Artesian, the flagship bar at the Langham London hotel, as introduced an innovative new cocktail list called "Ingredients of the Future".
The new cocktail menu from the luxury hotel features sixteen cocktails. Each one celebrates a single ingredient that has remarkable versatility and adaptability. The idea is to showcase drinks that "taste like a a step towards a healthier planet and a better tomorrow".
The team at Artesian researched and identified ingredients that met these criteria. They explored vegetables and fruits such as sweet potato, beetroot, mushroom, date, jackfruit and pea, as well as plants and trees, including amaranth, moringa, pandan and nopales. 
They also explored some unexpected cocktail ingredients, such as insects, spirulina, soil, tiger nuts, kombu and water.
The end result is a cocktail list with intriguing ingredients and flavours. For example, "Insects" (pictured above) is celebration of the unusual becoming usual, with a whiskey sour with dry and smokey notes, using Michter’s bourbon, Campari, Nixta Corn Liqueur, crickets, chicatanas, coffee and lime.
Meanwhile, "Kombu" combines sweetness and umami. Designed to make you feel like you're sipping it beside the sea, it is made from Macallan 12, kombu, Oloroso, chocolate wine, martini bitters and Tio Pepe.
A fruity option, "Nopales" is bitter and refreshing, combining Roku Gin, Sakura Mancino, cactus leaves, prickly pear and London Essence tonic.
"Moringa" is a margarita-style drink with herbal notes and a hint of bergamot thanks to its make-up of Casamigos Blanco, Italicus, moringa, lime and aduki beans.
“Beetroot” is a celebration of the vegetable’s natural sugars – the cocktail has a vivid, peppering taste, combining Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Asahi, beetroot and Sichuan peppercorn.
Meanwhile, “Jackfruit” is a fresh and fruity mocktail, concocted from Everleaf Mountain, Everleaf Forest, Oddbird sparkling rosé, soy milk and jackfruit.
Ingredients of the Future embodies Artesian’s ethos around modern hospitality, combining imaginative and progressive mixology with refined, effortless style.
The development of the innovative new menu was a collaboration between Artesian’s head bartender Giulia Cuccurullo, bar manager Lorenza Pezzetta, and assistant bar manager Nikos Tachmazis.
Cuccurullo says: “We are excited to launch our new cocktail menu, Ingredients of the Future. As a team we wanted this menu to combine both our creative and progressive mixology approach, whilst also offering the potential to have a positive impact on our world, through a series of future ingredients mixed into delicious and unique cocktails.”
Qatar Airways has expanded the offering of its QVerse that allows customers to navigate their travel arrangements in an immersive digital experience prior to physically arriving at the airport.
QVerse users can also get up to 10 per cent off the price of air tickets while exploring these new digital environments. The discount be used when booking premium or economy class tickets with Qatar Airways to more than 160 destinations.
In the QVerse, passengers can experience flying with MetaHuman cabin crew named Sama (meaning "sky in Arabic"). Sama assists passengers as they virtually move through the airline's first class check-in counters, lounges and business and economy class cabins.
The QVerse now also includes Qatar Airways' new business class suite and economy class on board its Boeing 787-9 plane, and the Qsuite and economy class on its Airbus A350-1000.
Passengers can also now digitally explore the airline's Al Safwa first class lounge and its Al Mourjan business class lounge at Doha's Hamad International airport (HIA).
Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, says: “Technological advances have opened up a new world of opportunities to enhance the digital offerings available to our customers.
"As we continually strive to provide excellence at every step, the online booking journey is no exception, which is why we have invested in QVerse. Passengers can now virtually experience our award-winning services at Hamad International Airport and onboard our aircraft.”
QVerse users can try out the immersive experience before making bookings on Qatar Airways’ website. When virtually sampling the airline's onboard cabins, they can explore everything from seat features to the business and economy class in-flight menus.
They can do so in more than ten languages including Arabic, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai.
