Portrait: Vincent Roach, from hourly billing to a hotel empire

"You were going to buy one hotel, right?!" cried his wife as he finalised the acquisition of a second hotel. But sitting still is nothing for Vincent Voorn (63). He once started with a sports education, teaching gymnastics during the day and studying law and business administration in the evenings. He now runs two (almost three) hotels in the heart of Amsterdam and recently launched the hospitality startup RoomDelivery. A story about daring, doing, guest experience and the power of mistakes.

In conversation with Hotelvak, Voorn talks about his stubborn entrepreneurial route - from a large family in Rotterdam to million-dollar loans, from frustrations with the municipality to pride in his staff. "Sometimes you just have to jump ship. Especially when you've already figured everything out once."

Vincent Voorn grows up in a Rotterdam entrepreneurial family with no fewer than nine children. His father owns a furniture workshop and the family prospered, until the business went bankrupt. "Then we moved to Brabant, where my father continued to work in woodworking. I remember little from that time, being one of the youngest, but was eventually shaped by this. When I was studying business administration, I thought about him - and what he could have done differently."

Before Voorn comes into contact with the entrepreneurial life, however, it is preceded by a lot of things. After havo, he went to the sports academy and became a physical education teacher. "Looking back, that was a search for who I was. I soon discovered that I wanted something completely different. That's why I started studying law in the evenings. Business administration I did on the side initially to get my points."

He starts a sports legal consultancy, but does not find a conclusive revenue model in that niche. That leads to Legal Account: a company that provides preventive and practical legal support to entrepreneurs. "As a lawyer, I wanted to be able to help before problems arose. I did this by offering a service contract. I was always available to them for advice, and of course I assisted them if more was needed. I was a kind of external company lawyer. For many issues entrepreneurs encounter, they don't need a lawyer at all - that is often underestimated. So I could help with that, or refer them to a fellow lawyer. Not everyone liked that - some lawyers were pissed off - but in the end they came to me precisely because of the volume."

From numbers to rooms

Roach does not just give advice - when he sees potential, he takes over businesses and resells them. In 2020, a special opportunity in the hospitality industry came his way. "An accountant with whom I worked closely asked for guidance for a client who wanted to sell his hotel in Amsterdam. When all the papers were on the table, I was surprised at the revenue model.  

Different cake from the 'hourly billing' I was used to. The potential buyer dropped out, and I suddenly got the chance to buy the hotel myself."

Getting funding is not easy at first, but Voorn eventually succeeds and becomes the owner of Grand Hotel DownTown.

The 45-room boutique hotel turned out to be a golden opportunity. "There was already a manager on it, it was running well. I did want to grow and knew: there is a lot to optimise here. We are in a prime location - that is crucial. In Amsterdam, you hardly ever discuss occupancy rates."

After taking over his first hotel, things started itching. In the same building, which also houses flats and businesses, he also takes over a second hotel: Amsterdam Hotel Mosaic. "A lot has changed. When I signed up privately for my first million-dollar loans, it did give me sleepless nights. But afterwards I laugh about it: paying off was never a problem with a successful hotel."

Still, there are things he would do differently now. "The first time, of course, I was still inexperienced. Now when I check out a hotel, I no longer let myself be told which rooms I can see. I always sit down on a mattress and take a thorough look at a room - I no longer let myself pretend anything is better than it is."

Both hotels have about 100 rooms in total. "There is a clear distinction though: Mosaic is a three-star hotel, Grand Hotel Downtown has four stars. Each attracts its own audience, so we let them coexist. That way, we can serve a broad target group."

A family in five languages

After the acquisitions, Voorn is working hard to improve, including in revenue management. "The Amsterdam average is about 85 per cent, but we are now at 97, which I am very proud of. To achieve that, I have invested heavily. Among other things, in upgrading the breakfast room. In busy areas, you see that hotels often skimp on maintenance and renovation, but I think, for example, that a four-star hotel should simply have multimedia screens. Even though we had to replace all the cabling for this."

Roach's staff vision is remarkably people-oriented. "Putting guest experience first, but using as few staff as possible and paying them as cheaply as possible: that is diametrically opposed. Turnover in the hotels was very high at first, but fortunately I managed to reduce that. I prefer to pay slightly above collective agreement and bet on a family feel. Skimping on staff, I don't do that. And that pays for itself."

The workforce of 20 to 30 people is very international. A large proportion do not speak Dutch. "With them, I start the conversation. If they want to stay in the Netherlands, I offer to pay for their language course - because I think that's important. Then I jokingly say: 'From now on, I'll only speak Dutch to you.' That attitude is very much appreciated, and you can see that in the falling absenteeism."

Although Voorn mainly focuses on strategy and big picture, he also checks the details himself. "I sleep two to three nights a week in our hotels. As a guest, you see different things. For example, I think it's important that you just lie on a nice mattress with a good pillow. With our regular bed supplier, we started testing mattresses, and all rooms are now getting new ones in phases."

So convinced is he of his product that he invited his entire family including supporters there at Christmas. "You have to be proud of your hotels yourself," he says.

Dreaming with feet in clay

Besides being a hotelier, Voorn is also a startup entrepreneur. His latest project: RoomDelivery. "The idea came about during a conversation with a hotel manager. Every day, 15 to 20 couriers came by for food that guests ordered via external apps. It was chaos: delays, irritations for both staff and guests."

With RoomDelivery, Roach wants to eliminate that unease. The app allows hotel guests to order directly from their room at carefully selected restaurants nearby. "We know who is ordering, what is ordered, which room it should go to, and reception is always up to date. That creates peace of mind, overview and a better guest experience."

The app is now running at twenty hotels, accounting for over a thousand rooms. And that's just the beginning. "We are building steadily. The next step is to expand RoomDelivery into a complete digital concierge platform. Think booking taxi rides, tickets for events or a reservation for a boat trip. All arranged in one familiar environment, directly from the hotel."

According to Voorn, this fits perfectly with modern hospitality. "Why should a hotel free up precious space for a gym, when you can also link guests to the best gym in the area? It's about offering them everything in a smart way - without having to have it all in house yourself."

Frustrations and progress

What is the biggest frustration of an entrepreneur like Roach? "The attitude of agencies. As a hotel owner, you are constantly dealing with rules and forms. We obviously want to operate safely and well. But sometimes, when something is not right again, they immediately blow their top and threaten us with a fine. I then think: just give us a call and we'll solve it together."

Yet it is precisely those obstacles that keep him on his toes. "I am 63. I see people around me already falling away. That makes me extra aware of the opportunities I still have. Things don't always turn out the way you want, but I want to keep taking on challenges. Grab the opportunities that come along: that's my philosophy in life. What should I do with certainty? What I do doesn't feel like work either. I want to keep busy: with RoomDelivery and with new acquisitions. The purchase of a third hotel is almost complete. I'm not the youngest anymore, but quitting? I don't want to think about that for a long time yet."