This hotel houses 250 asylum seekers: but staff know nothing about it

The Mövenpick Hotel in Den Bosch must be empty on 1 January next year for the arrival of 250 asylum seekers. But the hotel manager and his staff do not know where they will be then. "Many of them have been working in this hotel for more than 20 years. Nobody knows whether they will still have a job if this becomes an asylum seekers' centre," says hotel manager Wim van der Steen. "We want clarity."

From 1 January, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) will rent the building currently occupied by the Mövenpick hotel chain from the property owner. The future of the hotel staff is uncertain due to the arrival of the asylum seekers' centre. Nobody knows whether the 50 employees will be put on the street or whether they will be able to work at another Mövenpick location.

"They expect me to answer that question. But I can't give an answer, because I don't know either," says hotel manager Wim van der Steen. He says this is because no agreement has yet been signed between the Mövenpick organisation and the property owner.

"Fuck off man, you're joking."

Van der Steen, who has been a manager at the Bossche Mövenpick for over 20 years, is not involved in the plans or progress. "I got comments like 'you must be very good for this world if you are going to accommodate asylum seekers'. But I didn't know anything about the plans. And still don't."

Only 48 hours before the azc locations in Den Bosch were announced, the manager heard that 'his' hotel guests had to make way for 250 refugees. "We were going to build a new hotel at that location. And suddenly I heard from the property owner that the current hotel was going to become an asylum seekers' centre. I thought: fuck off man, you are joking."

"We won't engage with the current tenant."

COA has never been in contact with the hotel chain about the plans. "When a property owner offers us a building, we only engage with the owner. Not with the current tenant. In this case Mövenpick," said a spokesperson.

Until 30 December, the 30 staff and 20 temporary workers have to keep the hotel running. After that, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers will start work to prepare the hotel for the arrival of 250 asylum seekers. "We are not renting anything from Mövenpick, as we are renting the property from the owner. We are getting an empty building that we will start working on only when we are owners, on 1 January."

COA aims to accommodate asylum seekers staying in the emergency shelter at the Autotron from the end of February at this location. The Bossche hotel manager plans to step up the pressure at Mövenpick to have clarity before the end of the year.

Source: Omroep Brabant