Trends we spotted | Week 05

3-2-2025

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:

• We came across a Swiss-based company, KITRO which is tackling the global issue of food waste.
• An interesting article on eHotelier – The Hotels Network launched Swaps, personalized hotel website experiences.
• Collaboration between two iconic hotels – Iconic Tuscan hotel, Il Pellicano travels to Claridge’s Restaurant for week long residency.
• Great Valentine’s Day inspiration from the Belgian Otomat chain – candlelight dinner with a firestarters matchbox and, of course, heart-shaped pizzas.
• On the Instagram account of restaurant and lunchroom Da Kepello in Panningen, we came across another dessert board! Also great way to serve desserts for Valentine’s Day.
• Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Oude Gevangenis Alkmaar opened last Saturday, February 1^st. You can spend the night in a former prison!
• Ruby Hotels will open its first project in Hungary at the end of 2026! The Budapest project is located in the iconic Corvin Palace, Budapest’s oldest department store and a listed building from 1926.
• In March, Cinema Culinair will descend on Antwerp and Ghent with its film-food events from the 12^th until the 30^th of March. Enjoy both the film and the food from the film!

Enjoy reading!

KITRO tackles food waste using AI-powered solutions

We came across a Swiss-based company, KITRO which is tackling the global issue of food waste. The company was founded in 2017. Their system made us think about the Orbisk food waste monitor about which we wrote about back in 2021. KITRO has operations in over 20 countries and supports the hospitality and food service industry with their food waste management. Their product the KITRO TARE combines scale and camera technology to accurately track and measure food waste in commercial kitchens. Without any manual effort from the staff, 100% of the food waste is tracked and identified. The system is easy to install, plug it in and you are ready to go. Check out the video below or their website, linked in the title.

Interesting read | The Hotels Network launched Swaps, personalized hotel website experiences

Interesting read on the eHotelier about the launch of Swaps, a gamechanger in personalized hotel website experiences, created by The Hotels Network (THN). This is a direct growth platform serving over 20,000 hotels worldwide and Swaps is their inventive solution designed to personalize hotel websites by dynamically replacing content for each visitor. Swaps brings an entirely new approach to website personalization by allowing hoteliers to replace existing text and images automatically, based on specific targeting rules. Whether catering to local couples, international families, or business travelers, Swaps ensures that every guest sees content tailored to their needs, creating a more engaging and personalized booking experience. More in the article on eHotelier, linked in the title.

Hotel Il Pellicano X Claridge’s | Iconic Tuscan hotel travels to Claridge’s Restaurant for week long residency

From Monday February 17^th – Saturday 22^nd 2025, the legendary hotels Claridge’s and Hotel Il Pellicano join forces to bring some dolce vita flair to Mayfair with Il Pellicano’s one week residency at Claridge’s Restaurant. Bringing some much welcomed sunshine to London during the winter months, Chef Michelino Gioia and his team will serve up an abundance of Tuscany’s flavoursome ingredients with his signature Italian dishes, like Maremma-style Ravioli with butter and sage, Risotto with shrimp, ginger and lime to start. Veal cheek, potato cream, chicory and Chianti sauce, Turbot with stuffed escarole and anchovy sauce, Poached organic egg, asparagus cream, smoked scamorza cheese and black truffle for main, and no Italian feast is complete without a generous helping of Tiramisu to finish. And the legendary barman Federico Morosi of the Tuscan hotel will be mixing up some of his famous cocktails. Sounds like summer in February! Reservation can be made in the link in the title.

Valentine’s Day at Otomat | Candlelight dinner – firestarters-match box and, of course, heart-shaped pizzas

On Friday the 14^th and Saturday the 15^th of February, Otomat will be the date-spot for Valentine’s Day. For two nights, the restaurants will have a completely new setting, with white table linen and old-fashioned plates under the blaze of candlelight. Otomat unpacks a playful and romantic concept that will give couples a unique and unforgettable experience. Enjoy a glass of cava together on arrival; an apero bite to share (labneh); a shared menu with three smaller pizzas, two sides and a dip to share; to round it off a Tiramisu to share. Couples will find a Firestarters matchbox on the table with questions to spark conversation – perfect for first dates as well as long-term relationships. And who knows, maybe an extra surprise awaits under the table. As of January 27^th, guests have received a special Valentine’s Day postcard with their bill. The perfect way to give a subtle hint and invite your date for an original evening at Otomat. You need to make a reservation, you can do so in the link in the title.

