City Guide: Leave the guide, share the vibe

The third edition of the This is Eindhoven City Guide is now in every hotel room in Eindhoven. New places, updated tips, and a design that somehow got even better. The idea has not changed: this is a book to borrow, not to keep. Use it while you are in town, then leave it for the next guest.

To borrow, not to keep

When we launched the This is Eindhoven City Guide, the idea was simple. We are all online so much of the time, so we wanted to offer something offline that helps you make the most of your visit to Eindhoven. Not the usual city guide that ends up in the bin on your last day, but a hardcover worth keeping or passing on. That is how we arrived at a guide in every hotel room in Eindhoven. Read it, use it, and hand it on to the next Eindhoven explorer.

Visitors liked the guides so much that they took them home in large numbers. A compliment to us as makers, but not quite what we had in mind. Our stock ran out, and that made it time for a new edition – and for a clearer message.

Same idea, clearer instruction

The concept stayed the same, but the way we talk about it is far more direct. Where we used to hint at passing the guide on, readers cannot miss it now. Every guide has a sticker on the cover with the name of the hotel it belongs to, which makes it clear right away that the guide is on loan. On the back, there is a plain instruction to the reader: enjoy your time in Eindhoven and leave the guide for the next visitor. And inside, we explain why the guide stays where it is: ‘Yours for now, not forever’.

Every page rethought

A new edition also meant going through all the content again. Places that closed are out, new ones are in. George&Harrison also sharpened up the design throughout, from the city map to the district pages, and from the color palette to the photography.

The guestbook is back

At the back of the This is Eindhoven City Guide, the guestbook from the first edition has returned. Guests leave their own tips here for the next reader, so the guide grows with every visitor and gets a little more personal each time. And because a blank page can be daunting, we wrote a few examples in there already. Just to break the ice.

Also in A3

We also made an XL version of this edition in A3. It sits in hotel lobbies, coffee bars, museums and other places where visitors settle in for a moment, so you can come across the City Guide even if you are not staying in a hotel.

Working together

We could not have made this guide on our own. Thanks to everyone who worked on it, to the hotels and venues that give the guides a home, and to George&Harrison in particular for the design and production.

Are you a business owner, and would you like an A3 copy to inspire your visitors before they explore Eindhoven? Get in touch at lars@eindhoven365.nl.