Inspiration for 2026, from 2025
8-1-2026
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 need ideas.
You can download the whitepaper for free on the next page.
Mastercard Hotelnacht 2026 | The Art of Balance
8-1-2026
On January 17 & 18, during the Mastercard Hotelnacht (Hotel Night) Amsterdam, the city will revolve around wellness, energy and unique hotel experiences. During Mastercard Hotelnacht, the most beautiful hotels in the city open their doors to residents of Amsterdam, offering a weekend full of one-night-only experiences. Visitors from outside Amsterdam can also take part in the experiences. The 2026 edition is all about The Art of Balance: the perfect mix of wellness and celebration, calm and excitement – in true Amsterdam style. Hotelnacht is the perfect opportunity for residents of Amsterdam and other curious visitors to experience the city in a completely new way.
2 minutes read
Sweetened, lactose-free whipped cream by Milram
6-1-2026
We start 2026 with an article about an innovative, new product: the sweetened, lactose-free whipped cream by Milram that will be introduced at the Horecava in Amsterdam. The foodservice market continues to evolve as consumer preferences change and demand grows for dietary options such as lactose-free and lower-sugar products. Even in seemingly mature product categories, there is room for innovation. With this new whipped cream Milram demonstrates how quality, convenience and market insight come together.
2 minutes read
Celest opens the sky bar to the public
22-12-2025
From January 2nd, Celest’s sky bar will be open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Enjoy cocktails, bites and breathtaking views of the Rotterdam skyline at no extra cost. This follows the reopening, which will be festively celebrated with a New Year’s Eve party on December 31.
2 minutes read
Soenil Bahadoer is the first Dutch chef to join the Dom Pérignon Society
22-12-2025
Dom Pérignon is proud to announce that chef Soenil Bahadoer has become the first Dutch chef to join the Dom Pérignon Society. With his admission, Bahadoer joins a select international collective of chefs, artists and creative innovators who share the core values of the champagne house of Dom Pérignon: craftsmanship, imagination and the pursuit of perfection within the limits of a single harvest year.
2 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 51
19-12-2025
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:
- Spotted in New York: the push pop sushi van Suka Sushi!
- Horta Grand Café & Art Nouveau Room in Antwerp, are celebrating their 25th anniversary, marked among other things by the launch of a unique coffee table book.
- Leonardo Hotels is expanding its portfolio in the Benelux with the dynamic lifestyle brand NYX Hotels. The former Eden Hotel will be divided into a Leonardo hotel and NYX Hotel Amsterdam Rembrandt Square.
- Frites Atelier, the innovative fast casual concept from Michelin-starred chef Sergio Herman, opened its first Frites Atelier London location on Saturday December 13.
- Early December, Hotel Des Indes in the Hague, officially opened the Anna Pavlova Champagne Lounge and unveiled the Pavlova Christmas tree. Anna Pavlova was a famous ballerina and regular guest of the hotel. Beautiful theme!
- Chipotle has teamed up with travel brand BÉIS, to launch an exclusive travel essentials collection inspired by Chipotle’s iconic packaging. Béispotle: ‘The To-Go Collection’.
- Last weekend, PoPPo, a hyperlocal micro-mall, was launched in Amsterdam North in the 600 m² former Blokker building.
- A Pizza Wrap-Up by Domino’s Pizza Belgium, highlighting, among other things, which city consumes the most pizzas from the brand and which pizza is the most popular in Belgium.
- Early December, Albron opened a coffeecompany location at Amsterdam UMC. It is the first coffeecompany outlet in a hospital environment.
- On Monday, December 15, the Top 50 best Italian restaurants were announced, including a separate Top 50 for restaurants outside Italy. Restaurant Aroma Italian Fine Dining from Vaassen once again earned a place on this prestigious list, ranking 48th. Restaurant Pianeta Terra in Amsterdam ranked 31st.
Enjoy reading!
What’s your breakfast strategy?
