Trends we spotted | Week 14

7-4-2026

At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. With this week links to articles about:

• Funny April Fools’ Day jokes: the Friturette from Snacksalon de Schelp and the orange oysters from Pesca.
• Restaurant Aroma is closing and is offering a special way to say goodbye with a menu in 19 scenes.
• On April 22 and 23 2026, the Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam will take place for independent hoteliers and boutique hotel professionals.
• Marriott International and the Leali family are launching a joint venture to add Lefay, the luxury wellness hotel brand, to the Marriott portfolio.
• Pup flight or a Bark-cuterie at the Wasserhund Brewing Company pop-up.
• KFC in Spain is transforming its restaurant signs into giant döner skewers.
• A new season brings new products to the Dutch fastfood-chain Family: the Peanut Butter Shake and the Chicken Smashburger.
• Radisson Hotel Group opens the Radisson Hotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Hoofddorp.
• Fletcher Hotels expands its international presence with the acquisition of the Parkhotel Olsberg-Winterberg in Germany.

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At Otomat on the menu this spring | ‘You’ve Got The L’Oeuf’ pizza or egg benedict pizza and pitchers of spritz

27-3-2026

Spring is just around the corner, and at Otomat that means a fresh update to the menu, with new dishes and a brand-new look. From 25 March 2026, Otomat is introducing a new spring menu featuring lighter flavours, new vegetarian options, such as the ‘You’ve Got The L’Oeuf’ pizza (aka Egg Benedict pizza) and spritz pitchers, as well as a few surprising twists on classics.

2 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 12

23-3-2026

At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. With this week links to articles about:

• Padbol, an energetic Argentine game that combines padel and football on a fenced-off court.
• Lighthouse is launching the first ChatGPT app for direct hotel bookings, featuring AI-driven, reliable hotel information.
• 24H Chefs, a biennial initiative with Gault&Millau, sees top chefs cook for 24 hours to raise funds for War Child and the Prinses Máxima Centrum.
• Bagels & Beans is expanding to nearly 100 locations, preparing for international expansion and appointing Carolien Vergouwe as managing director.
• The ‘Wissel ’ns Wat!’ campaign encourages the Dutch to make plant-based choices and offers a newsroom on the protein transition.
• Design & Wijn, in collaboration with Wijngoed Gelders Laren, is launching Portique, a Dutch port-style wine in a limited edition of just 438 bottles.
• Le Pain Quotidien is opening a location at Designer Outlet Roermond, thereby expanding its presence in the Netherlands.
• HEINEKEN has reached 1,500 alcohol-free tap points in The Netherlands and is promoting responsible 0.0 draught beer consumption at sports clubs.
• Het Noorden celebrates its 160th anniversary with Noorden Blond, a speciality beer brewed by Brouwerij Wentersch.
• Nine new properties join the global Relais & Châteaux collection.

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Villa Kakelbont | Old hospitality legend returns to Rotterdam

10-3-2026

You walk in and it feels as if time has stood still. This month, hospitality legend Villa Kakelbont made its comeback in the centre of Rotterdam, on Halvemaanpassage behind the Meent. Once the café of the Oude Haven, now a new place: a warm living room for the city. With a vintage interior, board games and pub classics on the menu, you’ll soon find yourself staying the whole evening.

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Trends we spotted | Week 5

3-2-2026

At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. With this week links to articles about:

• Airbnb has partnered with chef-led meal delivery service CookUnity to provide prepared meals through Airbnb Services, aiming to simplify dining for travellers and local residents.
• Thompson Hotels collaborates with BERO to expand non-alcoholic offerings and bar programming.
• McDonald’s Germany launches new platform, for everyone who is really hungry.
• AMMOS AMAALA is the first resort of the AMMOS group in the Middle East, located in Saudi Arabia. The resort will open this spring.
• Pizza Hut Dubai hosted a fine-dining Supper Club nobody saw coming.
• ALL Accor has recently announced the launch of its ALL Accor app in ChatGPT designed to enrich the experience of its growing customer base.
• McDonald’s in the US debuts exclusive McNugget® Caviar just in time for Valentine’s Day – at no cost to fans.
• Restaurant Nela in Amsterdam introduces the Family Friendly Affair brunch on Sundays.
• Bagels & Beans has turned 30. What started in 1996 as a quirky café on Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam has grown over the past thirty years into a unique franchise formula with almost 90 locations throughout the Netherlands.