While they are exploring QVerse, they will be presented the airline’s most competitive fares for the upcoming six months.
Qatar Airways originally entered the metaverse world with the launch of QVerse in April 2022. It waswas the first global airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew offering a digital interactive customer journey.
Originally, the environments that were available for users to explore included the Premium Check-in area at HIA, the airline's award-winning Qsuite business class product, and the economy class cabin of the Boeing 777-300 – all via their phone, tablet or laptop.
The Hoxton has launched a new room rate that rewards guests who choose to travel more sustainably.
The Good Rate is available for guests staying at two or more of the brand's hotels in Europe, or catching the train to one of its properties the US.
In Europe, the Hoxton will take £20/€20/$20 off their stay at each location booked as part of a rail trip between more than one of the group's properties.
Meanwhile, in the US, the Good Rate discount applies to any single stay in Williamsburg, Chicago, Portland or Downtown LA where guests can show they travelled to the hotel by train. 
The Hoxton has created the Good Rate to support travel by rail in response to the significant environmental impact of the travel industry.
A statement from the Hoxton says: "The latest IPCC warning on climate change reminds us that drastic action on a global scale is required to avoid irrevocable damage to the world, but it is also true that small, everyday changes can make a difference.
"The Hoxton has always been in the business of being a good neighbour, from donating winter beds to the homeless communities through its annual 'Stay for a Stay' campaign to regular volunteering in partner shelters, and this initiative is the natural next step in strengthening its commitment to taking good actions, both locally and globally."
The rise of the slow travel trend combined with a growing awareness of the environmental impact of the travel industry and the shifting consumer habits following the pandemic has helped built the momentum of the European rail industry.
This "railway renaissance" is also supported by wider geopolitical developments, such as the EU’s plans to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and France’s recent ban on certain short-haul domestic flight routes, specifically selected as the distances they cover can be travelled by rail in two and a half hours or less.
There have also been recent developments in Europe's sleeper trains, adding to the romance and vintage appeal of rail travel.
Meanwhile, in the US, the government has announced plans to invest over US$1 billion in transport infrastructure, of which considerable funds will be dedicated to the improvement of the rail network in states including New York and California.
Aside from the sentimentality and sense of adventure that many people appreciate about train travel, The Hoxton highlights that rail is the quickest and most convenient way to journey between its existing and upcoming locations, including Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris.
In the US, guests can travel along the West Coast rail route between LA and Portland, taking in natural wonders including forests, valleys and snow-capped mountain ranges.
To take advantage of the Good Rate, guests need to book directly on thehoxton.com and show the relevant train ticket at check-in to receive £20/$20/€20 off the stay at each hotel. The Good Rate can be used in conjunction with existing room offers with the Hoxton and promotions, provided both stays are taken consecutively and booked directly through the Hoxton's website.
California's Disneyland Resort has unveiled plans for the first Pixar-themed hotel in the US.
The theme park's existing Paradise Pier hotel will be revamped into the 15-storey Pixar Place hotel, with vibrant décor and a design that celebrates the fun and imagination of Pixar films.
Disneyland Resort is yet to share a completion date for Pixar Place hotel, but has released some initial details about the look, feel and features of the property.
The phased renovation will see the hotel transformed in stages. Over the coming months, the lobby at the Paradise Pier hotel will begin to evolve, blending beloved Pixar imagers with the property's contemporary look. Once complete, signature images from Pixar films will adorn the hotel's front desk, with larger-than-life artwork of Pixar characters.
Later this year, guests will also be greeted by the signature Pixar Lamp balanced on top of its ball when they first enter the lobby. A colourful, character-inspired mobile will hang above them it in the new hotel atrium.
In summer 2023, guests staying at the Pixar Place hotel will be able to enjoy a new Finding Nemo-themed water play area. Features will include an 186-foot-long waterslide with Crush the sea turtle at the top, and a pop-jet splash pad frequented by Hank the octopus.
