Give Tio students a StayOkay hostel, and they'll transform it into a beautiful 4-star hotel in no time! Hotel and event management students from Utrecht and Hengelo were put in charge of StayOkay Haarlem, where they created a special Urban Jungle with a fitting name: The J.
Top-notch
Upon entering, it's clear that everything in this hotel is top-notch. From the warm welcome at reception and the chic restaurant, to the handwritten card in your hotel room - attention to detail is central here. And that's what guests want. The hotel has been fully booked all week with visitors from all over the country, including parents, grandparents and teachers.
Learning how it works in practice
"It's really cool that this is possible - that we can now learn how a hotel like this works in practice", says Maartje, a student from the front office. "We had some initial stress regarding getting everything done on time, but it was worth it." Steyn, another student who has the event manager role, says he has to work hard: "We had to improve standards a lot, which required rearranging everything and starting from scratch. You learn a lot during a week like this."
Villa Joep
The hotel's general managers are happy to give a guided tour of their self-built paradise, and keen to talk about the charity they're donating to - Villa Joep, a fund dedicated to fighting neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. "It's difficult to estimate exactly how much money we'll collect, but so far it's going well! Everyone is very enthusiastic and we are verry happy about that." Jeroen ter Wal feels positive about the hotel's opening too: "Yesterday the restaurant opened for dinner for the first time, and I've never seen such a successful opening evening in the eleven years I've been attending this hotel and event week. The rest of the week is looking promising!”
Want to know more? Go to www.hotelthe-j.nl.