---

Trends we spotted | Week 21

25-5-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others the most expensive taco in the world, Hilton commits to cutting environmental footprint in half and doubling social impact investment and Sleeping under the stars in a luxury ‘Bird House’ in Africa.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

---

Restaurant Spyce | Culinary excellence elevated by technology

25-5-2018

---

---

Spyce is a Boston-based restaurant, founded by MIT graduates and backed by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. At Spyce, robots produce healthy fast food at affordable prices. At the newly-opened establishment all bowls start at USD 7.50, the prices are lower than at similar restaurants as robots save on human labor expenses and the robots work fast! The robots prepare your meal in 2 minutes and as you can watch in the video underneath the article, they even clean up their own mess! Spice is located at 241 Washington Street in Boston. How about a Latin bowl with roasted chicken, avocado lime crema, braised black beans, brown rice, bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, green chilies, cabbage slaw, cilantro and radish?

The idea behind restaurant Spyce

‘The Spice Boys’ ,four guys studying at MIT in Boston, Michael Farid, Kale Rogers, Luke Schlueter and Brady Knight created the world’s first restaurant featuring a robotic kitchen that cooks complex meals. They created this concept in hopes of solving a problem they found themselves facing, being priced out of wholesome and delicious food. So they, as robotics-obsessed engineers, created a robot that cooks tasty and nutritious meals, serves them, and cleans up after. The robots and process has been created in two years with many burns, bruises, and eating a lot of Brussel sprouts! As they say: “We’re at the intersection of technology and hospitality, making accessible, tasty and nutritious meals.”

Spyce | The Michelin Star magic from Daniel Boulud

The Spyce boys added some Michelin-Star magic with Chef Daniel Boulud. “When Michael and his three classmates emailed me about a robotic kitchen that could elevate fast food, I was impressed. Not only had they guessed my email address correctly, the videolink to their cutting edge technology was unlike anything I’d seen before. The experience of the robotic kitchen, the food and the vision of the Spyce team far exceeded my expectations. Their passion and innovation needed a strong commitment to ingredients and excellent recipes. So, in addition to becoming an investor, I accepted the position of Culinary Director, and invited Chef Sam Benson, who had worked for me at Café Boulud, to take on the Executive Chef role.”

Sam Benson is the executive chef at restaurant Spyce: “When Chef Daniel Boulud asked me to join four MIT kids and their robotic kitchen, and make food with real flavor, I knew it was a chance to be part of something big. With a multitude of Michelin stars and James Beard accolades for his restaurants and contributions to fine dining, Chef Daniel is considered to be one of the country’s leading culinary authorities. When he talks, you listen. His mentorship paved the way for my experience in the best kitchens in the US and France, it’s been a fun ride. So here we are, and together we make up the Spyce culinary A-Team.”

Check out the video below:

---

Yotel Boston | Robot YO2D2 newest employee in the hotel

22-5-2018

---

---

YOTEL, the affordable luxury hotel brand, announces their new hire in their Boston hotel, YO2D2. The hotel’s guest services robot is remarkably well versed in hospitality and ‘mingling’! The Seaport hotel is known for its of-the-moment technology offerings which include super-fast (and free) WiFi, self-service check-in via mobile app and sleek cabins with SmartBeds™ and Technowalls. With this latest tech enhancement, guests can look forward to receiving amenities from and taking selfies with YOTEL’s newest crew member, YO2D2.

---

Trends we spotted | Week 20

18-5-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others a special Instagrammable hidden dessert at Long Story Short Café in Melbourne, granola butter as the new spreadable gold and how to make dinner reservations through Instagram.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

---

Dip it, dip it real good | Slim Chickens launched the world’s first dippable billboard

17-5-2018

---

---

Londoners got saucy with delicious new dippable billboard from US fried chicken kings, Slim Chickens, which recently set up home in the capital. UK’s latest fried chicken phenomenon, Slim Chickens, has unveiled the world’s first dippable billboard,in a bid to help Londoners get saucy. Launched at Boxpark Shoreditch, East London on Wednesday, 9th May, the giant interactive billboard contained 12 iconic Slim Chickens sauces, including Garlic Parmesan, Mango Habanero and Sriracha Garlic.

---

The Audemars Piquet Hotel des Horlogers | Luxurious ski hotel in Switzerland

15-5-2018

---

---

Neighboring the Audemars Piguet Museum, the Hotel des Horlogers is seamlessly integrated into the smooth topography of the scenic Vallée de Joux. Five zigzagging room slabs expand into a gently sloping exterior path, leading directly to the museum and local ski trails. Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piquet invited the famed Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to create their luxurious ski hotel. BIG also designed the museum. The hotel will include about 50 hotel rooms.

