They may remain open, but many Amsterdam hotels are considering closing their doors again. “This hurts, is emotionally and economically insecure.”
Conference hotelier Postillion, which has its largest hotel / conference center in Amsterdam Overamstel, will close its doors immediately. “On Tuesday evening, the cabinet made a moral appeal to limit as many encounters as possible because otherwise you would spread the virus,” says director Erik-Jan Ginjaar.
“We are in a profession where we need encounters in order to exist. But we must also listen to that call. We also benefit from a faster recovery. Then we cannot just continue. ”
Staying open is no longer feasible, according to Ginjaar. “After a maximum of 30 people was set on September 28, we already saw a huge dip in the number of bookings before the end of the year. It is now even harder. We are falling below a limit that it is still justified. Our restaurants cannot open, our flexible workplaces must be closed. It is no longer useful and profitable to be open. ”
Remediation
The company already cut 125 jobs in June, one third of the total. “I now get all kinds of phone calls: does this mean the end of Postillion? No, because of the clean-up in June, we are ready for this blow. We have slimmed down so much that we can handle this. That gives some peace of mind. We will continue to use the NOW scheme. But this hurts, is emotionally and economically uncertain. ”
“We will close for the duration of the measures and then look at it. To reopen, there must be the same perspective as the situation at the beginning of September. Then the national conference market had recovered well. We can see from the bookings for the longer term that there is enthusiasm again when the weather is possible. ”
Hotel De l’Europe is still holding out, but has no plans to close. “The question is whether we have enough guests left,” says a spokesman for the five-star hotel. “We also saw that in the first wave. Then we did not close because we were also renovating. We still have to wait and see. But we are not working towards a closing date. ”
To deliver
The hotel’s restaurants and bars will close on Wednesday evening for outside visits. “We follow the guidelines of the government. Our catering industry may only remain open to guests. But, just like in the spring, we will again deliver food from our kitchens for take-away and deliver to Amsterdammers who want a five-star meal at home. ”
The Amsterdam Eden Hotels will keep its branches open, unlike in the spring. “We want to keep offering people shelter,” says owner Léon Dijkstra. “There are still people who have to travel, for work or private life. We will continue to help them. ”
“A closed hotel is very sad,” says Dijkstra. “We also want to remain open to uphold our own morale and that of our employees. We want to continue to give them the opportunity to go to work. But safety comes first. If people want to stay at home from their situation, that is possible. ”
