Story of van der Valk

From pancake bakery to hotel chain

In 1929 Martinus and Riet van der Valk founded the restaurant "De Gouden Leeuw" in the Dutch city Voorschoten. It was the beginning of the unique success story of Van der Valk Hotels & Restaurants.

In the early days, "De Gouden Leeuw" only sold lemonade and coffee, but later on, began to prepare pancakes and other snacks for hungry customers. The news of good food and drink at fair prices spread quickly. The restaurant soon became too small to accommodate more guests and had to expand. When, in 1939, the street had to be widespread, "De Gouden Leeuw" was to be demolished. But drowning in self-pity? No! A new building with the same name was built in the same area - the first ten motel rooms.

When Martinus Van der Valk passed away in1969, there were already 16 motel and restaurant establishments and a successfully running business for every son and daughter. Over the years, more than 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren went into the family group. Nowadays, there are more than 90 hotels and restaurants around the world. Every hotel is managed by a family member. Each hotel has its own, personal character. But nevertheless, the family hotels always are recognizable!

If you see the toucan in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, or in the Caribbean, then you know: this is the ideal place to relax, hold a meeting, or do other activities for an unusually favorable price. The first hotel in Germany opened in 1986 in Moers. Today, the Van der Valk group has nine hotels, two-holiday resorts, two ski halls, a water ski facility, as well as other tourist establishments on the German market.