The Dessert Board at restaurant and lunchroom Da Kepello

It remains a fun way of serving dessert: a board with various changing delicacies, perfectly made to enjoy together. The first time we came across it was with chef Grant Achatz at Alinea in 2014 (he created a dessert in the middle of the table) and after that we have seen it regularly. Not so often in recent years, however, it’s great to spot it on the Instagram account of restaurant and lunchroom Da Kepello in Panningen. Last week we wrote about an Australian restaurant where you could enjoy a ‘spoonful’ dessert, at Da Kepello they also serve the dishes at the table. Always fun but especially around Valentine’s Day!

 

Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken

 

Een bericht gedeeld door Da Kepello (@dakepello)

Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Oude Gevangenis Alkmaar opened on February 1^st

Fletcher Hotels is expanding with a unique addition: a hotel located in the historic Schutterswei prison building in Alkmaar (where the TV series ‘Celblok H’ and ‘Jachtseizoen’, among others, were filmed in 2013). This special hotel opened its doors on February 1^st 2025 under the name Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Oude Gevangenis-Alkmaar. The authentic cell doors, central hall and the staircases will create an unforgettable atmosphere, giving guests the unique opportunity to spend the night in a former prison, with the comfort of a modern luxury hotel. With this acquisition, Fletcher Hotels strengthens its versatile offering with a location that seamlessly combines history and hospitality.

The hotel, which was completely converted from prison to luxury accommodation in 2020, has 102 comfortable hotel rooms, all equipped with modern conveniences such as air conditioning, coffee and tea making facilities and stylish bathrooms. The unique character of the building has been kept intact with authentic elements, such as the former cells and historical structure, these have been stylishly integrated into the modern design, resulting in a unique experience for guests. More details on their website, link in title.

Ruby enters Eastern European market with new hotel in Budapest

Ruby Hotels will open its first project in Hungary in 2026! Located in the iconic Corvin Palace (Budapest’s oldest department store and a landmark building from 1926), the Budapest project will transform this historic building into a vibrant meeting place for visitors and residents. The project is being realised in collaboration with the Balogh family, a respected local property developer known for innovative re-use and its commitment to preserving architectural heritage. This multi-functional project includes a Ruby Hotel with 181 stylish rooms, retail and hospitality spaces and a food and culture market. The new hotel occupies four floors of the building. Public spaces, including a bar and lounge, are located on the building’s impressive top floor with ceilings over six metres high. From here, guests will have breathtaking views of the Budapest skyline and the iconic ‘Lady on the Hill’ statue. Construction is scheduled to start in late 2025, with the hotel expected to open by the end of 2026. More photos attached to the press release on their website, link in the title.

Cinema Culinair film-food events in Antwerp and Ghent

In March, Cinema Culinair will descend on Antwerp and Ghent with its film-food events from March 12^th to the 30^th. That is the dream of Rutger van Stigt Thans, who, together with catering tycoon Jeffrey de Vries and founder Harold Smits, is the driving force behind Cinema Culinair. In Antwerp, the events take place at the classic AthenA venue and in Ghent at the industrial Eskimofabriek. The staff and chefs are looking forward to it and see the adventure in Belgium as a wonderful working holiday. Enjoying these two beautiful cities by day, and spoiling culinary curious Belgians by night with film+dinner events like Ratatouille, CHEF, The Menu and Chocolat. Rutger also expects many Dutch people to plan a city trip to Antwerp and Ghent with an evening Cinema Culinair as icing on the cake.

Why Chef, The Menu, Chocolat and Ratatouille? Each of these films has a key ingredient: food plays the leadrole, a nice spread of 7 dishes across the film, and actors who really enjoy what they eat. That’s what it’s all about. Otherwise, you can’t enjoy a food film with all your senses. Chef is about a chef at a top restaurant who decides to realise his dream: a food truck. Watch the film and enjoy: Andouille sausage gumbo; Korean chicken with pickled onion and jalapeno pepper; Belly bacon with pumpkin cream and coriander sauce; Chocolate lava cake; The cubano; New Orleans beignet and Brisket. View Cinema Culinair dates in the Netherlands and Belgium in the link in the title.

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