Peace, space and luxurious sleeping comfort

On the terrace of De Zeeuwse Stromen, Hotelvak talks to Martin Kiesenberg, who runs the hotel together with Kim and Don van Vliet (brother and sister). Robert van Ierlant, B2B sales manager at Auping, is also on hand. "We form a team, each with our own expertise," says Kim. "Within the management, I mainly focus on the financial part. Don is very strong in the culinary field, while Martin is our technical specialist. This way, we form a nice trio and complement each other perfectly. What we share with each other is the fact that we are all really people-people." Because of their informal attire, you might not think that these young people are responsible for the ups and downs of the 4-star hotel with a total of 135 rooms. "We like this," Kim laughs. "Let us be a bit incognito and do our thing. We probably got that from our father Leo van Vliet, who also did this when he was the owner."

De Zeeuwse Stromen began in 1959 as a small hotel with 16 double rooms. In 1997, however, the hotel had a second birth of sorts. "Our father and his business partner bought the hotel in 1996. Even before he could operate it, a fire broke out and the old building was largely reduced to ashes. Fortunately, there were no casualties and this new start also offered opportunities." In 1997, the hotel's main building was able to reopen and it has since expanded considerably. In 2012, the Duinpark was opened, consisting of nine Duinvilla's, 22 Duinrooms and 26 new Duinapartments. In 2010, all conference and meeting facilities were thoroughly modernised. However, during the corona pandemic, the new ownership trio realised that the rooms were also in need of renovation.

"Meanwhile, the previous batch of hotel rooms dates back to 2010," says Kim. "A lot changes in ten years. The rooms no longer met today's requirements, and our own tastes have also changed in the meantime. The plans soon became concrete and, in good spirits, we started designing and renovating 19 hotel rooms ourselves. Quite a job, but the result was worth it. There is quite a lot involved in such an operation, but because of corona, the time was simply there at the time." The next number of 59 rooms was completely revamped last winter, this time in a classy beach look. "This way we appeal to multiple target groups. We were also keen to get rid of carpets, as we are a dog-friendly hotel. Each of our rooms now has a durable PVC floor," Kim explains.

In the search for new beds for all rooms, the management of De Zeeuwse Stromen started talking to Robert van Ierlant, Auping's B2B sales manager. "We already knew Robert from his previous employer Blycolin. That inspired confidence, but apart from that Auping is of course known for comfortable beds of high quality. We are a hotel, so the bed has to be good. Meanwhile, guests at breakfast regularly say: 'How can you expect me to be here at 9 o'clock when the bed is so nice!'"

In consultation, the hotel decided to go for completely new beds. "It is unique that they chose to make all beds electrically operable," says Van Ierlant. For Don, however, this was a logical decision. "We want to offer our guests something they don't have at home. Of course, more people have an Auping bed itself, but an electrically adjustable bed is even more luxurious.

At the push of a button, the bed is in the desired position. As a practical extra, the bed halves can be operated separately from each other." The hotel rooms and bathrooms have been renovated in four phases since 2023 and are now completely finished. This involved the use of two different Auping beds: the Essential and the Original.

For Auping, the partnership with De Zeeuwse Stromen is more than just a business transaction; it is a joint journey towards innovation and sustainability. "At Auping, we strive to not only provide comfort with our products, but also have a positive impact on the environment," Van Ierlant explains. "Our beds are designed with a focus on sustainability, with every detail thought through."

De Zeeuwse Stromen considered the choice of box springs, but in the end deliberately opted for beds, says Kim: "These beds really radiate tranquillity and space. Exactly what we were looking for. In addition, we always want to make the most sustainable choice and in this respect, too, Auping suits us well." The Essential bed is the world's first fully recyclable bed, made from 87% recycled aluminium. For the Original, De Zeeuwse Stromen chose to cater to business guests, for when the beds need to be separable.

The overall look of the rooms did not stop with the beds; they feature floating bedside tables and durable Auping Elysium mattresses. "These mattresses are designed to
be able to recycle all materials at end of life time again and use them for new, fresh mattresses." says Van Ierlant. The duvets and pillows are also sourced from Auping. "They are also circularly prepared and have a more luxurious look than the average hotel duvet," says Kiesenberg. "You notice that higher quality immediately. We know this from our own experience and hear back from our guests. This keeps the pillows nice and full." A colourful detail: four different works of art by Swiss artist Fabian Lavater bring even more colour to the rooms. He likes to be inspired by the sea, which suits the hotel perfectly.

It is clear that the cooperation between De Zeeuwse Stromen and Auping suits both parties well. According to Van Ierlant, Auping wants to create hotel partners, where the sleep products create value for both parties. "A beautiful hotel like this is like a showroom for us. It happens regularly that guests like to take the hotel's sleep experience home with them. Through a QR code, this can be done at a reduced rate. In addition, we are always there for our customers. Not so long ago, some guests had sat on the floating night tables, causing them to break off. They are then replaced by us as a matter of priority, because the hotelier cannot wait for this."

Sustainability has been important to De Zeeuwse Stromen since Leo van Vliet was in charge of the hotel. Already since 2014, the hotel has held the Green Key Gold certificate. The hotel therefore very consciously chose Auping Elysium mattresses. In the Netherlands, over 1.5 million old mattresses are thrown away every year. This enormous mountain of waste could fill a large football stadium to the roof. A large proportion of these mattresses are incinerated, releasing a lot of CO2 emissions. Since 2020, Auping has been the first in the world to make mattresses designed for circularity. After use, they are taken apart and the materials are recycled into raw materials. These raw materials are used again to make a completely new mattress. This completes the circle and no waste is created. 

Co-owner Kiesenberg says: "Our focus on sustainability is reflected in everything, big and small. For example, the old carpet went back to the manufacturer during the renovation. The old beds went partly to a refugee shelter and partly to Ukraine. The new floors are sustainable PVC flooring and we have a bio-digester, which produces 8,000 cubic metres of biogas on an annual basis. This energy is then used to heat the hotel rooms. In the future, we also plan to install additional charging stations on our premises. Sustainability is really part of our vision that the overall picture has to be right." Work in a hotel never stands still. After renovating the rooms, the owners are now focusing on the ground floor. "Here, we want to continue the style of the hotel rooms to the restaurant and reception area. There are already some plans in place, but this is something we want to think about carefully. Within three years this should start happening, but we are already tackling the toilets on the ground floor this year. Kim concludes, "I am super proud of what we are doing!

By 2024, De Zeeuwse Stromen will have existed in its current form for 27 years. "The location of this hotel is already special, of course," says Monique van Hoof, Marketing & Communications employee at De Zeeuwse Stromen. "In addition, many special things have happened here over the years. For example, the concept of music festival Concert at SEA was conceived here at the bar!" To share the hotel's stories with its guests, colleagues and relations, former owner Leo van Vliet brought out his own in-house newspaper called 'Stroming'. "We have revived this in our anniversary year 2022. The innovations in our hotel follow each other in rapid succession; in our house newspaper we can share this information with our guests. There is a very good response to this. Under the motto 'Through the eyes of our guest', the newspaper also shares photos taken by our own guests. In this way, people feel extra connected. By passing along our house newspaper, every guest takes a piece of 'De Zeeuwse Stromen' home with them when they check out. This level of connection makes every check-in feel like coming home all over again".