Nestled on the serene shores of the IJmeer, Hotel De Durgerdam combines refined design with warm hospitality. We speak with General Manager Stijn Soolsma about the hotel’s unique charm, its vision of modern Dutch luxury, and how it creates an intimate retreat just outside Amsterdam.

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How did your journey in hospitality begin and what led you to De Durgerdam?

I grew up in Amsterdam’s Docklands, close to where I work now, and developed an early love for hospitality through time spent in local bars and restaurants. My passion truly began during Sail, a major sailing event that happens every five years. A friend’s father ran boat tours with catering, and one day, when the staff didn’t show up, I jumped in at age of 12 to serve guests. I loved it and even helped behind the bar at the partnering restaurant, where the bartender was the first person to suggest studying at hotel school The Hague.

While studying, I gained experience across various departments like catering, events, kitchen, bar, and cocktails. I have always had a focus on constantly trying to challenge and developing myself, to keep learning and by the end of my studies this led to moving into concept development. I interned at a company creating restaurant concepts from scratch, stayed for over two years, then spent a year in Australia to develop myself further in various hospitality jobs.

Back in the Netherlands, I took a management role at The Seafood Bar, shifting from intimate restaurants to frequently handling a 1,000 covers a day. After two and a half years and interesting COVID times, this led me to Chateau Amsterdam, an urban winery. Together with the team I built the hospitality side from scratch, growing to a 400+ capacity venue with 60+ staff. When plans for further expansion paused, I decided to look for a new adventure, spent time in Peru with my Peruvian girlfriend, and took some personal time.

When ready for my next challenge, I connected with De Durgerdam through mutual contacts. It was an immediate fit - a chance to for me to contribute with my concept-building, strategy, growth and team-structuring experience, while expanding my tasks with hotel areas like rooms and revenue management. De Durgerdam is part of Aedes Hospitality, a young and ambitious company and we are currently developing a second hotel on the Amstel.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in the hotel industry today? 

I think my advice aligns with what I mentioned earlier. It's important to keep challenging yourself and to continue learning.

I would also add that it's incredibly valuable to be humble, to make mistakes, and to be open about them. Share those experiences with others. I I make a wrong decision, I will inform my manager as well as the rest of the team. I’ll let them know that it wasn’t the right choice, explain why it happened, and what I’ve learned from it. That kind of transparency creates a learning curve, and I believe it’s a powerful way to grow.

So, my advice would be “don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and learn from them when you do.” That’s truly the best way to develop. If you start hiding your mistakes or let emotions, get in the way, it becomes harder, not just for yourself, but also for those around you.

How would you define an independent hotel?  

A key difference is that, in a majority of larger organisations, many things are set in stone and heavily standardised, which leaves less room for personal interpretation, new ideas, or adaptation. You can challenge those structures if you want, but it rarely leads to change. Room for input, to me, is one of the main advantages of working in an independent hotel.

On the other hand, Independent hotels, without the support of a large corporate structure, require more flexibility and creativity to fill in the gaps that may arise in the day-to-day and this can bring more challenges. You need to think outside the box more often. But if successful,  I think that’s what creates a more personal experience.

I honestly can’t imagine a large corporate hotel delivering the kind of personal, meaningful guest experiences that we do. For example, guests often check out and say things like, "Make sure to say hi to Georgia, she was so lovely during our whole stay." That long term personal contact between employees and guests is harder to create in bigger operations, even in high-end corporate hotels. It's rare, but not impossible, that staff and employees build a bond over the course of multiple days.

How would you describe De Durgerdam’s character and what sets it apart in the Dutch boutique scene? 

I think what we often say is that we have a few key guidelines that shape what we want to be and how we want to deliver our gastronomic, interior design, and overall experience. We describe it as unfussy luxury and relaxed hospitality. I try to repeat that every now and then as a reminder and to check whether we're still staying true to it, and I believe we are.

It also has, in a way, a touch of Dutch character, a kind of casual charm and homely feeling. The interior plays a big role in that. Rather than having stark white, clinical rooms, everything is warm and inviting. It all comes together through natural materials and textures, and through carefully selected artwork that reflects the space, the surroundings, and the Dutch countryside. All of that adds a distinct sense of place.

Then there's the team, who work to reinforce and elevate that atmosphere. I think that's what really sets us apart. In my personal experience, a lot of places can feel too sterile, not warm enough, or sometimes a bit too quirky, and I say that with full respect for other hotels.

What I really appreciate about what we’re doing here is how well everything comes together. It’s unfussy, but at the same time, the quality is high, in every aspect, from the service to the food/beverages, to the interior design.

Design is clearly central to the hotel. What is your favourite detail or space on the property? 

It’s hard to choose just one favourite space or detail, because there’s such a variety in both the design and the art, which I really love.

That said, the front of the restaurant is probably my favourite, particularly because of the combination of elements. I think the bar is stunning, with its marble and the beautiful chairs. And then there are two of my favourite art pieces right here, especially the one hanging above the tables, which resembles old fishermen’s nets with droplets of water. It’s a brilliant piece. In the morning, when the sun is rising and the light filters through it, it creates this magical atmosphere. I often stand behind the bar making a coffee and just drift off, staring at it.

