THE FIRST VAN DER VALK HOTEL IN BELGIUM.

It all started in 1958. That's when the founder of the family business, Martien van der Valk, bought Café Dennenhof, located just a short drive north of Antwerp. Anna van der Valk, then 26 years old and one of Martien's eleven children, along with her husband Ben Wohrmann, took over the business. It was the first Van der Valk establishment in Belgium, something Martien was very proud of. From the beginning, it was hard work as the café was busy due to its location on the main highway. Anna and Ben had three children at the time, Til, Bert, and Martin, and the family lived above the café. Three more children were born there: Coen, Ben, and Marc.

HOTEL ROOMS

In 1958, Brussels hosted the World Expo. To accommodate the many visitors, hotel rooms were quickly built next to the café. This temporary wooden structure was supposed to remain standing for a year. Unthinkable today, but back then there was no hot water in those rooms! Later, a full-fledged hotel building with twenty rooms was added. The hotel had a colorful garden full of beautiful tulips. There was also a swing and a windmill. Guests loved taking pictures there. Some time later, Martin, Anna and Ben's second eldest son, took over the management, and later in 1991, his younger brother Marc took over. At that time, a few more hotel rooms were added. Sadly, Martin passed away in 2012. Marc and his wife Marie-Paule van Looveren are currently the hotel managers of Hotel Dennenhof. Now, in 2024, the building is completely different from how it started out as a café. There has been a lot of renovation work, particularly over the past ten years. Next year, the major renovation project will be completed. With a new reception, bar, restaurant, wellness center, extra rooms, and halls, the hotel has been significantly expanded and is now completely up to date. Marc and Marie-Paule's daughter and son-in-law, Lindsey and Seppe de Rooij-Wohrmann, now also work at the hotel. This new generation is being prepared to take over the management. The development of Café Dennenhof into the complete Hotel Dennenhof that it is today is very special to see. Something the whole family is proud of!

MUCH RENEWED

In 2024, a completely different building stands here than how it originally started as a café. Especially in the past ten years, there has been a lot of renovation. Next year, the large renovation project will be completed. With a new reception, bar, restaurant, wellness area, additional rooms and halls, the hotel has been significantly expanded and is now completely up-to-date. Marc and Marie-Paule's daughter and son-in-law, Lindsey and Seppe de Rooij-Wohrmann, are now also working in the hotel. This new generation is being prepared to take over the management. The transformation of Café Dennenhof into the complete Hotel Dennenhof it is today is very special to witness. It is something that the whole family is proud of!