15-12-2025
In September 2025, I was quoted in a BBC Travel article on changing breakfast experiences. The article, titled “Is it time to retire the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet?”, explores how breakfast habits around the world are evolving — and which traditions are here to stay. Some trends are obvious, such as the growing focus on healthier dishes and products. Others, like the continued desire for abundance resulting in waste, are more open to debate. This article reflects our perspective on breakfast strategy. ^Marjolein van Spronsen
3 minutes read
SMAKFEST in Stockholm | One-night-only immersive food festival in an IKEA store
15-12-2025
On December 9, Stockholm experienced IKEA like never before. One thousand IKEA Family members who secured a sold-out ticket, streamed into the darkened Kungens Kurva store to take part in SMAKFEST, a one-night-only immersive food festival/experience. Think celebrating the 40th birthday of IKEA’s iconic meatball, dining in the dark, a FRAKTA bar, a human kaleidoscope, spoon-fed tastings delivered through a tiny peephole, live music, and much more.
An in-store food festival filled with inspiring and edible design and art ideas.
2-minute read
Trends we spotted | Week 50
12-12-2025
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:
- At exit 22 of the A28, McDonald’s Zwolle – De Lichtmis A28 has officially opened. The restaurant is located in the same building as the renovated roadside restaurant De Lichtmis in the east of the Netherlands.
- Radisson Hotel Group is expanding its European portfolio with two new properties, focusing on accessible design hotels and quality resorts. Prize by Radisson Osnabrück and the Baltic View Resort & Spa in Międzyzdroje Poland.
- Could conchas become the new hype like croissants?
- New added sugar warnings on menu’s at chain restaurants in New York City. Done with a new icon.
- 7-Eleven is helping the ‘tamago sando’ gain popularity in the U.S. with its new Japanese-style egg salad sandwich.
- Crispy chili oil popular even in our Dutch traditional dish the oliebol.
- Lidl US is adding a playful twist to the holidays with its first-ever holiday meal deal and a quirky fragrance collaboration, resulting in Eau de Croissant.
- Rémy Martin, the renowned French cognac house, is celebrating Lunar New Year with a limited-edition collaboration with Chinese artist Xue Song. Rémy Martin also introduced a Year of the Horse Old Fashioned, offering a festive twist on the classic cocktail. Recipe in the article.
Enjoy reading!
ibis hotels launches ‘The Go Getters’ series
11-12-2025
ibis, the leading global economy hotel brand, recently announced the launch of ‘The Go Getters’, its first-ever social miniseries. The innovative content series marks a bold move by a global hospitality brand into the fast-growing world of miniseries, ultra-short, vertical video story series that have captivated hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. If you’ve ever tried planning a group trip, ibis’ new social miniseries The Go Getters may feel strikingly familiar. The brand’s first foray into vertical storytelling blends creator energy with real travel mishaps, resulting in a surprisingly bingeable experience.
2 minutes read
Food as a bridge between cultures | Kafé Kontrast launches The Kontrast Experience
11-12-2025
Swedish chef Ellinor Strinnholm, together with restaurateur Bunmi Okolosi, introduces a renewed evening concept at Kafé Kontrast in De Pijp: The Kontrast Experience. Two years after opening, the beloved brunch spot transforms into an intimate bistro featuring a refined Swedish-Indonesian menu.
2 minutes read
Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | MOSH! in Kortrijk, DAPPER in Ghent and a new Subway location in Leiden
9-12-2025
Every day, we spot fun new concepts. This week: MOSH! is opening its second location in Kortrijk, Belgium, in the Safari Studios. Artisanal smash burgers, raw energy and a creative vibe will make this the city’s newest culinary hotspot as of March 2026. Recently, DAPPER., led by chef Nick Dapper and hostess Lisa Deklerck, also opened in Belgium at the Planet Group Arena above KAA Gent’s pitch. And here in our hometown Leiden, a new Subway location will open at Betaplein on December 10.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.
3 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 49
8-12-2025
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:
- GolfSuites recently announced a strategic shift, prioritizing its scalable Indoor Simulator Lounge concept for nationwide expansion. An interesting idea for hotels near golf courses?
