From gym teacher to hotel entrepreneur: Jan’s hospitality empire in the making
In a relatively short time, Jan has built a versatile career in hospitality, combining entrepreneurship, commercial insight and operational experience. What started with a background in sports and commercial roles evolved, via an unexpected step into hospitality, into running multiple hotels in Groningen. Today, together with his wife Marloes, he owns a growing hotel portfolio and is actively involved in the daily operations.
In addition to his role as an entrepreneur, Jan is also chairman of KHN Groningen, where he is committed to the development and future of the industry. From that position, he takes a broader view of the sector, focusing on collaboration, growth and strengthening the image of hospitality.
At a time when the sector is under pressure due to rising costs, changing behaviour and technological developments, he sees opportunities. For him, the future lies in combining efficiency behind the scenes with genuine attention at the front, and in continuing to build strong, distinctive concepts with their own story.
From gym teacher to the commercial world
I trained as a physical education teacher, but quickly realised that it was not where I saw my future. After my studies, I briefly worked as a substitute teacher, after which I entered the commercial world at Red Bull.
Through various roles, I ended up at Regus in Groningen, where I managed a business centre. That is where I discovered how much I enjoyed working at a fixed location, bringing people together and building a community. Not just the commercial side, but also creating a place where people feel good, that really gave me energy.
The first step towards hospitality
After two years, my role ended due to a reorganisation and I had to look further. That is when the idea of becoming a hotel manager came up. What I enjoyed about running a location could be even more complete in a hotel.
The only problem was that I had no experience in hospitality. Through a client, I got in touch with Herman van der Poel, who was a hotel manager in Groningen at the time. What started as a coffee turned into a long lunch and an inspiring conversation.
An unexpected opportunity
Less than a day later, Herman received a call from a recruiter at MJ People who was looking for a hotel manager
for The Student Hotel in Groningen, someone without a traditional background but with a strong network. He referred her to me.
I immediately drove to Amsterdam. They saw my drive, but I had no experience. Still, I was allowed to continue in the process. After several interviews, I got the opportunity under one condition: two months of internal training in The Hague, from housekeeping to front office. After that, I was allowed to run the hotel in Groningen. In the end, I worked at TSH for over five years.
Leadership in a crisis
After a few years, I got the opportunity to work on new hotel openings across Europe. But before that really took off, I ended up in Rotterdam in an interim role. Then everything changed: covid broke out.
I experienced that entire period in Rotterdam. It was intense and very educational, but also personally challenging. My family was in Groningen and I was away a lot. At the same time, I felt a strong sense of responsibility towards the team and the company. You go through it together and try to make the best of it.
Eventually, we mutually agreed to part ways. At that point, there was no longer a sustainable solution and for me it was important to be closer to home again.
From hospitality to entrepreneurship
After my time at The Student Hotel, I started as a commercial manager at Plecht Vos, a property developer. A great opportunity, especially since I could work in the north again. But something unexpected came up quite quickly.
During one of my first conversations there, with real estate entrepreneur Wim Bulten, he said: “I think you are not from construction… but I do have an empty hotel.” That turned out to be Corps de Garde, a boutique hotel in Groningen.
That comment stayed with me. At home, I discussed it with my wife. At first, the reaction was disbelief. But the next morning, she said: “Maybe we should do it together.”
The leap: our first hotel
We started to develop the idea further. In the middle of covid, with all the uncertainty that came with it.
On the one hand a risk, on the other hand a unique opportunity. Chances like this do not come around often. We made clear agreements with the property owner, including when the rent would start. I also had an open conversation with my employer, who gave me the space to think it through carefully.
In the end, we decided to take the leap. In August 2021, we opened Corps de Garde. A few months later, another lockdown followed, so we immediately experienced the harsh reality of entrepreneurship. But we managed to get through it well, partly by staying transparent and finding solutions together.
Growing despite setbacks
From the start, we knew that 19 rooms were too small to really grow. So we kept looking for expansion. That opportunity came quite quickly when Hotel De Ville in the same street became available.
Together with the property owner, we took this on and started developing a second hotel. Three days after signing the contract, the war in Ukraine started, bringing new uncertainty. Still, we pushed through.
In January 2023, we opened our second hotel, Hotel Halbert, with 66 rooms. In the meantime, we also experienced the loss of Wim Bulten, which was a difficult period. But the business continued, and so did we.
Entrepreneurship as an opportunity, not a goal
I have always seen myself as entrepreneurial, but entrepreneurship was never a goal in itself. I have done things that come close, such as working independently in sales and setting up a franchise together with my wife for sports training for young children.
Even in employment, I often worked quite independently, almost like an entrepreneur within an organisation. That is also part of my background. My father is an entrepreneur, so that mindset has always been there.
When the opportunity to start a hotel came along, everything fell into place. It was not planned, but it felt right immediately. I now see myself as an entrepreneurial hotelier and really enjoy building something of my own.
Entrepreneurship in hospitality is attractive to me because everything becomes more intense. The pressure and stress are higher, but so is the satisfaction. You are truly building something of your own. Where as a general manager you depend on a head office, I now have the freedom to make decisions and move quickly. I really enjoy that dynamic.