---

Starbucks | Paper cup recycling launched in the Netherlands

15-5-2018

---

---

Following a similar cup collection and recycling process proving successful in UK Starbucks stores, Starbucks now offers paper cup recycling in 11 of its company-operated stores in Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. Reinforces commitment to advancing Starbucks sustainability commitments in the Netherlands and driving industry-wide awareness and participation of cup recycling. The cup recycling will first trial in 11 company-operated Starbucks stores in the Netherlands, with plans to expand to more Starbucks stores across the country, operated by licensed business partners. In our ‘Trends we spotted in week 18’ we already wrote that Starbucks USA announced a partnership with Closed Loop Partners and its Center for the Circular Economy to develop the ‘NextGen Cup’, a recyclable and compostable cup.

---

Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co. | Pickle flavoured soft serve ice cream

14-5-2018

---

---

New York’s new Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co. is very creative with cucumber. How about pickle flavoured soft serve? The new, casual spot, Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co. is created by the team behind Jacob’s Pickles, a restaurant in NYC’s Upper West Side neighborhood at Amsterdam Avenue. If you’re in for a special treat and if you’re visiting NYC, you know where to go!

---

Blue Matcha | Pink Matcha | Red Matcha

14-5-2018

---

---

Matcha.blue by Fluxias GmbH sells blue, pink and red matcha. All three the matcha powders are packed in bamboo tubes. The all natural powders can be used to create vibrantly colored beverages or could be used as substitutes for food coloring. The blue matcha is for example the finely ground powder of specially grown and processed natural blue tea know as blue butterfly pea tea. Another product to create colored lattes, like the Mermaid latte and the Golden latte.

---

Trends we spotted | Week 19

11-5-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others AB InBev develops greener way to put bubbles in your beer, the 10 most instagrammable hotels in the world and Cafe Latte flavored water released in Japan.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

---

Chill-Can® technology | 7-Eleven tests first ever self-chilling canned beverage

11-5-2018

---

---

7‑Eleven, Inc. is rolling two ground-breaking launches into one with the introduction of its proprietary Fizzics Sparkling Cold Brew Coffee in the first self-chilling cans available to the public in the U.S. During the test launch, the groundbreaking Fizzics Sparkling Cold Brew Coffee drinks are available exclusively at select participating 7‑Eleven stores. It reminded us of ‘Hot Booster’ about which we wrote back in 2011, they created a self-warming can for their soups and hot chocolate milk.

---

The Private Suite at Los Angeles Airport | Four Seasons Luxury starts with your flight

8-5-2018

---

---

The Private Suite, the first private terminal in the USA, offers guests of selected Four Seasons hotels and resorts an exclusive opportunity to experience head-of-state style travel through Los Angeles airport (LAX). The Four Seasons resort Bora Bora and their resorts at Hawaii partner with The Private Suite. Last January we wrote about Virgin Holidays ‘Departure Beach’ at Barbados, a lounge on the beach. Here you could check in for your flight, take your last dip in the sea, eat & drink and shower before departure to customs. These kind of initiatives make travelling a lot more relaxed, remains the question if you would pay for the extra service as guest? But it might be inspirational for hotels near airports: what could you do to facilitate the arrival or departure experience for your guests?   

---

Glamping near Mount Fuji | Fujino Kirameki fuji Gotemba

7-5-2018

---

---

Leading Japanese hotelier Fujita Kanko Inc. announced the launch of “Fujino,” a new brand for upscale glamping. It opened the first property “Fujino Kirameki Fuji Gotemba” in April, glamping near Mount Fuji, the iconic and highest Japanese mountain and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. A tip for if you’re planning a trip to Japan. 

---

Trends we spotted | Week 18

4-5-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others; a Dutchman wins the 10th Bacardi cocktail competition, McDonald’s tests international menu items in the USA and we’re wondering whether the Dutch McKroket will be on their menu! And a look inside the cafe located in Pinterest’s San Francisco headquarters.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

Silent cafés | Ssssst

Café Adem Inn in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is advising their customers to put their phone in a safe when visiting the café. In addition to their menu, silence is served. No loud noises, no wifi, just enjoy a consumption and the silence around you. Adem Inn is a quiet café with room for reflection, although you’ll hear some music in the background and talking is allowed.

