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.

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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.

Enjoy reading!

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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!

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Trends we spotted | Week 45

10-11-2025

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:

• Porsche Netherlands & Tomasu present Vat (barrel) 911 and have made a short documentary video about the production of this barrel of soy sauce and Tomasu’s quest for perfection.
• We already wrote about the ‘Lieve Amsterdammer’-campaign by the Eberhardjes foundation. This campaign was made possible thanks to a donation from the Rabobank, which has now been symbolically handed over.
• The 2025 Christmas tree in the lobby of Claridge’s hotel in London is being designed by Burberry’s Daniel Lee.
• KFC celebrated National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day (on November 9) last week with a ‘Size matters tour’ in major cities across the US.
• Maybourne, the British hotel chain, has announced that three of its British hotels have been included in the list of the world’s 50 Best Hotels 2025. With a link to the full list.
• The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, the largest culinary school chain in the United States, recently celebrated a milestone in its graduation season.
• Spotted on Instagram:
  • a ‘French toast Flight’ at London’s first French Toast Café, Crome.
  • A Starbucks ‘bearista’ cup in the US.
  • Dolce VyTa’s Maritozzo, made even more festive with an adorable reindeer makeover for the Christmas season.

Enjoy reading!

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Solo out and about | Celebrate yourself on Singles Day at Stayokay

4-11-2025

Next week we will celebrate a day all about you: Singles Day! Singles Day once began as a playful counterpart to Valentine’s Day. In the 1990s, students from China came up with the idea of using November 11, a day with four ones (11/11), to celebrate singles. What started as a funny tradition grew into a globally recognized day. Stayokay is having fun capitalizing on that with special tips on Bachelor’s Day 2025!

Another great example of capitalising on special days! We always mention these, well in advance, in our weekly trend mail! You can sign up here.

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Trends we spotted | Week 44

3-11-2025

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:

• Grubhub and Avride are launching a trial with autonomous delivery robots in collaboration with restaurant chain Wonder.
• Saudi Arabia Railways and Arsenale present the first luxury train in the Middle East, “Dream of the Desert”, which will launch in 2026.
• Dior introduces Haute Motherhood, a postnatal wellness program at Dior Spa Cheval Blanc Paris. It’s a great idea to offer special treatments aimed at small groups of guests, and as we always say, this can be done at any level!
• Regis Hotels & Resorts in the U.S. and Maison Ladurée are creating festive afternoon teas and Parisian elegance during the Christmas period.
• The Dutch franchise formula eazie has once again been nominated for Best Fast Service formula in the Netherlands in the YouGov Out of Home Formula Monitor 2025.
• THE BUTCHER is opening a temporary haute fast food pop-up at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. This temporary location is the first step towards new branches of THE BUTCHER and Toni Loco, both concepts by THE ENTOURAGE GROUP, at Schiphol Airport.
• Hotelschool The Hague and House of Hospitality Amsterdam are organizing a masterclass in immersive technology for the Dutch hospitality sector on November 19. You will be able to experience AR/VR training courses that allow hotel staff to practice in realistic 360-degree environments!

 Enjoy reading!

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Trends we spotted | Week 43

28-10-2025

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:

• Circular bread made by the Top Bakkers Group on the menu at caterer Vitam.
• Fletcher Hotels opens padel courts in former airplane hangar near Rotterdam Airport: Padel City Fletcher Rotterdam Airport.
• Nisbets, Europe’s largest supplier of catering equipment, celebrates 25 years of operation in Europe.
• How SMARTLINEN® takes linen management to the next level.
• Oatly, the world’s largest oat drink company, has released its first The Future of Taste Report. And Burger King in Austria has become the first food service outlet to offer Oatly’s Baristamatic oat milk.
• Jack Simpson from Australia was crowned the 2025 World Barista Champion at Host Milano. The Dutch competitor, Zjevaun Janga, finished in the 31st place.
• ARTIS Zoo in Amsterdam recognized as Urban Night Sky Place by DarkSky International.
• Airbnb and Art Basel have announced a multi-year partnership across the fair’s flagship shows in Paris, Miami Beach, and Basel.
• The popular espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco has partnered with the iconic Victorinox to launch a limited-edition Swiss Army tool designed for La Marzocco machines.

Enjoy reading!

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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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Trends we spotted | Week 42

20-10-2025

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:

• McDonald’s Netherlands launches their 2024-2025 Impact Report, working with local franchisees on sustainability and social impact.
• Ruby Hotels unveils a new art installation by Hugo Mulder DHM at Ruby Emma in Amsterdam, titled ‘Harness the Power of Nature’.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Central Station staff show their commitment to charity during events like the Dam to Dam Run and KiKa Run.
• Taste of Horecava by Gault&Millau 2026 offers a stage for top chefs and innovative partners in culinary craftsmanship from January 12-14.
• Morrow is developing future-proof coffee without beans, using upcycled natural ingredients sourced from Europe and the UK.
• The Connaught, the famous Mayfair hotel, launched its first book, written by Bill Prince and published by Assouline.
• The WHO and UNICEF release new global hand hygiene guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of illnesses. SC Johnson Professional welcomes the release of these new guidelines and recognizes hand washing as a strong foundation for creating safe and healthy environments
• McDonald’s Germany introduces a limited edition FRIENDS menu with collectible figures and an interactive hub in Hamburg.

Enjoy reading!

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Holiday Season Inspiration | From a Gingerbread Wonderland and festive scents to a photobooth

17-10-2025

As we mentioned last week, it’s the perfect time to start planning for the holidays. Apparently, some hospitality venues are already fully booked for the Christmas Days! In October, we’re publishing a short weekly article full of inspiration; this week’s highlights include a Gingerbread Wonderland, festive scents in hotel rooms, a Christmas photobooth, messages on mirrors in restrooms, holiday fun, and a special way to unbox your Christmas boxes. By the way, you can find even more ideas on our Pinterest Christmas board.

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