will remember: a soothing light that enables you (especially if you have jetlag) to relax while bathing.
A Bicycle friendly hotel…
24-9-2014
Don’t leave your bike outside but take it with you to your room; In Japan, the Hotel Cycle is established as part of the Onomichi U2 building. The Onomichi U2 is a former storage place that has been turned into a hospitality venue with a hotel, restaurant, café and bakery. The hotel is situated on the coast of Hiroshima what is a popular place for bicycle tourists with its beautiful landscape and city. Each room has a bike rack so guests can store their bike when they’re not using it. The whole building of Onomichi U2 is designed for bicycle users: it even has a Giant bike service shop.
Pop-up coffee bar Black Box in Ghent
12-9-2014
Pop-up coffee bar
A work-out followed by an artisanal cup of coffee. This is possible in the pop-up coffee shop Black Box in the Belgian city of Ghent. The specialty coffee bar is located in a garage box of CrossFit Gent, a gym focused on the new form of fitness, CrossFit. As from 4 September Barista Yf Feller serves freshly made coffees, for a month.
Bullet proof coffee
A special coffee on the menu is the ‘bullet proof coffee’. This is a creamy coffee made from butter from grass-fed cows, coconut oil and French coffee, what gives a boost, both physically and mentally.
For people who don’t like coffee, various activities are organized on location as well. For examples, a second-hand clothing market and an indoor picnic.
Pay-as-you-wish
A special aspect of Black Box is that there’s no pricelist available. Guests give a contribution and are allowed to choose what they think is fair to pay. Black Box is an example of a ‘pay as you wish’ concept which we may years ago in Vienna, Der Wiener Deewan. The system from ‘Pay as you wish’ is used for charity as well, like we spotted in 2007 at restaurant Trien in Herpen. Trust is a more recent example that opened in Amsterdam last year.
Food bloggers at restaurant Karakter
12-9-2014
Hand picked oysters from Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands, mussels, scallops, parsnip, mackerel, ‘gortepap’ (kind of porridge) and wines from Dutch wineries. The chefs of restaurant Karakter in Rotterdam, Pety Breugem and Nathan Vermunt, prove that Dutch cuisine taste great with their menu that consists entirely of products from Dutch soil, both the wines and the dishes. Horecatrends was invited to taste the menu, along with a number of food bloggers. Inviting food bloggers for the release of a new menu, is a great idea to generate more attention. If you are reading this and you own a restaurant; have you ever give this idea a thought, instead of or next to your standard advertising? Especially with food bloggers with many local followers, this might be an addition to your marketing strategy.
Bram Kosterink consultant at Van Spronsen & Partners hospitality consultancy
