European debut with opening Motto by Hilton

Housed in the Oude Spaarbank in Rotterdam, Motto by Hilton opened its doors to guests on 11 November. This franchise agreement between Hilton and Borealis Hotel Group provides 108 rooms in the lively neighbourhood 'De Meent', near Blaak station. Motto by Hilton is the place to find locals and their gems. Hotelvak spoke to Nicolette Korstanje, general manager at the hotel.

"Hilton is opening a franchise with Motto. In partnership with the Borealis Hotel Group, they are thus continuing their years of experience in hotel openings. It's nice to have this back-up," Korstanje opens the conversation. "The hotel is in a beautiful historic building. Elements of this have been incorporated into the interior design. We also want to create a place where people meet. Upon entering, the first thing you see is the lively ground floor. Yonique concept has created a Grab & Go with coffee experience for hotel guests, with a breakfast concept and All Day Dining in the common area. This will open under the name MOST," Korstanje says enthusiastically.

"Locals' favourites also show up in the menu. For instance, you can order Rotterdam mushroom bitterballen. From coffee to a cocktail, guests can come here all day."

With the opening of the hotel, Hilton is making its European debut. "At the time, Borealis and Hilton opened the first Hampton hotel in the Netherlands and are continuing this in EMEA with Motto by Hilton. We target the younger business market, as well as families and groups of friends who want to travel. As a hotel, we also like to tell guests where to find local treasures."

"Unique to the hotel is the mix between local collaborations, sustainable materials and high quality. For example, there will be cool bikes, which will be custom-made by people with disabilities. Motto by Hilton thinks reuse of materials is important and wants to commit to the community."

"This is also reflected in the rooms. There are cotton laundry bags and soap packaging is made from oats." These are then sustainable materials with the quality Hilton is known for. This is what the designers took into account in the design process.

"The high ceilings in the rooms offer plenty of space. Guests can book several rooms, which can be linked together. Prefer to add a living room? Then the flex room is ideal. In total, 14 rooms can be combined in a row in this way."

"Although the rooms have a small footprint, they feel spacious. The open-plan bathroom reinforces this. Travellers are looking for quality. When you are in the room, you should experience this too."

"Besides sustainability, the hotel has been given a hip look. Guests can contact the reception via QR code. Check-in is also done by phone. In addition, we expect that guests actually want to go out and experience Rotterdam's local gems. So after a hot shower in the room, guests want to enjoy a delicious fresh breakfast at MOST after which they go on an adventure in the city," says Korstanje.