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The HEINZ KegChup | The first-ever keg of HEINZ Ketchup!

3-2-2026

Just in time for the Big Game, HEINZ is cracking open a bold new way to enjoy America’s favorite condiment. Introducing the HEINZ KegChup: the first-ever keg filled with unmistakably rich HEINZ ketchup. Inspired by a solution the beer industry has relied on for decades to ensure fans never run dry, the HEINZ KegChup makes sure watch parties are never short on the crowd’s favorite condiment, because an empty ketchup bottle might be an even bigger party foul than a dry keg.

1 minute read

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From Brussels to Antwerp | Fernand Obb puts the croquette centre stage

30-1-2026

The Brussels-based delicatessen concept Fernand Obb will open a new location in Antwerp in the spring of 2026, on the corner of Paleisstraat and Anselmostraat. The popular and approachable concept by chef-founder Cédric Mosbeux, known for its award-winning artisan grey shrimp croquettes and Belgian classics, will thus gain a third location, featuring its own Antwerp twist.

2 minutes read

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Conservatorium Hotel x Italian Jewelry House Pasquale Bruni | A sparkling Christmas tree

4-12-2025

We often write about collaborations involving Christmas decorations in hotels, particularly the iconic Christmas trees at Claridge’s and, recently, ‘The Jewel of the Season’ at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. But Amsterdam also has several luxury hotels with remarkable festive decorations,  including the Conservatorium Hotel. This year, the impressive 4.5-metre Christmas tree in the lobby has been decorated by the Italian jewelry house Pasquale Bruni. Following a successful collaboration with Cartier last year, the hotel is once again presenting a dazzling Christmas tree this season. The additional details, such as the festive atmosphere created around the violins at the entrance, are also wonderful to see and experience. We often stop by ourselves to soak up the ambiance, enjoying a cocktail, a glass of wine, or a meal at Barbounia.

2 minutes read

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Trends we spotted | Week 48

28-11-2025

At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. With this week links to articles about:

• Qeet provides sustainable catering in the renovated Nederlands Fotomuseum , which opens in February 2026.
• Staff of the IHCP hotels in the Netherlands did collect toys for families in poverty through the Sintvoorieder1.
• Solid Wiggles creates jell-o cocktails with a creative, aesthetic twist.
• The Berkeley London launches luminous artwork ‘Aurora: Light in Motion’ by Rob and Nick Carter.
• Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch – Epic Cleantec launches beer made from purified shower and laundry water in California.
• McDonald’s introduces a temporary Grinch Meal with themed Grinch socks in the US.
• At the end of this year TRIBE The Hague Central will open as the second TRIBE hotel in the Netherlands and it will be the brand’s new flagship.
• The Social Hub invests €227 million in new B Corp hub in Edinburgh.
• The Hoxton opens in Dublin with the introduction of the first nightclub of this chain.

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Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | Café-Bar Vita Lente and KFC Rome’s flagship store

24-10-2025

Every day, we spot fun and inspiring new concepts. This week: Café-Bar Vita Lente, the new hotspot in Amsterdam West from former Coulisse (*) owner Simon Witmaar. And on September 28, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first Italian flagship store in Rome.

KFC Rome boasts a truly unique location, not just for Italy, but for all of Europe. The store showcases many innovative elements in design, sustainability, service, and technology. At Café-Bar Vita Lente, fine dining has made way for a more relaxed atmosphere. The menu features robust, Southern European dishes, and plenty of wines by the glass, sherry, vermouth, and small bites made for sharing.

We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new and renovated concepts.

3 minutes read

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