But honestly, the greatest art piece is the natural surroundings. The view, the light, the landscape, all that plays a huge role in the feel of the space. Then there's the painting from 1645, which is incredible. Guests sometimes say over breakfast that they're planning to go to a museum later to look at old paintings, and I’ll point out they can just turn around, there's one right behind them.

We have an art book here, because all the artwork in the hotel is original. Guests often ask who the artist is or whether a piece is a copy, so we compiled everything into a book that explains who the artists are and where the works come from.

Food and drink are key to the guest experience. What can diners expect at De Durgerdam? 

The offering really aligns with our overall philosophy of unfussy luxury and relaxed hospitality. Quality is our top priority. That is always number one for us. But sustainability is a very close second, and you can really see that reflected in both our food and drinks menus.

The dishes aren’t overly complicated, but they are made with high-quality ingredients. We try to stay very close to the seasons and source as locally as possible. That said, we also want to maintain variety. If we cannot find the quality, we need within the Netherlands, we may source ingredients from places like France or Spain, but only if they are in season.

We are continuously working on this and challenging each other, because sustainability has many definitions. Some people think that cooking with the seasons is enough, but then you realise the produce may have been flown in from across the world. It may be seasonal, but not necessarily good in terms of carbon footprint. That is why the Head of Hospitality, and I are currently working on defining a framework. We want to be able to take any random dish or drink and test it against certain criteria: Where does it come from? Is it in season? Is it good for the planet? Does it make sense?

To me, this ongoing dialogue about sustainability is what is the most important. Nobody is perfect, but what matters is that we keep having these conversations and continue to improve how we approach sustainably running a hotel and restaurant.

In terms of what diners can expect, I think our vegetable dishes really reflect the spirit of the menu. Many are reinterpretations of classics. For example, we have a tomato tartare, inspired by steak tartare, made entirely from tomato.

Another great example is our beet ‘au poivre’, which plays on the idea of steak au poivre. Instead of meat, we use beetroot, which we age and dry to create a very similar texture. These kinds of dishes are great because they offer a plant-based alternative without compromising on quality or experience. We are not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but we do offer those options, and I like that. We give guests the choice.

What have been your proudest achievements as General Manager so far? 

I strongly believe that I can't do anything alone, everything is a team effort, and everyone in the team is equally important. It is an old cliché, but it’s true.

So, what I’m happiest about so far is seeing the staff become increasingly positive in their energy. That really makes me proud. We still have plenty of training to do and more structure to implement to reach the higher standards we are striving for, and we should always keep on striving for higher standards. Even if, by next year, we reach our goals and a higher-level experience, we should want to raise the bar again. I believe that if you're not focused on improvement, you're moving backwards.

To me, skills and working methods can be taught. But energy, real energy within a team, is much harder to teach. It needs to be created, nurtured, and shaped. You can guide and support it in certain directions, but in the end, it’s all about people working together. It must be a genuine combination of personalities and attitudes.

What really makes me happy is seeing how well the team gets along and how much fun we have together.

This kind of culture is not just important for us internally, but also for the guest experience. I truly believe that the secret to creating a great atmosphere for guests lies in having a team that genuinely enjoys what they’re doing.

When you're away from the hotel, where do you go to relax or find inspiration? 

It really depends on how much time I have. I live in the centre of Amsterdam, and almost daily even after work when I come home at night, I’ll go for a walk with the dog. Sometimes we’ll pop into one of the cocktail bars. I know quite some people in our local bar and restaurant scene, so I like to visit different places, catch up, and see what’s new. Often the conversations are about restaurant openings or new ideas people are trying out. I do my best to stay up to date with the industry and make sure to try and support others in Amsterdam when I can.

If I have a bit more time, especially in the summer, I love going to Noordwijk for a few days. It’s one of my favourite places. I think the Dutch beaches are really underrated. If the weather is good, there’s no real need to leave the country, just a short drive and you can completely switch off.

When I do travel abroad, I always try to connect it to food. Spain is one of my favourite countries in the world. In terms of cities, I find Lima, Paris, and London incredibly inspiring. I’ll be heading to New York again in a few weeks, which I’m really excited about. You could eat somewhere different every single day there and still never run out of amazing places. The food scene there is culturally quite different, and I love exploring that.

But I’d say Paris is probably one of my top places for inspiration, both in terms of food and hotels. The French really do know what they’re doing when it comes to hospitality and cuisine.

Do you attend the Independent Hotel Show? What do you find most valuable about it? 

I attended the Independent Hotel Show for the first time this year, and I liked it. What I appreciated most was that it wasn't too massive, which made it easy to connect with a variety of people directly on the floor. Many of them were in similar positions, not the same situations, of course, but close enough that we could have meaningful conversations and share experiences.

It was a great opportunity to spar a little on common challenges, potential opportunities, and changes we are all seeing in the industry. One topic that came up a lot was the rapid evolution of technology, which is happening globally across all sectors. It is particularly relevant for hospitality, and I think it's essential to keep a close eye on what's developing and what opportunities this technology might offer.

What stood out to me as especially important for independent hotels is the growing influence of large software companies. There’s a noticeable shift happening in the software world, where many providers are moving away from flat monthly fees and moving towards percentage-based pricing models. That, to me, is a slippery slope, especially for independent hotels that may not have the same negotiating power as larger chains. Hopefully the Independent Hotel Show can provide a platform where independent hotels can work together on these negotiations.

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