A family play court will also be added to the hotel, with a decking area complete with activities inspired by Pixar’s famous short films. Favourite characters from La Luna, Bao, For the Birds, and Burrow will feature in interactive games and toys for imaginative free play . Food and drinks will be served here under the love-struck umbrellas from The Blue Umbrella.
At night, the pool deck will become an ideal spot for viewing firework displays at the Disneyland park, with character-inspired firepits adding to the atmosphere.
In autumn 2023, the Pixar Place hotel will unveil a new all-day restaurant and bar named Great Maple, serving a playful take on Southern comfort food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Situated on the ground floor, the restaurant will be easily accessible for hotel guests, local diners and theme park visitors. Signature dishes will include Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Maple Bacon Doughnuts, Cajun Shrimp and Cheddar Biscuit Benedict, and Soda Pop-Braised Baby Back Ribs.
Great Maple’s culinary offering will also feature throughout the hotel, including the food and beverage service at the pool, a new grab ‘n’ go coffee shop and café near the lobby and the hotel’s new concierge lounge.
During the refurbishments of the Paradise Pier hotel, overnight guests with valid park tickets and reservations can still enjoy the benefits of staying at a Disneyland Resort property – such as early park entry to enjoy selected attractions, a special entrance to Disney California Adventure park, and being within close proximity to Disneyland park and the Downtown Disney District.
Apple has unveiled Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer headset that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world.
Available from early 2024 in the US, the mixed-reality (MR) device has huge potential for next-level immersive digital travel experiences that could rival the exploring new places in real life.
Worn as a headset, the Apple Vision Pro features visionOS, the world's first spatial operating system, which lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.
When wearing Apple Vision Pro, you can still see the real world around you. "Even though these experiences are happening inside Vision Pro, it looks, sounds and feels like they are physically there," says Apple. "Foundational to Apple Vision Pro is that you're not isolated from other people. When someone else is in the room, you can see them and they can see you.
The device has a fully 3D interface that creates an "infinite canvas" for apps, freeing it from the boundaries of a traditional screen display. Meanwhile, its interface is controlled by the user's eyes, hands and voice, making it feel as intuitive to use as possible.
"Because you're not limited by a display, apps live in your space," says Apple. "Your photos can be life-size... so your living room becomes a gallery. Panoramas wrap around you, as if you're right where you took them."
Apple Vision Pro is Apple's first ever 3D camera, meaning users can capture photos and videos with remarkable depth. This presents amazing potential for next-level travel photography and videos, allowing travellers to "relive a memory as if you're right back in the exact moment".
Apple adds: "Experiences on Vision Pro can also expand in three dimensions, filling the entirety of your space... You can bring in a beautiful environment and make your screen feel 100 feet wide.
"Since your eyes see the world with incredible resolution, we built a micro-OLED display system that fits 64 pixels in the same amount of space as a single iPhone pixel, and packs 23 million into two panels the size of a postage stamp. That's more than a 4K TV for each eye, giving you jaw-dropping, life-life clarity."
In terms of sound, Apple Vision Pro features Apple's most advanced spatial audio system ever. Sound is delivered directionally to a user's ear, with audio raytracing using sophisticated sensors that understand the materials and objects surrounding them in their space. This makes it feels as if sound is genuinely coming from the space around you.
The impressive processing speed of Apple Vision Pro also aims to virtually eliminate lag altogether to ensure experiences take place in real time, which again presents incredible potential for immersive virtual travel experiences that feel hyper-real.
Apple Vision Pro features a single piece of three-dimensionally formed laminated glass, which acts as a lens through which the cameras and sensors view the world.
This is held by an aluminium alloy frame that curves to wrap around the user's face, with a light seal to keep out stray light and a soft frame that flexes and conforms to a user's unique features, while a knitted headband increases comfort. Attached to the headset is a lightweight battery attached that can be slipped into the user's pocket.
