150 years of hospitality! It's in our genes
History of Van der Valk
History of Van der Valk
How it all began
With more than a hundred hotels, Van der Valk has grown into an international family business where hospitality, entrepreneurship, and quality have been passed down for generations. What began as a farm with a café grew into a hotel chain where both guests and employees feel at home. That warm family atmosphere continues to live on in special traditions, such as the famous saying: "There's a living room on the hatch!", a reminder of the time when employees ate together with the family in the hotel's living room.
Generations of hospitality
More than 100 hotels
What began as a family business grew over generations into an international hotel group. The third and fourth generation further expanded Van der Valk, while the fifth generation with a modern vision builds for the future, and in various locations, the sixth generation is already involved.
Over a hundred years after starting, Van der Valk now has more than a hundred hotels in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, and the Dutch Antilles. Although each generation has its own focus, the foundation remains unchanged: offering guests a warm welcome, continuous innovation, and entrepreneurship with a focus on quality and family.
Why the Toucan?
Hospitable character
The choice arose after the purchase of Bird Park Avifauna. The family was looking for a recognizable emblem that would connect all the hotels together. A bird of prey was less suited to the hospitable character of the family business and also evoked unwanted associations with the post-war period.
As Gerrit van der Valk once described it: "When a falcon sleeps, it's nothing, and when it preys, it's just like an eagle. A toucan is a beautiful, large, tropical bird, a cheerful animal, a sociable animal, that fits much better with us."
Sisters remember the time well
Oldest of the third generation
El de Bruijn: "We always lived in the business the Bijhorst until we had five children. There was no staff canteen back then, so everyone always came to eat in our living room."
Riet Broeks: "There weren't many staff either back then, and there was always a lot of family around."
Wil Polman: "At a certain point, my mother had had enough. It was no longer a real living room with different people always coming over. We then moved to an attached house behind the restaurant."
Generations of hospitality
Generations of hospitality
Always innovating, always trusted
How it all began
New life in old hospitality businesses
Martinus van der Valk was the youngest child in a family of 24 children. From his father, he received a life lesson that he carried with him throughout his life: "You must pick up the lettuce plants that others throw away." When he took over the Gouden Leeuw farm with a café in 1929, it quickly became clear how enterprising he was. On his travels, he discovered that you could not eat as well outside as you could at home. That idea laid the foundation for the café's success.
Together with his wife Rie, he further expanded the family business. While she ran the café and took care of their twelve children, he dreamed of giving each child their own hospitality business
From the eighties, Van der Valk, under the leadership of the next generations, grew into the international hotel chain it is today. The entire family worked together, entirely according to Martinus' well-known saying: "If the kids can stand, they can also wash glasses."
Second home
Never changed
Many employees regard Van der Valk as a second home, and guests have felt welcome there for generations. This is not only due to the presence of family members in the hotels but also to the personal attention and the homely atmosphere that characterizes each location. The hotels are designed for families, with a play corner in the restaurants and a menu that offers something for everyone. Where guests used to come for "good food just like at home"today the hotels offer a contemporary culinary experience. Yet one thing has never changed: a visit to Van der Valk feels like coming home, enjoying good food and sleeping well in a cozy environment.
Hard work, lots of fun
All children had to work early
Riet: "For whole Sundays, we were busy folding tablecloths, shelling beans, polishing silver... There was always plenty of work, and my mother made sure we stayed busy."
El: "She always made it one big party. It was a competition for the family, who for example could shell the most beans, and there was always a reward involved."
Riet: "White bread with cheese, for example, or we were allowed to go boating. It was also fun because friends and cousins also helped. In the evenings after work, we always ate extensively together. Eating was really a festive moment, I think that's why I always like to eat!"
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