What hoteliers can learn from the 5-star De Boshoek holiday park

A family-run business in the Veluwe that is gradually transforming into a contemporary outdoor hospitality resort

Sometimes you come across a place where, after just a few hours, you already know you’ll want to return. Not because everything is finished, but because you sense that people here are building a future with real conviction. I had that feeling during my visit to De Boshoek in Voorthuizen, where I spoke at length with Rick Otter and Chantal van Swieten.

As a trend watcher and consultant, I visit dozens of leisure businesses at home and abroad every year. I am always keen to find out more about family-run businesses that dare to look beyond the issues of the day and consciously invest in the next generation of guest experiences. De Boshoek in Voorthuizen is one such business.

What once began as a traditional campsite in the Veluwe has, over the past few decades, grown into a multifaceted leisure business comprising a campsite, a holiday park and a hotel. Yet those words tell only part of the story. Anyone walking around the site today will see, above all, a business undergoing a gradual transformation into what I prefer to call an outdoor hospitality resort. A destination where different forms of accommodation, relaxation and hospitality are becoming increasingly intertwined. That development is visible everywhere.

Meeting place

During my visit, we had lunch at Brasserie ‘Nest’, which is situated right in the heart of the park. The menu offered a pleasant surprise, with dishes you’d expect to find in a good restaurant rather than at a holiday park. The décor is contemporary, warm and well-maintained, whilst also serving as the venue where breakfast is served to hotel guests every morning. As such, the restaurant fulfils a much broader role than simply that of a catering facility; it is a meeting place where different guests and types of accommodation come together.

The hotel is also worth a mention. Through a separate entrance, guests step into a space that clearly has its own distinct character. The hotel rooms and lodges are complemented by wellness facilities and a modern sports centre, ensuring a well-rounded stay. These are facilities you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find at a campsite or holiday park, but they demonstrate precisely how De Boshoek is bringing the worlds of leisure and hospitality ever closer together.

Brewery

As I walked through the park, something else caught my eye. Right in the middle of the site is a stylish meeting room, and a local brewery, Voortsche Bieren, has also been given a place there. This is not a random use of available space, but a deliberate choice. Rick Otter is a firm believer in collaborating with local businesses. This creates a park that does not function as an island, but rather seeks to connect with its surroundings. Guests not only experience De Boshoek, but at the same time get to know the Veluwe and the people who run businesses there.

During our conversation, it became clear that this development is not a project that will take just a few years. Rick Otter has now taken over the family business from his parents and is building on the foundations they laid, with evident respect.

At the same time, he is steering the business in its own direction. Every new accommodation facility, every investment in wellness and every improvement in quality forms part of a long-term vision that focuses not on the coming summer, but on what De Boshoek should look like in ten or fifteen years’ time.

This is evident throughout the park. Development is not undertaken for its own sake, but to create, step by step, a more complete destination. A place where hotel guests, campsite guests and visitors to luxury holiday homes all enjoy the same high standard of quality, without losing the character of the family-run business. The transition from a traditional chalet and campsite business to a contemporary outdoor hospitality resort began years ago and continues to take shape with every passing season. It is precisely this gradual development that makes De Boshoek an interesting place to follow.

It’s the best experience that counts

For hoteliers, this may well be the most important lesson – and one I have mentioned on several occasions in this trade journal: guests are thinking less and less in terms of sectors. They no longer compare their stay solely with another hotel or holiday park, but with the best experience they have ever had anywhere. The quality of a restaurant, the ambience of a spa, the personalised service, the décor of the accommodation and the connection with the surrounding area all combine to form a single, holistic experience. This calls for a broader view of hospitality, in which the boundaries between hotels, resorts and leisure parks are gradually blurring.

As I left the park, one thought in particular lingered in my mind. Some companies are interesting because of what they are today. Others are interesting because of the direction in which they are developing. De Boshoek clearly falls into the latter category. The story isn’t over yet, and perhaps that is precisely the greatest strength of this family-run business. I look forward to continuing to follow how Rick Otter and his team build on their vision in the years to come. I suspect that not only the leisure sector, but also many hoteliers, will draw inspiration from this.