Van der Valk Hotel De Bilt – Utrecht is building for the future: a new hotel is set to open in 2028

Van der Valk Hotel De Bilt – Utrecht has begun construction of a completely new hotel on De Holle Bilt. In 2028, the hotel will open its doors in a modern building featuring unique architecture, additional rooms and function rooms, brand-new facilities and a sustainable design. Guests are still very welcome throughout the entire construction period: the hotel will remain open at all stages.

The initial renderings by Amsterdam-based architectural firm SeARCH show what De Bilt can look forward to in the coming years: a contemporary hotel building with a spacious lobby and reception area, a courtyard garden, new function rooms for meetings and events, and additional hotel rooms. With this new development, the hotel is strengthening its role as a meeting place for both business guests and visitors from De Bilt, Utrecht and the wider area. “The run-up to this refurbishment has been intense, to say the least,” laughs Anne Deenik – Van der Valk, the hotel’s director. “We are incredibly happy and proud that we can finally start the refurbishment. My uncle and aunt (Klaas and Els van der Valk, ed.) were already working on this 18 years ago, so it’s wonderful that they are now seeing their plans come to fruition.”

Timber structure

This is the first property within the Van der Valk hotel chain to be built from scratch using a largely timber structure. ‘Prefabricated cross-laminated timber’ is being used for the hotel rooms: a modern, sustainable construction method in which the entire load-bearing structure of the hotel rooms is manufactured in the factory and then assembled on site. “We chose SeARCH because they look beyond the building itself. Their vision regarding the surroundings, sustainability and innovation aligns perfectly with our ambition to develop a future-proof hotel for the next generations,” says Anne.

Guests are still very welcome

The building site has now been set up for the contractor. The ground is being prepared for construction on the site where the car park used to be at the front of the hotel. At the same time, preparations are being made for the demolition of part of the current main building. To ensure guests are still welcomed in comfort during this phase, a temporary guest route between the two buildings is being created, amongst other measures. Anne explains: “We are doing everything we can to plan the works in such a way as to minimise disruption to our guests. For example, we have provided a spacious car park on the east side of the hotel, guests can still be dropped off right outside the restaurant, and all guest routes will, of course, remain wheelchair accessible. Should any unforeseen situations arise that cause disruption, we aim to resolve them immediately to maintain high levels of guest satisfaction.”

Weekly updates

The hotel keeps interested parties informed of progress through regular construction updates on the website. There is also a list of frequently asked questions. Videos are also posted regularly on YouTube.