- ORDER AI, an app for people using GLP-1 medication (which helps regulate appetite and blood sugar) as well as health-conscious consumers, is now available globally on the Apple App Store.
- On Monday, November 24, FHC Formulebeheer held its annual entrepreneurship ‘Big Impact Event’ at Madurodam, the miniature park in The Hague that symbolizes how small initiatives can create big impact.
- The second edition of the Rescue Dogs of London & Friends ‘Christmas Jumper Parade Walk’ took place last November 29 in London. We think it’s Vondelpark (Amsterdam) worthy. 😉
- Until January 16th 2026 you can walk a Snoopy trail through London’s Fleet Street Quarter, featering 12 unique sculptures of Snoopy.
- Holiday Cocktail Inspiration: The Candy Cane Martini!
- Outernet, a free cultural attraction in London, is fully in Christmas spirit with its Ice Palace experience. Outside, you’ll find Tod’s Festive Feast, a Christmas food market curated by influencer @eatingwithtod.
- Cocktail bar Golden Ratio, created by and part of Redwood Hospitality, opened on November 26 in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. With a focus on sustainability and creativity, the bars serves cocktails and mocktails using restaurant byproducts.
- Snoopy is certainly having a moment this holiday season, it’s his 75th birthday and his popularity is soaring. Krispy Kreme is partnering with Peanuts to launch the Krispy Kreme x Peanuts Collection this festive season.
- During last week’s Black Friday, Pepsi released a limited online edition of Pepsi® Prebiotic Cola ahead of a wider store launch early next year.
Enjoy reading!
Cobra X Boogie Bougie | A collab fueled by Antwerp’s electric dining rhythm
4-12-2025
Cobra, the Antwerp dining experience known for its eclectic energy, warm edge and late-night vibe, is teaming up with Boogie Bougie for a candle collection featuring two scents inspired by the Cobra atmosphere. With the opening of Cobra House, the second location on Markgravelei, Cobra now stands as one unified brand with a sharper and more expansive identity: vibrant tables, refined bites, and an ambience that pulls people in.
A special collab, we’re curious about the scent, and judging by the description further on in the article, it must be a good deal better than KFC’s ‘gravy-scented’-candles. 😉
2 minutes read
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
Marriott International introduces new brand ‘Series by Marriott’ | First 26 hotels open in India
4-12-2025
Marriott International continues its expansion across India with a new hospitality brand, ‘Series by Marriott’, shaped for modern domestic travellers. Its new collaboration introduces a collection that balances local identity, sustainable design, and globally trusted service standards.
2 minutes read
Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | L’ABEILLE Oegstgeest, Gastrovino PYK Deventer and Kafei in Leuven
1-12-2025
Every day fun new concepts open their doors. This week: L’Abeille in Oegstgeest, a warm and modern restaurant where Suzanne van Haaster showcases her love for refined, light dishes, with seasonal products and accessible flavours that guests quickly come to appreciate. In Deventer, Gastrovino PYK is moving to the Houtmarkt and simultaneously launching De Wynkantine: a cozy tasting room where wine, whisky and delicious bites take centre stage. And in Leuven, Kafei is opening a new location, where their iconic Japanese fluffy pancakes, colourful brunch dishes and specialty coffee can now also be enjoyed outside of Brussels.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new concepts.
3 minutes read
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.
Enjoy reading!
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and De Beers London launch ‘The Jewel of the Season’
27-11-2025
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and De Beers London are joining forces for ‘The Jewel of the Season’, an enchanting experience filled with champagne, diamonds and culinary delights. From the sparkling Enchanted Lotus Bar to exclusive private appointments at De Beers, this is the ultimate festive season for lovers of gourmets and of luxury.
3 minutes read
Fairmont Wellness from Tokyo to Lake Louise | ‘destination inspired spa experiences’
27-11-2025
From rejuvenating spa sanctuaries to locally inspired rituals, Fairmont celebrates the art of wellness across its iconic destinations. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Accor’s renowned luxury brand, invites guests to discover their ‘destination inspired spa experiences’ that blend innovation, authenticity, and a deep connection to place. Across 96 hotels and resorts worldwide, Fairmont Wellness goes beyond traditional spa services, offering destination-driven programs that restore, recharge, and reconnect guests to both self and surroundings.
