Van der Valk is a Dutch international hospitality chain run by the Van der Valk family. It is the largest Dutch hospitality chain, with more than 65 locations in the Netherlands and more than 15 in other countries. Besides hotels, Van der Valk also operates the
Avifauna Bird Park in
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn (; or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn (Old Rhine ...
. Its logo is based on the
toucan
Toucans (, ) are Neotropical birds in the family Ramphastidae. They are most closely related to the Semnornis, Toucan barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful Beak, bills. The family includes five genus, genera and over ...
.
The Van der Valk hotels are:
* 95 in Europe
** 68 in the Netherlands
** 13 in Germany
** 9 in Belgium
** 3 in France
** 1 in Spain (
Girona
Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
)
** 1 in Turkey (
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
)
*3 in North America
** 1 in Bonaire (
Kralendijk
Kralendijk () is the capital and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. , the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the to ...
)
** 1 in Curaçao (
Willemstad
Willemstad ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the cap ...
)
** 1 in the United States (
Hernando, Florida
Hernando is a census-designated place in Citrus County, Florida, Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 9,284 at the 2020 census, up from 9,054 at the 2010 census. At one time it was a city but it was disincorporated in the 1 ...
)
History
The chain was founded by Martien and in 1939 when they opened their first hotel (an expansion/upgrade of a former local restaurant in
Voorschoten
Voorschoten () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a smaller town in the Randstad, enclosed by the cities of Leiden, Wassenaar and Leidschendam-Voorburg. The municipality covers an area ...
). After World War II the Van der Valks and their 11 children expanded the business with a number of hotel restaurants. This was continued by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In 1982 Toos van der Valk, the wife of company head Gerrit van der Valk, was kidnapped by Italian criminals and held captive for 21 days. After a ransom of 13 million guilders was paid she was released.
In 1994 Gerrit van der Valk was arrested for tax evasion after it was found out that some workers were paid in cash, but he was released soon after. The case was eventually settled for 213 million guilders.
Gerrit van der Valk died in 2009.
The Van der Valk chain also received scrutiny from the authorities in the past because of bad labour conditions.
Since 2000 the chain is a
franchise enterprise, but with the stipulation that every franchise holder must be a descendant of Martien van der Valk.
died on 11 January 2024.
Arie van der Valk overleden
References
External links
*
*
Official website in Belgium
Hotel chains in the Netherlands
Restaurant chains in the Netherlands
Voorschoten
{{Netherlands-company-stub