Five-star superior hotel in Belgian Limburg is destination in itself

A five-star superior hotel. As an average hiker or cyclist, you don't easily walk in there for a cup of coffee. No problem at La Butte aux Bois, located in the greenery of Hoge Kempen National Park in Belgian Limburg. "You really don't need to be afraid to step in here in casual clothes," says Stefan Callaars, Director of Sales at the English country-style property. "It is precisely this wide variety of clientele that makes working in this hotel so fascinating."

In late 2023, the spa at La Butte aux Bois - the first and only one in the Benelux countries and one of only five worldwide - was voted Shiseido Ginza Tokyo Institute by Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido. Add to that the fact that the hotel houses a two-star Michelin restaurant and carries the classification 'five star superior' and you can understand that we are dealing here with one of the most exclusive accommodation in the Limburg-Belgium border region. "That combination is really unique," Stefan knows. "Look, normally you go to a hotel to stay there for a night and visit a city the next day, for example. But with us, there are also many guests who stay at the hotel for several days to enjoy plenty of culinary delights or a treatment in the high-end spa. In that respect, our hotel is a destination in itself."

It is mainly Belgian hotel guests who enjoy staying at the luxury accommodation. "However, the number of visitors from the Netherlands could still go up," says Stefan, a Dutchman himself. According to him, the Belgian land border still creates a mental barrier for many of his compatriots. "When they talk about Limburg in the Randstad, for example, they usually mean Dutch-Limburg. As if there is a wall on the border they cannot cross. We try to break that thinking pattern by collaborating with Dutch lifestyle magazines and our annual presence at the EventSummit in Utrecht, among other things. In this way, we are trying to raise our profile a bit more in the Dutch market."

However, for the seasoned bon vivant, La Butte aux Bois - in use as a hotel since 1986 - has long since ceased to be a secret. Nowadays, it is mainly a younger audience that grants itself a pampered weekend with all the trimmings, says Stefan. "Previously, the age category of between 50 and 70 was most strongly represented, but now most of our hotel guests are between 30 and 50. We notice that the mentality of this younger audience, especially after the covid period, has changed. Much more than before, when everything was about hard work and saving, this age group lives in the moment. You only live once, that idea. As a result, they now more often allow themselves to be pampered by us after a busy working week. But that is also because our offer now appeals better to a younger audience. Because after the arrival in 2020 of our new owner Jochen Leën - himself in his forties - parts of the hotel have undergone a considerable metamorphosis and been given a much more modern look. Since hotel owner Jochen Leën also has a great fascination with natural history, many gemstones and minerals have been incorporated throughout the revamped interior."

For the staff at La Butte aux Bois, absolute discretion about hotel guests is obviously the highest commandment. So when FC Liverpool hired the entire hotel plus all rooms for a Champions League match against KRC Genk a few years ago, this had to be kept absolutely secret from the outside world. At the same time, the door is normally always wide open to the many passing walkers and cyclists who want to come and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. "It is precisely this great variety of clientele that makes working in this hotel so fascinating," Stefan explains. "Because whether you are an ordinary hiker or a football millionaire: as soon as you step in here, as a guest you enter a pleasant bubble where you immediately feel at home."

From the outside, La Butte aux Bois - which means as much as 'the little hill in the woods' - still exudes the atmosphere of a traditional English country house. But inside, the hotel is definitely moving with the times, as evidenced by its many sustainability measures. "For example, we no longer have plastic bottles, but cardboard bottles made from recycled material," Stefan clarifies. "Also, the hotel rooms no longer have paper magazines, but tablets on which our guests can find all the information they need. In addition, last year we invested in handy steam cleaners; this eliminates the need for our cleaning staff to use environmentally unfriendly cleaning agents. After all, we notice that more and more of our guests, apart from coming here to enjoy a wonderful time, also consider sustainability important."