Daily nuggets of inspiration from the good folk
at Elmwood.
Want these delivered to your inbox?
Poke us back.
First there was easyJet. Then easyHotel. And now there’s easyGym.
Yes, Stelios has expanded into the fitness market with a chain of no-frill gyms. You can already work up an orange sweat in six spots across the UK. And from next month, there’ll be a new branch on Oxford Street, too. (Good find, Andy P.)
As our London team know, gym membership in the area can be anything up to £130 a month (ouch). So for £19.99 a month – or less if you get in quickly – easyGym might just do what it promises and ‘revolutionise’ the capital’s fitness market.
But don’t relax too much. Just like your on-flight G&T, classes and personal training aren’t included. And you even have to pay extra if you want to watch TV.
Health & BeautyLeisureSportWell-being
+ Add comment – add yours
Often when you think of hotels, you think of the staff: the uniformed doorman, the dapper concierge, the service with a professional smile. But a hip new Parisian hotel, created by French designer Matali Crasset, has done away with something so gauche as employees. (Tx Jamie)
At the 42-room HI Matic hotel, you book online and check in through an automated computer system, which also lets users to share tips about the city, change the music in the public areas and order meals from a machine in the restaurant.
You eat your self-serve organic breakfast around a large communal table. Colourful seating areas spread around the space encourage guests to meet and mingle. It’s another demonstration that people are increasingly looking for convivial experiences and spaces that encourage interaction, without, perhaps, being fussed over.
ConvivialityHotelsLeisureParis
+ Add comment – add yours
Camp Grounded is an all-inclusive summer camp with one big difference – it’s been created solely for adults. The 4-day ‘sleepaway’ at Camp Navarro in California has been developed by Oakland-based organisation ‘Digital Detox’ and will take place in June 2013.
The camp is, in the words of its creators: “where grown-ups go to unplug, get away and be kids again. 200 lucky campers will take over this nostalgic 1970′s boy scouts camp to celebrate what it means to be alive. Trade in your computer, cell phone, Instagrams, clocks, schedules and work-jargon for an off-the-grid weekend of pure unadulterated fun. Together we’ll create a community where money is worth little… and individuality, self-expression, friendship, freedom and memories are valued most.” Tempted? You can register now!
+ Add comment – add yours
IKEA’s real estate branch Inter Hospitality and Marriott International Inc have partnered to create and launch a brand new economy-class hotel brand called MOXY.
Surprisingly, the hotels won’t be stocked with IKEA furniture – but the company has developed a number of innovative construction techniques to keep costs down. Created for the ‘next generation traveller’, the hotels will be popping up in or around office parks, airports and train stations, many of them featuring a neutral ‘eco-style’ theme.
Credit crunchHotelsLeisureSavvy shopperSwedenTravel
+ Add comment – add yours
Department stores are famous for many things, but having an incredible team of in-house creatives is rarely one of them. Target, a mid-market department store in America, have bucked the trend – building a strong in-house marketing and advertising department. One of the most interesting things they’ve created recently is TargetChalet – a home-from-home for Target athletes. (Cheers, Jamie)
TargetChalet was created for Target athletes competing in the Aspen Winter X Games. The chalet provides a home-from-home for the athletes, featuring artwork, pillows, blankets, glassware, coat racks and even a custom bar, all branded in Target’s signature style.
