The Dennenhof, part of the Dutch Van der Valk chain, has started the final phase of an extensive renovation. The original, now iconic, building will be demolished to make way for an extension. ‘On the upper floor, many residents of Brasschaat have celebrated their wedding celebrations,’ he said.
The Van der Valk family business first established itself in Belgium in 1958, in Brasschaat. Today, the hotel is run by Mark Wohrmann, together with his daughter Lindsey and son-in-law Seppe de Rooij. ‘In 2015, we started a series of renovations,’ says Seppe de Rooij. ‘The reception, lounge bar and function rooms were renovated then, and the restaurant also received a refresh. The second phase followed in 2018, adding 42 new rooms and a new breakfast room.’
De Rooij added: ‘In October, we will start the final phase. The old part will be demolished, and there will be a new building under one big dome. Upstairs will be luxury rooms and meeting rooms, while the basement will house a wellness with swimming pool and saunas. We already have some duplex suites with sauna in the room and are now offering discounts at the nearby Brasschaats Badhuis. Still, we really wanted our own wellness area. The renovations should be completed by autumn 2025.’
After the renovations, the complex will have 89 rooms and the restaurant will expand from 120 to 200 seats. ‘We have a lot of regular guests, both for the restaurant and the hotel. People who work in the port of Antwerp often stay here. We also regularly get guests for meetings and seminars, who then stay overnight. We also focus on recreational visitors. We promote walking and cycling in nature, something we enjoy ourselves. Thanks to our location in the countryside and proximity to the Dutch border, we also attract many visitors from the Netherlands.’
The renovated Dennenhof will offer parking for 250 cars. The rooms in the annexe each have their own parking space, allowing guests to go straight to their rooms without passing by the reception. In addition, the hotel has a bicycle shed with charging points for electric bicycles. There are now 16 Van der Valk hotels in Belgium. Van der Valk’s logo shows a toucan, a reference to the Avifauna bird park in Alphen aan den Rijn, which was taken over by the company after World War II.