Dutchman Eric van Beek wins 10th BACARDI® Legacy cocktail competition

Dutch bartender Eric Van Beek was named 2018 Bacardí Legacy winner with his Cariño cocktail. His winning cocktail triumphed in a very exciting finale that was held in the Museo Numismático Nacional in Mexico City for 400 guests. Van Beek’s winning creation, called Cariño, is a shaken cocktail combining Bacardí Reserva Ocho rum with Yellow Chartreuse, Greek yoghurt, vanilla syrup and lemon juice. The recipe of the Cariño:

2 parts BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho | 1/5 part Yellow Chartreuse | 1 1/5 part Greek yogurt 4/5 part of vanilla syrup 2/5 part lime juice | Preparation: shake, serve over a large piece of ice cream | Glass type: Coupette.

NextGen Cup Challenge

Starbucks and Closed Loop Partners and its Center for the Circular Economy have announced the NextGen Cup Challenge. This groundbreaking industry consortium will develop recyclable and compostable cup solutions as the first step in the development of a global end-to-end solution that will allow cups around the world to be diverted from landfills and composted or given a second life.

Each year, an estimated 600 billion paper and plastic cups are distributed worldwide. The NextGen Cup Challenge will bring together entrepreneurs, industry, and recyclers to identify and commercialize the next generation of recyclable and/or compostable cups.

McDonald’s tests international menu items in the USA | Would our McKroket be on the menu?

A new Chicago flagship restaurant offers meal options from worldwide locations and uses social listening for feedback. Fast food outlet McDonald’s opened a new location that gives diners the chance to experience some of the restaurant’s worldwide specialties without ever having to venture outside the United States. Their recently opened Chicago chain is part of the company’s ongoing initiative to modernize their restaurants and their customer’s dining experience. Among the staples on offer are the McSpicy Chicken Sandwich from Hong Kong, a French mozzarella salad and a barista bar resembling those in the company’s Australian branches. These international items will be available to customers on a rotating basis alongside regular favorites such as the classic chicken nuggets and fries or the Big Mac.

Marriott International gets into Airbnb territory by adding 200 vetted private UK homes to their Tribute Portfolio brand

Tribute Portfolio Homes is a new home share offering from Marriott International, launched in partnership with Hostmaker, a London-based homestay property management company. It still 1s a Beta experience; they would love your feedback to make the experience even better. Every property within Tribute Portfolio Homes is vetted and reviewed by hospitality experts. Properties meet rigorous safety, security and design standards before they are accepted as part of Tribute Portfolio Homes. They have partnerships with local property management experts, like Hostmaker, who provide 24/7 support. They also strive to make travel easy and stress-free through offering 24 hour in-person check-in; high speed wi-fi; premium bed linens and fluffy white towels – all expertly laundered; full-sized bath amenities; cooking essentials; and child-friendly items, such as high chairs and travel cribs. Staying with Tribute Portfolio Homes allows guests to earn with Marriott Rewards or SPG.

Edition Hotels ditch plastic in eco-conscious movement

Ian Schrager’s luxury hotel chain EDITION Hotels, co-owned by Marriot, is cutting down on the most environmentally damaging resource: disposable plastic. In honor of Earth Day on April 22, they’ve pledged to be disposable plastic free — leading the hospitality industry in a plastic free movement. ‘Stay Plastic Free’ is their initiative, aimed to make the luxury chain disposable plastic free by the end of 2019. Sparking a movement among hoteliers worldwide, this campaign is spearheaded by EDITION’s vice president of brand experiences, Ben Pundole.

A look inside the cafe located in Pinterest’s San Francisco headquarters

Susan Kare, the woman behind the Apple Macintosh’s smiling computer icon, has lent her decades-long visual expertise and creative savvy to a new cafe located inside Pinterest’s San Francisco headquarters.

Kare, a UI and graphic designer, has worked for Pinterest since 2015. She also sits on the design team of the newly-opened cafe called “The Point.” Inspirational images in the article of Business Insider.

Alston superstore founders launch the Karaoke Hole

The founders of East London nightlife institution Dalston Superstore are to open a new karaoke dive bar, The Karaoke Hole, on 24th May. Tucked away on Kingsland High Street in the heart of Dalston, The Karaoke Hole will play host to professional drag queens and brave amateurs alike, stepping into the limelight on the bespoke, disco ball-clad stage complete with strategically-placed wind machines allowing every performer to unleash their inner RuPaul. Karaoke seems to become more popular, we recently wrote about the opening of the Duke of Tokyo, a Japanse karaoke bar in Amsterdam that opened in April this year.