Groningen: young, dynamic and full of potential
Groningen is a young, vibrant and manageable city. As the largest city in the north, it has strong appeal, with a good mix of history, new developments, culture and growth.
Tourism mainly comes from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, while during weekdays there is also a strong business market, including the university, the UMCG and activity around the Eemshaven.
The main challenge lies in weekdays. Weekends are easy to fill, but there is still a lot of potential during the week. That is why we work with different parties to attract more business visitors and conferences to Groningen.
Small scale, personal and quick to adapt
Groningen feels different from cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. It is smaller in scale, more personal and communication lines are short. You know each other, move quickly and have direct contact with other entrepreneurs. That makes it clear and accessible. In larger cities, everything is simply bigger, while Groningen is compact and you are never far from where you need to be.
At the same time, the city is developing quickly. Due to the international student population, Groningen is becoming more international, creating an interesting balance between small scale and growth.
One brand, multiple stories
Over the past year, we have invested heavily in our brand vision. Our core is simple: we want to give time more value. Everything we do revolves around that. To make this concrete, we work with a brand personality called Loes. We constantly ask ourselves: how would she approach this? That ensures consistency in service and decisions. At the same time, each hotel has its own story. That combination of a clear brand vision and room for individual character makes us distinctive.
The right balance between ambition and security
We want to grow, but the reality is that it has become more challenging due to rising costs such as rent and energy. That is why we are critical: does it fit us and is it feasible?
In the coming three years, I hope to add one or two hotels. Growth is something I enjoy, but it also helps strengthen and make our existing hotels more efficient. For us, it starts with the location and the story. Does the hotel have character, is there enough business activity and can we work well with a property owner? It also has to be profitable, without putting what we have already built at risk.
We have come close a few times, but we are really looking for the right match. At the moment, we are in discussions again and I have good hope that something will come from it. At this stage, we are mainly focused on the northeast of the Netherlands, so we can stay closely involved and grow step by step.
Opportunities in a changing world
When I look at the future, I see opportunities. We are living in a time where more and more processes are being automated, for example with AI. This allows you to organise the back end of your business more efficiently.
At the same time, the need for human contact remains, and may even increase. People want to meet, experience and feel welcome. That is where the strength of hospitality lies.
The challenge of a new generation
Groningen is a student city, so there is plenty of talent. The challenge is mainly in finding people who truly fit our values. The mentality is changing: people call in sick more quickly or ask for time off more easily.
As an organisation, you have to adapt to that. At the same time, certain roles such as housekeeping and night reception are difficult to fill, which is why we work with external partners.
What matters most in people is passion and commitment. You see it immediately in attitude, eye contact and how someone interacts with guests. That intrinsic motivation cannot be taught. People who take responsibility and are truly there for the guest make the difference.
The rest, such as technical skills and knowledge, can be trained. But that energy and hospitality have to be there already. As long as someone works with us, I want them to truly show up with enthusiasm. That is what matters.
Dealing with rising costs and changing behaviour
The increase in VAT is currently our biggest challenge. A hotel room has suddenly become about 15 percent more expensive for guests, without directly offering extra luxury.
We see this reflected in booking behaviour: people book less, for shorter stays and more critically, especially in the low season. At the same time, we maintain our price levels, which puts pressure on occupancy and therefore profitability.
I think this is a phase the sector has to get used to. Eventually, it will stabilise, but this year it is clearly a major challenge.
Marketing as storytelling and experience
Marketing is probably the part I enjoy most. It is about telling a story and showing what you stand for, including behind the scenes. I get a lot of inspiration from companies like Coolblue: personal, transparent and recognisable. We translate that approach into hospitality, with our vision on time as the most important starting point.
We continue to develop in this area, including a new website and a stronger brand. It is an ongoing process in which we build visibility and experience.
Balance between visibility and direct bookings
Online visibility is essential. Our website plays a major role in this, especially with the launch of a new site that better reflects our story. At the same time, Booking.com remains important for revenue, although you do not want to become too dependent on it. It is about balance: being visible on platforms while also generating more direct bookings.
Search behaviour is also changing. Guests are increasingly searching through other channels, such as AI. We actively respond to this with a broad online strategy, so we remain visible in the future.
People who shaped my career
Several people have had a strong influence on my career. In hospitality, this includes Herman van der Poel and Joost Serrarens, from whom I learned a lot.
Wim Bulten also played an important role. He supported us from the beginning and his statement “if it were easy, everyone would do it” is displayed prominently in Hotel Halbert and will always stay with me.
My father also passed on a strong work ethic, and together with my wife Marloes I am building all of this, which has shaped me enormously as an entrepreneur.
Proud of the journey so far
I am especially proud of where we are today. If you had told me a few years ago that we would be running multiple hotels, restaurants and even a team of guides in Groningen, I would not have immediately believed it.
We really started from a challenging period, after my time at The Student Hotel. The fact that we have now built something together with Marloes and with the help of our team, and that we look to the future with confidence, means a lot.
We are far from finished, but sometimes I do pause and think: we have really achieved something special.
Would you like to work at one of the Garde hotels in Groningen? Then take a look at all vacancies.