An extra floor of rooms for the Preston Palace hotel

8-10-2014

  • Uitbreiding Preston palace
  • Uitbreiding Preston palace
  • Uitbreiding Preston palace

Hotel and leisure center Preston Palace in Almelo expands with the use of the Ytong Casco System of Xella. Expanding horizontally is impossible for the Preston Palace because of lack of space, so they chose for an additional floor on top of the hotel. The special system of Xella will be constructed with high speed, is fire resistance and is light in weight, which fits perfectly with the requirements of the hotel. The extension must be finished before the Dutch autumn-holiday (mid-October), so that the rooms can be sold during this holiday.

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.

An extra cold cocktail with IceLiners

25-9-2014

Keep your cocktail at the desired temperature with the silicone molds of IceLiners. The mold creates a layer of ice in a cocktail or whiskey glass that will keep your drink cool. It is simple to use: pour a small amount of water in the glass, with the mold in it, and keep it in the freezer. Instead of water you can poor in a (alcoholic) beverage as well. Try it with mint leaves or fruit which will give a festive effect to your drink. Watch the video tutorial for the instructions of IceLiners.

More safety with a fun factor

25-9-2014

A marketing campaign with a dancing traffic light to increase safety on the road. Last July, car manufacturer SMART in collaboration with BBDO Germany placed a unique system in a traffic light in a busy street in Lisbon. The traffic light looked normal at first, but before people started to get bored waiting for the green light, the red man in the traffic light started to dance. The dance moves of the red man were recorded by volunteers in a large installation. The action doesn’t only look great it also served a purpose: because pedestrians were entertained, 81% more people were waiting for the light to turn green.

In 2009 we’ve spotted a ‘Wiki Traffic Light‘ on the website The Fun Theory, where car drivers could answer ‘wiki’ questions while waiting during the red light. Increasing safety with a fun factor, an idea for your town?

Spectacular cocktails

25-9-2014

Serve your drinks in a spectacular way with the first dry ice machine JetChill. The patented technology of the JetChill machine converts liquid CO2 into dry ice which gives a smoking and bubbling effect to your drink. The machine has a charging time of only 10 seconds before the special glasses can be used. Pour your favorite drink into one of the glasses and immediately there will be a reaction. We’ve spotted spectacular cocktails made with dry ice before: in 2013 we saw the Mistystix that creates the smoking effect with a stick of dry ice.

Gastronomy captured at Chefs®Evolution

22-9-2014

  • Apicbase.comVia www.apicbase.com
  • Sang Hoon Degeimbre (L'air du temps) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comSang Hoon Degeimbre (L'air du temps) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Jonnie Boer (Librije) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comJonnie Boer (Librije) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Björn Frantzén (Frantzén) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comBjörn Frantzén (Frantzén) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Grant Achatz (Alinea) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comGrant Achatz (Alinea) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Apicbase at Chefs(R)evolutionApicbase at Chefs(R)evolution
  • Renë Redzepi (Noma) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comRenë Redzepi (Noma) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Richard Ekkebus (Amber) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comRichard Ekkebus (Amber) at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Quique Dacosta at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comQuique Dacosta at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com
  • Tim Raue at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.comTim Raue at Chefs(R)evolution via www.apicbase.com

At this year’s Chefs®Evolution of Jonnie and Thérèse Boer all dishes of the chefs were photographed, captured and spread through the social media channel of apicbase.com. APIC is a solution for chefs who always want to photograph the development of their dishes without losing precious time in the kitchen. All images are quickly taken with the special device of APIC and are immediately send ‘to the cloud’ where the pictures are ready to use. Chefs can choose to keep the pictures for themselves or choose to give their guests the opportunity to post quality pictures on their social media channels as well. APIC is giving the control back to the chefs about what pictures are published online: no more blurry or incorrect photos online that doesn’t temp potential guests to visit the restaurant for dinner. Apicbase gives you an insight into which photos appear online. Check out the pictures, made by the APIC camera, for an impression of the dishes prepared at Chefs®Evolution.

In April 2014, we already wrote about a #dinnercam that was used at El Burro restaurant in South Africa.

The Future Hotel

18-9-2014

Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute IAO developed a ‘Future Hotel’ together with partners from the hotel and their supply industry. Via the video you get a brief impression of the future opportunities for a hotel room. Examples are a mobile check-in via a smartphone; round shapes in the hotel room; innovative communication systems, systems that are voice controlled; the fiber of the glass that could be adjusted from see through to non transparent; the ability to change the color of the room; taps with a light and temperature display and a whirlpool with a heated wall, by infrared. The hotel bed of the future (‘an energy-bed’) provides an electric motor for swing movements that makes guests fall asleep more easily and rise and shine the next morning.

We have seen more hotel rooms of the future, striking similarities are the round curves in architecture, the use of the smartphone and the tap and the possibilities of changing the color in the room. We didn’t see the ‘energy-bed’ before…

In February 2013, another future hotel room was presented at the Fiturtech, the International Tourism Trade Fair, in Madrid, that was called the ‘ITH Room Xperience’.

Bilder & De Clercq introduces interactive wall

17-9-2014

  • bilder en de clerq wall

From 9 September the Bilder & De Clercq grocery store from Amsterdam introduced an interactive wall at the Google Office in Amsterdam. The grocery store weekly offers fourteen tasty, healthy and easy to prepare dishes with all the necessary ingredients in the right amount. YES.TAP makes it even more easy for consumers to order a meal: they only need their smartphone to touch a dish on a screen. The interactive wall was introduced as a response to the trend of online groceries ordering. Customers can order the fourteen dishes and other products via the Bilder & De Clercq Wall and via the app at home. If the order is send before 4 o’clock pm the cooled groceries can be picked up from 5 o’clock pm

More interactive walls? In 2011 we’ve already spotted  a virtual wall from supermarket chain Tesco in a subway station in South Korea.

For sale: the VeloPresso

16-9-2014

  • velopresso

We already wrote an article about the VeloPresso in 2012. After three years of developments the last details are worked out as well and from 16 September the mobile coffee bar can be ordered online. The VeloPresso is a unique and highly innovative coffee tricycle. It has a great mobility and does not require electricity. The VeloPresso can be ordered from £9,995,-.

Biggest BYOB edition of the Netherlands

15-9-2014

BYOB, better known as ‘Bring Your Own Beamer’ is an event where artists and film makers bring their own beamer to project their art work. The event is an internationally recognized recipe, but SETUP organizes the largest BYOB editions worldwide in the Netherlands. In cooperation with the Dutch Film Festival the recently opened Tivoli Vredenbrug in Utrecht will transform into a large canvas where about 75 artists exhibit their work. The artists and film makers will beam their artwork on walls, windows and escalators on 26 September from sunset to midnight.

Bezoek horecatrends op