Mount Everest is getting another pop-up restaurant

A group of chefs is attempting to set a world record for the highest ever restaurant pop-up – 11,600 feet to be precise, at Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas. The group of four chefs, which includes Indian chef Sanjay Thakur, who has competed in both the Bocuse d’Or and S.Pellegrino Young Chef competitions, will be setting off on an eight day trek from the town of Lukla, Nepal at the end of May, foraging all the way – an they’re looking for 10 intrepid diners to join them!

“The biggest challenge of course will be the altitude, which will affect everything,” says Thakur. “Flavour [perception] will be decreased, so we will be designing a menu of extraordinary dishes accordingly, where spices will have the upper hand.”

---

Over 150,000 Domino’s Hotspots® Launched in the USA | Redefining Delivery Convenience

3-5-2018

---

---

Thousands of parks, beaches and sports fields are now official delivery location options. In April  Domino’s Pizza, the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales, has launched yet another delivery revolution, Domino’s Hotspots®. Over 150,000 Domino’s Hotspots are now active in the USA so that customers can receive delivery orders at spots that don’t have a traditional address – places like local parks, sports fields and beaches, as well as thousands of other unexpected sites. Local Domino’s stores around the country have selected these Domino’s Hotspots, which are now locations where drivers can meet customers curbside to hand off orders.

---

Global Office of Healthy Tourism | New initiative by Airbnb

2-5-2018

---

---

Airbnb’s newest initiative, the Office of Healthy Tourism, was recently launched as part of an effort to unburden vacation hot spots and attract more travelers to hidden gem locales. The office was also designed as an exercise to explore the use of technology when it comes to travel, and will be responsible for the selection and promotion of lesser known destinations. Along with the launch of the Office, Airbnb is also releasing data that shows the benefits of healthy tourism for hosts, guests and cities around the world, as well as announcing the creation of its new Tourism Advisory Board, which will be made up of travel industry leaders from around the world. They want to provide the type of travel that is best for destinations, residents and travelers alike.

---

Beyond Burger® from Beyond Meat® available for the European Market | Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat

1-5-2018

---

---

As one of the largest European meat importers and as producer of high-quality meat products, Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat is delighted to announce that they will represent Beyond Meat in Europe. The California-based start-up, widely recognized as the plant-based meat category leader, is expanding to Europe after explosive growth in the U.S. market. The revolutionary Beyond Burger® is the first plant-based burger that looks, cooks and satisfies so much like beef, that it is sold in the meat case in U.S. based grocery stores.

---

Surprise your guests with tap water | MADE BLUE

1-5-2018

---

---

More and more businesses in the Netherlands serve chilled tap water in their own, hip bottles. About 150 hospitality businesses do that using MADE BLUE, whilst doing that they do support drinking water projects in developing countries. Every liter of water served does guarantee as much as 1000 times more clean drinking water. MADE BLUE has been active for nearly one and a half year in the hotel and catering industry and they created about 150 ambassadors or participants in the hospitality industry. “We have already realized almost 2.8 billion liters of clean drinking water with all of our ambassadors. That means a healthy and employed existence for 300,000 people,” says Frank van der Tang, co-founder of MADE BLUE.

---

Trends we spotted | Week 17

27-4-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others the opening of an experimental floral restaurant, a new crunchy social media trend and the best summer job ever can be found at WOW Air.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

Nous Restaurant & Flowers | Experimental floral restaurant

Nous opened its first pioneering experimental floral restaurant in Dongcheng District in Dongguan early this year, offering mixed services of exploring the aesthetics of ingredients and  floral matching. The creative agency 0321studio in Shenzhen collaborated with Nous to organize and design this shop along the street. The customer’s request focuses on how to solve the relationship between floral and dining in visual, functional, and emotional ways.

Starbucks to Close 8,000 U.S. Stores for Racial-Bias Training After Arrest

Starbucks said on Tuesday that it would close its more than 8,000 stores in the United States for one day to conduct anti-bias training after two African-American men were arrested at one of its stores last week, prompting outrage. The arrest led to a lot of anger because video images showed that the two men did not do anything wrong.

Eating crunchy ice is a new social media trend

Chinese vloggers are competing to show themselves eating colourful ice lollies. The viewers take pleasure from hearing the crunching sound as vloggers slowly chew the ice cubes. The ice itself is also interesting to see. Apparently, vloggers would carefully make their own mini ice sculptures before biting into them. A bit strange if you ask us, check out Instagram for thousands of #eatingice video’s.

