MARLIJN VAN DER VALK: FROM GROWING UP IN A HOTEL TO BECOMING A GENERAL MANAGER

Growing up in a hotel sounds special, but for Marlijn van der Valk, it was the most normal thing in the world. Until she was sixteen, she lived with her family in Hotel Tiel and started working there from the age of twelve. Nowadays, she is the general manager of Van der Valk Hotel Amersfoort A1. In Hotelvak The Podcast, Marlijn talks about her youth, her path to the family business, and her view on hospitality and entrepreneurship.

SOURCE: HOTELVAK

As a child, Marlijn saw the hotel primarily as her home. Yet her upbringing was just a bit different from that of her classmates. She learned early on how things work behind the scenes. She worked in areas like service and housekeeping and discovered how much work is needed to ensure guests have a pleasant stay every day.

Her time in housekeeping especially shaped her. She saw firsthand the situations staff sometimes have to deal with and how much responsibility comes with their work. This experience instilled great respect for those behind the scenes, something she still incorporates into her leadership style.

A PERSONAL PATH TO THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Although Marlijn grew up among the hotel rooms, restaurant, and reception, it was not always certain that she would work within Van der Valk herself. She first wanted to explore what opportunities lay outside the family business and pursued an interior design course in Amsterdam. Additionally, she worked in hospitality, including at Het Paardje at Gerard Douplein.

After her studies, Marlijn managed Cadeaulijn, a platform for experience gifts, for a year and a half. Although it did not turn out to be her future, it taught her the importance of doing work that energizes you.

The decisive moment came during a trip through Australia. In a hostel in Fremantle, Marlijn saw a whole family running the business together. The father worked at the reception, the mother in housekeeping, and the children helped in various areas. The familiar way of working made her realize that she had exactly such a family business in the Netherlands.

After her return in June 2012, she decided to contact her brother Gert, who was active at Van der Valk Hotel Amersfoort A1. A week later, they were sitting together, and not long after, she started working at the hotel. She quickly assumed a leadership role as his right hand and has been with the hotel ever since.

HOSPITALITY REMAINS A PEOPLE BUSINESS

Nowadays, Marlijn not only looks at the daily operations but also at the further development of the hotel. She strongly relies on intuition and people skills. At the same time, she knows that figures and data are sometimes necessary to make tough decisions.

She noticed this, among other things, with Club Toekan, an independent concept with a restaurant and a VR department. Although she hoped the concept would eventually take off, the results showed otherwise. It was ultimately decided to discontinue it. The main lesson she learned from this was that sometimes it's better to stay close to the core of the business.

Marlijn also looks at the opportunities that technological developments and AI offer. She finds innovation important, but in her view, personal contact should not disappear. No matter how the hotel industry develops in the coming years, human attention must remain an important part of hospitality.

For people considering a career in hospitality, Marlijn has a clear message. Choose something that brings you joy and energy, gather good people around you, and stay critical of your product. It's okay for ambition to be visible, as long as you stay true to yourself. Because ultimately, hospitality, according to Marlijn, is about people.

Listen to the full portrait conversation with Marlijn van der Valk in Hotelvak the Podcast on Spotify