The Van der Valk Hotel Luxembourg-Arlon, located in the Belgian Ardennes near the border with Luxembourg, has been open for five years now and is about to expand considerably. In the next three years, it will add 56 rooms, a 2000m2 wellness area and a Citywave surfing pool, among other things. The hotel is also taking a sustainable step with the production of biogas that will provide electricity and heat for the entire complex.
The Van der Valk hotel currently has 125 rooms and sees a need for more rooms, especially family rooms. Construction work will start next autumn. The entire construction will take around three years, with the various projects being delivered in four phases and operational by early 2025.
Enjoying nature, with respect for nature; this is what Van der Valk Hotel Luxembourg-Arlon is aiming for. The hotel will be completely self-sufficient in energy. During the construction of the hotel, various initiatives were already taken to reduce the ecological footprint. For instance, 100% ecological and organic cleaning products are used and the carpets are made of natural and recycled materials such as corn. The menu also consists mainly of dishes using local products and the management is working towards a plastic-free hotel, right down to the key cards that are now made of bamboo. But now the hotel is going one step further. In collaboration with family Pastoret, the hotel is developing a Biogas plant. This plant will convert waste from local farms into gas. The gas production will be enough to supply the entire complex with electricity and heat. Another 50% of the total energy production will be delivered to the grid. “For our energy policy, we aim for self-sufficiency and carbon neutrality,” said Steven Zeeuw van der Laan, who was followed during the construction of the hotel for a six-month period by Omroep Max for the six-part documentary series “Jonge Valken”.
Construction of 56 new hotel rooms will then begin. These rooms will all have connecting doors to better meet the demand of young families, especially in the summer period. “We notice that there is a lot of demand for this,” said Zeeuw van der Laan – director-owner Van der Valk Luxembourg-Arlon. “Our hotel is the ideal base to get out and about by bike or put on the walking shoes and discover the beautiful Ardennes or the lovely Luxembourg. Those who are more adventurous can go down the Semois by kayak and enjoy nature from the water.”
The third project is the development of a wellness with an area of 2000m2, including outdoor space. The wellness will feature an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, six saunas, a hammam, several massage rooms and four private wellness areas with different themes. The latter is a result of the corona period when it became clear that people seek more privacy with regard to wellness. The private wellness rooms are equipped with their own sauna, lounge and jacuzzi for up to four to six people.
In the final phase, a Citywave branded surfing pool, unique in the Benelux countries, will be installed. The concept is based on the static wave in a river in Munich. In an 8-by-17-metre pool, you can actually surf on a surfboard with fin in an artificially created wave of water like in the sea. The Citywave concept is not to be confused with a flowrider, of which there are already several in the Benelux countries. The surf pool is open to a wide audience aged 6 to 65. Beginners can learn to surf a smaller wave there, but the level of the wave can also be raised to Olympic level for professional surfers, with surfing being an Olympic sport since 2020. The Citywave surfing pool is expected to attract 30,000 visitors a year.
In addition to these four projects, a 400m2 fitness area will also be constructed, offering both indoor and outdoor facilities that can be used by individual athletes and groups for yoga, for example. Parking facilities will also be made adequate for the additional visitors. Currently, the hotel has 220 parking spaces with 34 electric charging stations. In the new situation, this will be expanded by another 230 parking spaces with 20 additional charging poles distributed in a five-storey car park. This will bring the total to 450 parking spaces and 54 charging stations. All new facilities will be accessible to both hotel guests and outside guests.
Source: hospitality-management.nl
Conference hotel Luxembourg – Van der Valk Hotel Luxembourg-Arlon
