Derk: 'I am the 4th generation of Van der Valk. My parents owned Hotel Drachten, which is now managed by my brother Sjoerd. After hotel management school, I gained experience at various Van der Valk Hotels and Restaurants. Later, I ran Hotel Groningen-Hoogkerk together with my brother Stijn. When Lisa started working in the service there, we immediately got along well." Lisa: 'I also attended hotel management school and then pursued a part-time study at the teacher training college. During that study, I started working in the service industry, where I met Derk. We quickly started spending time together outside of work and entered into a relationship.'

OFF TO TEXEL

Derk: 'We had been together for about 1.5 years when the idea came up that our family could take over a hotel in Texel. It was quite a big step for us, but in the end, we consciously said 'yes' to this adventure together." Lisa: "Unfortunately, I had to stop studying for my teaching degree, because running a hotel on Texel and studying at the same time was not feasible. Now, I wouldn't want it any other way." Derk: 'The collaboration is going well. Occasionally we disagree, but we never have a falling out.'

FREE TIME

Derk: 'When we had just taken over the hotel, we were busy with it day and night. The hotel was always our number one priority." Lisa: "We have been here for three years now and there is definitely a better work-life balance. Our work is like a common thread running through our lives, but we don't only talk about the hotel."