FROM FARM TO LUXURY HOTEL

Van der Valk Hotel Nuland - 's-Hertogenbosch

In the early sixties, Gerrit buys a small farm with a few hectares of land near Nuland, on the highway between Den Bosch and Nijmegen. A supplier had pointed out its existence to him. Gerrit immediately sees the potential. During his trip to America, he had seen a motel for the first time, still an unknown phenomenon in the Netherlands at that time. Gerrit was convinced that this concept, where you could park your car in front of your own hotel room, was a guarantee for success. On one side of the road in Nuland, the motel would be built, and on the other side, a Brabant variation of the American truck stop.

On September 27, 1968, Motel Nuland was opened. It was the first large motel in the Netherlands. And not only that. It was also the first hotel that was designed and built by the family themselves. Before that, it was always old buildings that were renovated. But from 1968 onwards, a typical Van der Valk style emerges, recognizable by the large pointed roofs and large windows. Many more would follow.

Twice things go seriously wrong in Nuland. On October 17, 1976, a fire breaks out on the attic floor above room 17, causing the entire motel to go up in flames. Seven years later, the motel is once again engulfed in flames due to an attic fire. Gerrit remains optimistic and sees the fire as a great opportunity to expand to 200 rooms and 18 halls for business meetings. He eventually succeeds, despite massive opposition from the city council.

Meanwhile, the daily management of Hotel Nuland is in the hands of Gerrit's granddaughter; Wendy van der Valk. In order to meet the wishes and needs of the guests, Wendy is gradually renovating the hotel. The restaurant is named after Gerrit and the orange Gerrit tulip is also featured in the interior. This tulip was specially bred for Gerrit in 1995.