About us

In the meantime, Van der Valk has eighteen hotels in Belgium and more will be added soon. 66 years ago, the first establishment in this country for the family business was established by the purchase of Café Dennenhof.

It all started in 1958. Founder of the family business, Martien van der Valk, bought Café Dennenhof, located just a short half hour above Antwerp. The then 26-year-old Anna van der Valk, one of Martien's eleven children, and her husband Ben Wohrmann took over the business. It was the first Van der Valk in Belgium, something Martien was very proud of. From the start, it was hard work because the café was busy due to its location on the main highway. Anna and Ben had three children at that time, Til, Bert, and Martin, and the family lived above the business. Three more children were born there: Coen, Ben, and Marc.

Hotel Rooms

In 1958, the World Expo was also held in Brussels. To accommodate the many visitors, hotel rooms were quickly set up near the café. This temporary wooden structure was supposed to stay for a year. Now unthinkable, but back then those rooms didn't have hot water! 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 enjoyed taking photos there. Martin, Anna and Ben's second oldest son, took over the management later, and in 1991, his younger brother Marc took over. During that time, a few more hotel rooms were added. Unfortunately, Martin passed away in 2012. Marc, together with his wife Marie-Paule van Looveren, has been managing Hotel Dennenhof to this day.

Much Renewed

Now in 2024, there is a completely different building than how it started as a café here. Especially in the past ten years, there has been a lot of renovation. Next year, the major renovation project will be completed. With a new reception, bar, restaurant, wellness center, additional rooms and halls, the hotel has been greatly expanded and is completely up-to-date. Marc and Marie-Paule's daughter and son-in-law, Lindsey and Seppe de Rooij-Wohrmann, also work 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 now is very special to see. Something the whole family is proud of!