2 minutes read
Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2025 designed by Daniel Lee for Burberry
25-11-2025
Claridge’s, London’s legendary Mayfair hotel, has unveiled Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2025, this year designed by Daniel Lee, Chief Creative Officer of Burberry. This year a bit sustainable, Daniel Lee used surplus Burberry fabrics to create bows. The Claridge’s Christmas Tree will stand in the hotel lobby until Sunday January 4th.
Our own tradition is to always publish an article about the new Claridge’s tree! We love the idea of asking a designer to decorate the lobby tree and of opening the holiday season with a tree-lighting ceremony. It is inspiring and can be implemented at any level!
2 minutes read
Ozempic menu | Hype or something to it?
24-11-2025
A blog by Marjolein van Spronsen about the increasingly common ‘Ozempic menu’ popping up abroad. A recent article in The New York Times noted that 8 to 10% of Americans now use some form of Ozempic*. The article also gave several examples of how restaurants and bars are responding to this trend. Marjolein wonders whether more people aged 60 and over, like herself, might also prefer enjoying a ‘mini meal’.
This blog was previously published in Dutch on the Van Spronsen & Partners Group’s website.
2 minutes read
Trends we spotted | Week 46
14-11-2025
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:
- On 28 November, Groningen will light up Europe’s largest Christmas ball at DOT Groningen, with music, mulled wine and hot chocolate.
- Firehouse Subs combines humor and flavor with the “Gravy Extinguisher”, a creamy turkey sauce for unexpected Thanksgiving.
- Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is collaborating with By Rotation. The “Dressed in Mayfair”-package offers accommodation, cocktails and personalized styling.
- Burger King is launching a limited edition Whopper advent calendar with 12 surprise boxes for extra festive fun in the run-up to Christmas.
- Suparnin, a restaurant in Guangzhou, and LITT, a bar in Dubai, have won the Best Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2025. The We are EDN hotel in Amsterdam also won an award.
- Pak Pak Gauw pop-up in Het Industriegebouw from 17 to 22 November with street food, lunch, dinner, cocktails, DJs and surprising events, including a Drunken Lion Soundsystem party.
- Restaurant Flore nr. 3, Spectrum nr. 44 (fast climber), and Herberg onder de Linden (Discovery Award) from the Netherlands are recognised on the list of the best vegetable restaurants by We’re Smart.
Enjoy reading!
Young Entrepreneurs & new locations | CAMARAT Amsterdam, Bagels & Beans Gouda, and Loetje Tilburg
14-11-2025
Every day, we spot fun new concepts. This week: Restaurant CAMARAT opens in Amsterdam-Noord (North) and you can enjoy “The New Noord Cuisine” here, surprising dishes from the charcoal grill and late weekend drinks. Melissa & Malik take over Bagels & Beans in Gouda, their second Bagels & Beans location! And in Tilburg, the former Kantongerecht (court) is being repurposed as Loetje, with character, cosiness and the iconic steak in gravy.
We wish these entrepreneurs and their teams the best of luck and lots of fun with their new and renovated concepts.
3 minutes read
Rynbende Spirits launches exclusive Privateer’s Cask PX Sherry Finish
13-11-2025
The iconic Dutch brand Rynbende Spirits is proud to announce the launch of the Privateer’s Cask PX Sherry Finish: an exclusive limited edition jenever (Dutch gin) of only 466 bottles available. This special release marks a new chapter in the revival of the historic brand, which traces its origins to 1793 in Schiedam.
2 minutes read
The elevated Whopper is served on a new bun and in a box
Taco Bell’s Live Más LIVE 2026 - Menu reveal and Hollywood star power
Starbucks expands its protein lineup with new bottled Coffee & Protein drinks
Mandarin Oriental appoints Simone Biles as Global Wellness Ambassador
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is introducing Senior Meals
TTW announced ‘Top 50 Nightlife Travel Destinations’ in the world for 2026
