Coffee hotel in historic Rotterdam district

Unusual name and innovative concept

In early 2025, a new hotel opened in Rotterdam's working-class Crooswijk neighbourhood, with not only an unusual name but also a whole new concept. Man With Glasses Coffee Hotel has eight ‘stay in residence’ studios in addition to 15 regular hotel rooms, fitness rooms, a podcast studio and several meeting rooms.

The hotel gets its name from initiator Paul Sharo, who worked as a waiter early in his career in the hospitality industry and was regularly referred to in reviews as the ever-friendly ‘man with glasses. That description stuck with him even after he had his eyes lasered.

Fifteen years ago, Sharo founded coffee shop Man Met Bril Koffie in the Hofbogen, under the embankment of the former The Hague-Paris railway line. That combined business was gradually bursting at the seams, so Sharo started looking for an additional outlet. He found it along the Rotte, the river to which the city of Rotterdam owes its name and where housing corporation Woonstad Rotterdam was carrying out an urban renewal project.

Living, working and accommodation

There used to be business premises here, with housing above and industrial halls at the back of the plot. “The buildings were in very poor condition and no longer met today's requirements. Nevertheless, we opted for thorough renovation rather than demolition to preserve the atmosphere and appearance of Crooswijk as a working-class neighbourhood,” says Martijn Kok, Neighbourhoods Project Manager at Woonstad Rotterdam. “Only the business premises at the back we had demolished. That's where the coffee hotel now stands.” The coffee roastery and coffee shop are on the ground floor of the front building. The housing corporation has filled the floor with flats.

Life in the roastery

“During the renovation of the complex, we came into contact with Paul Sharo. His idea for a coffee shop with roastery and hotel on this site is truly and innovative concept and fits well with our vision to give the area along the Rotte river strong new social and economic impulses via an urban renewal project. After all, from an urban planning point of view, the river had gradually ended up in a subordinate position. With the coffee hotel along the Linker Rottekade and other initiatives, we can make the river more visible and give it a more prominent place in the city. In our opinion, the coffee hotel with restaurant and roastery fits well in this neighbourhood with a lot of housing and small-scale industry. They bring liveliness and bustle and make the area more attractive to its own residents too. Of course, there is tension between liveliness and nuisance. We are working hard with the entrepreneurs to limit this: odour filters for the coffee roaster, clear agreements on opening hours for the terraces and preventing nuisance caused by bicycle and car parking.”

Wide and responsible choice

“Our coffee shop offers a wide choice,” Sharo explains. “We did not look for exquisite varieties, but aim for transparency and a short chain, with as few intermediate steps as possible between coffee farmer - who can thus count on a fair price - and coffee drinker. We also opt for sustainably and organically grown ingredients, be it without certification. The certification procedures are not cheap for small companies.”

The ‘stay in residence’ studios, in a separate wing from the hotel area, are for international baristas, who come to Rotterdam to further their skills in the coffee world. “The concept is working, as after six months we are already housing the third batch,” he says. Furthermore, the hotel functions separately from the coffee shop. “We also offer other drinks there, of course, and an international hotel kitchen.” The hotel volume also houses restaurant Bar Dertien. “The concept of this bar-restaurant is that of stomach-filling snacks and quality drinks. They are not full meals, but after a visit to Bar Dertien you will not be hungry.”