Best summer job ever | Travel for free this summer with WOW Air

WOW Air will hire a “travel guide” to move to Iceland for three months and travel while creating videos for the airline. In addition, the travel guide will get to bring a friend to accompany them on their summer journey. From June 1 to August 15, the winning pair will be based in an apartment in downtown Reykjavik and travel around the world to WOW Air destinations to create a digital travel guide.

Diageo hosts whisky pairings dinner for World Whisky Day

Diageo, the drinks company that owns Gordon’s, Captain Morgan and Smirnoff, is marking World Whisky Day with a whisky pairings dinner. The brand has partnered with Firmdale Hotels to showcase five of its Scotch whiskies including the Lagavulin distillery and Johnnie Walker. The event begins with a pre-dinner whisky cocktail and canapés. Before each course, Diageo Scotch Whisky ambassador Colin Dunn will introduce each of the hand-selected whiskies. Tickets are £85 and the evening will take place on 19 May at the Haymarket Hotel in central London.

Tabasco is releasing a limited-edition Diamond Reserve Hot Sauce

In honor of its 150th anniversary, Tabasco is releasing a Diamond Reserve Sauce that it’s describing as the “Champagne of pepper sauce.” The limited-edition bottles are filled with a highly curated selection of tabasco peppers that have been aged with salt for 15 years before being blended with sparkling white wine vinegar. According to the company, the rare condiment has an exceptionally complex taste, while still “maintaining the signature flavor and vibrancy” Tabasco is known for.

---

Beer Ripples | Print any image on a beer

25-4-2018

---

---

Beer Ripples will make every beer you serve a unique one. The machine makes it possible to print any high-resolution image or design onto your beer. Time to get creative! In 2015, the same company introduced Ripples, a similar machine that does the same trick on cappuccino’s and latte’s.

---

A ‘slice’ of ketchup | An all-natural, no mess Slice of Sauce™

20-4-2018

---

---

Bo’s Original Slice of Sauce™ is a flavor-packed condiment offering a clean label, convenient experience with 8 slices per pack. Slice of Sauce™ transforms the traditional condiment aisle with individual “slices” of Signature Recipe Ketchup in a convenient and mess-free package of 8 portions.  Slice of Sauce recently raised double funds through Kickstarter to start producing their product!

---

Trends we spotted | Week 16

20-4-2018

---

---

At hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the smaller trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

This week, amongst others the first space hotel is only a few years away and a restaurant in Oakland protects its staff by a Management Alert Color System.

Click on the title if you would to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

---

The humble sandwich | Bombay Bustle brings the Bombay sandwich during the British Sandwich Week

19-4-2018

---

---

To celebrate British Sandwich Week, from 20th to 27th May, Bombay Bustle, the Indian restaurant in Mayfair from Samyukta Nair, will create a menu dedicated to the much-loved British institution: the humble sandwich. The menu will center on the classic Bombay sandwich, the famed street snack which is as much of a Mumbai staple as the stacked tiffin tins and hectic railway system that have inspired Bombay Bustle. From a modest three-ingredient sandwich to a towering grilled ‘toasty’ stuffed with cheese and chutney, every day thousands of Mumbaikers grab a piping hot sandwich straight from the chimta at one of the city’s many stalls. We love the idea of celebrating the humble sandwich with a Sandwich Week, why don’t we celebrate this in the Netherlands?

---

Andina Panaderia | London’s first Peruvian bakery

18-4-2018

---

---

This May, pioneer of Peruvian cooking Martin Morales will launch London’s first Peruvian bakery, as he opens the doors to Andina Panaderia on Westbourne Grove alongside a brand new restaurant, Andina Picanteria. Located side by side at 155 and 157 Westbourne Grove, Andina Panaderia and Andina Picanteria pay homage to the female Andean chefs who have inspired Martin and his team since opening their Peruvian restaurant Ceviche.

---

Hotel School to teach homeless people the basics of hospitality | A London community collaboration

16-4-2018

---

---

The Goring hotel has teamed up with a charity to launch a hotel school to teach homeless people the basics of hospitality and help them into full-time work. The Goring Hotel in London’s Belgravia, the five-red-AA-star, 69-bedroom hotel, already launched the Hotel School in 2017 in partnership with its neighbour, the Passage Homeless Resource Centre. They’re right next door to one another so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’ve finally joined forces to create Hotel School.

We have seen another initiative in the Netherlands in which an entrepreneur did start his own education project and with all the problems of finding great members for a hospitality team these initiatives are a source of  inspiration to other hospitality entrepreneurs.

---