Hotel owner: Rino Soeters

Eager to deal with people and curiosity. Those were two important reasons for Rino Soeters to choose a career in hospitality. He started as a dishwasher, worked as a cook, switched to waitressing and, partly thanks to his training, became a successful entrepreneur. Because anno 2024, Soeters is owner and managing director of LBG Hotels, a group with nine hotels, each with its own innovative concept.

Smiling, he looks back on his younger years: "During my studies, I was known as 'the king of sixes', but I just had much more affinity with practice. Contact with people, in other words. It is essential to me that they have an enjoyable time and that I can be a part of that myself."

According to the now 42-year-old Soeters, he had a service character at the time. His parents were not in the hospitality business. It was purely his own choice. He took courses at the Hotel School in Heerlen and later the Bussiness University Maastricht. "My goal was not to own my own business, but to be active in that industry. That suited my character and desires."

That ambition has continued to be evaluated. Initially, he worked as a chef at top establishments like Chateau St. Gerlach in Valkenburg and briefly at Chateau Neercanne. Then Soeters was active at Castle Cleydael in Antwerp. However challenging he found that work, the Maastricht native missed something. "The moment I put the sign on the pass, my job was done. But I missed the contact with the guest. That is precisely what made the hospitality industry so fascinating for me." He decided to opt for a position in waitressing. "From then on, I started seeing certain aspects and thinking: this can be done more efficiently, smarter or faster. And if you have an opinion about something, you should pursue it. Not just shouting about it without taking it up, I don't like that. That's why the next goal was to lead."

To put his money where his mouth is, Soeters chose to work in a hotel while still studying. Initially as a receptionist, later in the Sales department. "I was still young and allowed to make mistakes. When you are young, you sell easily. It probably also had to do with my enthusiasm. I looked like a wagging puppy, brought in a lot of business. That did not go unnoticed within the organisation." Thus, at the age of 21, he was asked to take on the role of general manager. "Paul Rinkens, the then owner of Design Hotel La Bergere in Maastricht, wanted to slow down, but promised to mentor me well. That was an incredibly interesting and instructive time because he gave me the chance to experiment a lot. That was the era when the world was changing at lightning speed from sending brochures by post and forms by fax to the rise and flowering of email and the internet. A wonderful time to learn a lot."

Soeters worked for several major South Limburg hospitality icons. Each with its own leadership style. As a newcomer, he needed autonomy and space, in other words, to go down on his face regularly. "I had to deal with hierarchical leaders, but I actually wanted to learn by making mistakes. So that style did not suit me well. If I was given room, there was a chance to grow. Paul Rinkens was the best for me. He said: make mistakes. I'll whistle you back when it's really necessary. Paul took me to top European hotels and also showed me the cities. We visited special shops and museums. There we paid attention to furnishing styles in other industries. An excellent learning experience. Because I still use that approach today. Looking outside my field and using that in our industry. That's how you can distinguish yourself."

Differentiate, that remains an important concept. "I have nothing against chain hotels, but as soon as you walk in, you don't know where you are. In Rome, Dubai or in Abu Dhabi. You are a guest in their world. For me, it is interesting to bring that world from outside in. The entourage of the hotel has to match the atmosphere of the city in question. I strive for the same with my own hotels." A good example is Hotel Mariënhage in Eindhoven. On the one hand, the concept was obvious because the hotel is located in a former monastery and church. That entourage is reflected in various ways when furnishing the rooms. "Like in the story of Adam and Eve, which is incorporated on the back walls of the beds. There, Eve is depicted with a tattoo saying 'Eindhoven the craziest'. There are also light bulbs that tell the story of Philips and the city. So we look per building, per city, to see what is appropriate. This building has so much character and is full of surprises. Remember: as a hotel, we are only passers-by. This church has been there for four hundred years and in four centuries it will still be there. We may only manage it for a short period."

Soeters acknowledges having learned from past mistakes. An aspect he finds so essential as a man of practice. He nods and says: "I think the way we learn is out of date. Requiring students to learn generic dry material in a world where Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT are on the rise, I think there is something to that yes. With today's knowledge, I think: that resistance was alive with me even then. Fortunately, from my current position, I can discuss this with training institutes. My adage is:' if you have an opinion about something, you have to do something with it.' I therefore sit on the advisory board of the Hogere Hotelschool Maastricht. We talk and think about the content of the curriculum and translate the future needs of the industry towards education."

Although these technological developments are unstoppable and Soeters likes to be informed about them, he continues to look primarily at people as guests in the hospitality world. "It's actually a contradiction. We are a 37-degree industry, so focused on people. At the same time, we have a shortage of staff. The new generation often struggles with the different shifts or working weekends. So we need to start automating, also to keep everything affordable. Rising commodity prices, geopolitical turmoil, higher labour costs, inflation, the energy issue are challenging. To deal with these issues, we need more automation. Therefore, a Hotel trade school will have to pay much more attention to AI and other technological developments. Automation will become one of the most important links."

He himself acknowledges having made mistakes. Both in entrepreneurship and in the way he dealt with people. "If you are given a lot of responsibility at a young age, that also leads to insecurity. You then start adopting a certain attitude that is not always perceived as pleasant by others. That happens from lack of experience or insecurity. Making mistakes is part of entrepreneurship, but when dealing with people it is less convenient." 

Soeters would like to give more attention to his employees, but he is on the road a lot and therefore he says he falls short of paying attention to his team. Although that was precisely the reason he chose a job in hospitality. "I am now more entrepreneur than hotelier. My heart now beats faster with strategic challenges: growth models, developments, finding new locations, arranging financing et cetera. However, people will always remain central, even if I have to outsource that to other professionals around me. If at all possible, I will certainly enter into conversation with employees. Just showing genuine interest in the receptionist, for example, will re-energise that person for a month or more."

The LBG Group's future now lies in growing its existing concepts; especially the Townhouse brand. After all, Soeters doesn't want to invent for the sake of inventing. "You can always conjure another rabbit out of the top hat, but it has to stay right. My goal is to build a Townhouse hotel in The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The Hague is now under construction. The Townhouse concept is timeless and approaches the essence of what hospitality is; creating a place that tells the story of the city. You look inside the hotel at the life of that particular city. The Townhouse in Rotterdam will show more of the rough edges of Rotterdam. In Maastricht, there is more of a chic style." According to Soeters, guests do not come to stay overnight but to stay. There is always a kettle of fresh soup simmering on the kitchen counter, just like grandma used to do. The living room is more important than the hotel room. "That's where it happens and where you want to be. Local residents are also going to use it more and more in the future."

And so here is a man who - although only 42 years young - has already achieved a lot in his life, but is still brimming with plans. Where does he get the inspiration to keep coming up with new ideas? "Oh, in so many ways. Especially by talking to people. I get new things from that every time and am open to advice. Listen carefully to what people say. Especially inspirational leaders. I can listen to those for hours. I sit on several foundation boards, an advisory board together with other owners, directors, professors et cetera. That's how I broaden my network and keep listening. That's super interesting, isn't it?" The cities where Soeters wants to open a hotel, he visits several times. Preferably alone, he says emphatically. "Looking and also talking to colleagues again. Every city is different."

When Soeters sees opportunities, he goes with it. "It doesn't always have to be a success, but I want to put time and energy into it to see what the possibilities are," he says. The growth of the tourism industry will take huge leaps. Europe has not realised what we are facing. Huge crowds are coming from India, China and Africa to see our highlights. Those groups are eagerly waiting. Europe is one big open-air museum. That wave is unstoppable. There is still plenty to do in the hotel industry."