Hotel Chocolat

Come and join us next week for a chocolate experience to remember! On 11th July we will be hosting a unique in-store experience with an exclusive, one-night-only summer shopping event across 70 of our stores. For just £10, indulge in summer-inspired tastings featuring delicious selections from our summer range, chilled Velvetised drinks, and ice cream samples. Start your evening with a complimentary glass of Prosecco, enjoy live Velvetiser demonstrations, and take advantage of a special 10% discount on our summer products. This one-hour event will take place after hours but spaces are limited, so visit Eventbrite now to secure your spot and ensure you don’t miss out. The booking link is in the comments, we can't wait to see you there.

It takes a special blend of creativity and cacao-expertise to craft the perfect new flavour. Our Chocolatier, Panayiotis Panagiotou has worked his magic and done us proud. #velvetiser #hotelchocolat

It’s official. This summer, we’re transforming our Cambridgeshire chocolate factory into a fully immersive rainforest, reimagined by chocolatiers. Explore cacao groves, pick your own rare and unusual chocolates, and if you’re lucky, catch a chocolate-infused rain shower to collect and sip (now that’s our kind of downpour). Sound like paradise? Be quick, there’s a limited number of places available. Full story here: https://lnkd.in/euHXvcKg #hotelchocolat

Last week we opened three brand-new stores at locations across the UK, showcasing incredible teamwork to open all three stores on time (and one even a day early!), ready for a flurry of Easter shoppers. Our new Stratford Upon Avon, Newport and Horsham stores all include a Velvetiser Café to relax in while you enjoy a hot chocolate or ponder your next nibble. It’s another exciting step in the continued growth of our retail estate, and we've more to come later this spring. #hotelchocolat

There’s nothing our Retail teams love more than the chance to enthral our guests with our unique chocolates and the stories behind them. This February, we’re running live in-store tasting experiences to help you discover your personal flavour profile, or as we like to call it, your Chocolate Love Match. We’ve spent 20 years obsessively developing a deep understanding of flavour, individual tastes and preferences. And this unrivalled view on chocolate flavour profiles is the result.   Book your Valentines Chocolate Love Match experience now to sample plenty of chocolate, discover your personal flavour profile, and take home a gift. We have sessions running at almost 100 stores, Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th and Friday 16th - Sunday 18th February. Visit our booking link in the comments.

We’re celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day - that’s today in case you didn’t have it highlighted and underlined in your calendar, or is that just us? As hot chocolate lovers, we’re so obsessed with our Velvetisers that we’re seeing them everywhere. Join us in our obsession and celebrate this National Hot Chocolate Day, either Velvetised at home, or with lashings of Cocoa Whip in one of our Velvetiser cafés.

We’re whisking away the Blue Monday vibes... We’ve started 2024 the way we mean to go on - in winning style. The first week of the year saw our ‘Velvetise into Happiness’ TV advert win the coveted ‘Ad of the week’ accolade from System 1, the industry-leading authority on testing the effectiveness of TV advertising.    System 1 analyse the emotional response to an advert to predict the commercial impact it will have – helping to give us that competitive edge.   Our talented Marketing team worked with our agency, Gravity Road, to develop our innovative Velvetiser advert, made with generative artificial intelligence, to create a world of chocolate happiness. Bringing to life the joy of Velvetising and the anticipation of that first sip of Velvetised hot chocolate.   Receiving the maximum star rating from System 1, does our ad have you reaching for your Velvetiser?   #Hotelchocolat #Gravityroad #System1 #Velvetiser #Adoftheweek  

How does chocolate really get its flavour? That’s the question Matt Tebbutt and Andi Oliver are asking in the latest episode of Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped - Caribbean Adventure, which sees them visit our very own working cacao farm, Rabot Estate, in beautiful Saint Lucia. In the show we meet two of our expert team members, David Demaison and Kervell Prospere, who help explore the many ways our unique flavour is influenced. We’re thrilled to be featured in this series and give a small glimpse into the dedication, craft and expertise that goes into making our nature-positive, cacao-laden chocolate. You can watch tonight at 11.05pm on Channel 4, or catch it on 4OD. #hotelchocolat #channel4

This is what makes working at Hotel Chocolat truly magical ❄ 🎄 🎅 This year’s Children’s Christmas Parties at our Hadley Park factory were, once again, a huge hit with grown-ups and little ones alike. Chief Elves, Michaela Prielozna and Emily Elphick, DipNEBOSH, GradIOSH did a fantastic job, leading a team of over 30 HC helpers to create an unforgettable Christmas experience for 120 children of teammates from across our sites.   Our mini chocolatiers-in-the-making enjoyed donning full PPE for a quick factory tour, before joining the line to decorate their own chocolate slabs and wreaths. You can imagine the extravagant designs and excessive use of icing! Once we’d all gotten over the ‘Aww’ factor of children as young as three in white overalls and blue hairnets shuffling about the factory, it was on to the Christmas crafting and games in the canteen, with Velvetised hot chocolates being whisked up on demand. A visit to see the big man himself in a cosy Santa’s Grotto was the highlight for many, especially when he sent them off with a present and a goodie bag brimming with HC treats.   The team ran six parties over two days, taking time out of their weekends to ensure the children enjoyed a magical festive experience. This was a truly mammoth team effort, from those organising and making all the chocolate and decorations for the parties in advance, the hygiene team carrying out extra cleaning tasks, the 'Elf' and Safety experts who kept the children and our factory safe, to the teams helping to run the sessions on the day and all those who chipped in with extra favours – especially those involving red suits and white beards! This was Hotel Chocolat at our best, working together, pulling out all the stops to give our - in this case tiny - guests a real taste of escapism and making people and nature happy through reinventing chocolate. We’re officially feeling the festive spirit, are you?

We’re thrilled to share that last week we opened the seventh of our new stores this year and said hello to Hotel Chocolat Orpington Nugent. Featuring a large Velvetised Café area, the store is beautifully stocked and Christmas-ready.   Orpington joins the ranks of Leeds Springs, Glasgow Fort, Sevenoaks, Liverpool New Mersey, Talbot Green and Bournemouth Castlepoint, which have all opened their doors since August this year. This is our most significant store opening programme in years and is driven by the success of our retail business and teams. We’ve got another two new store openings up our sleeve this side of Christmas and more to come in the new year.   It’s been a huge team effort from so many people across the business. So, a big welcome and good luck to our newest store teams!