Interview with Dirk Beljaarts - Looking ahead in turbulent times

These are turbulent times in our industry. We are facing staff shortages, procurement costs are rising and we need to work on sustainability. And then there are elections looming. High time to look ahead. What can we expect next year? We discuss it with Dirk Beljaarts, managing director of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN).

Dirk Beljaarts started his career at the Hoge Hotelschool in Maastricht, after which he joined Golden Tulip International as General Manager. From Maastricht, he landed in Amsterdam, where he opened the new five-star Art'otel and later made the move to Accor Hotels. Before becoming director of KHN on 1 February 2019, Dirk was General Manager of Novotel Amsterdam City. Thanks to his extensive experience in the hotel industry, he knows better than anyone what challenges the sector faces. "I have heard too little about the business climate in the run-up to the elections. That really needs more attention."

"In campaign time, it is even more important than usual for us to be on top of current affairs in political The Hague," Beljaarts says. "Politicians use this period to profile themselves and score points with voters. That means we have to be extra tight on the ball." That is sometimes tough, but it pays off. As with Pieter Omtzigt's (NSC) attempt to raise the VAT rate on lodging from 9% to 21%. "Between the time I first heard about the amendment and the vote on it, there were less than two days. I experienced exciting hours together with our president Marijke Vuik and some colleagues from our policy and communications department," Beljaarts looks back. Fortunately, the hard work was not in vain. "I am very proud of the result; the amendment is off the table. But unfortunately, this is no guarantee that the subject will not be on the agenda again next year. We will therefore keep a close eye on this file."

What we are undoubtedly going to face is the increase in the WML. "Political parties are tumbling over each other to argue for a further increase in the minimum wage. Of course employees deserve a fair wage, but we cannot look away from the consequences. Entrepreneurs have no choice but to pass on the higher costs, even if only partially, to the guest. If prices rise faster than what our guests are willing to pay, there is a big danger there. For the sector and therefore also for employment," Beljaarts warns. "We have also passed this on to politicians in The Hague. There are other ways to increase livelihoods, such as reducing payroll taxes or reviewing the benefits system."

Then another hot topic: sustainability. Many entrepreneurs in our industry are already working hard on this. And that is good news, according to Beljaarts. "Dutch Cuisine is gaining popularity and a lot of work is being done with seasonal products. We also see more and more technical solutions, such as solar panels, heat pumps and cooking on induction. All developments that contribute to a sustainable world." But here, too, Beljaarts sees challenges. "Many entrepreneurs want to get rid of gas. But they run into an overloaded power grid, which prevents them from getting a connection. So the will is definitely there, but even this cannot be done without help from the government."

Besides the increase in VAT and the WML, there are more challenges for the industry. "Think of exorbitant rent increases, the loss of flexibility in the labour market and the increase in alcohol excise duty. But there are also local issues, such as the increase on tourist tax in Amsterdam, among others. And in Europe, as part of HOTREC, we are fighting against the ever-increasing power of online booking platforms, such as Booking.com."

Beljaarts stresses that we should not only look at politics, but also at ourselves. "Especially in the area of being a good employer, we can still make strides as an industry. The days of working your ass off seven days a week, as was normal in the early years of my career, are over. Employees find it increasingly important to have a healthy work-life balance, and rightly so. Let's continue to take good care of our people, they are SO important."