Bathe in luxury at Van der Valk Hotel Zuidas

The 14-story building was designed by Wiel Arets Architects and has a triangular shape with striking inlets. This is also reflected in the installation technology, which is why Linthorst Techniek applied custom ACO ShowerDrain shower channels.

Best Van der Valk hotel in the Netherlands 

Van der Valk hotels are known as family hotels, with room for relaxation and restaurants with an extensive menu. This hotel on the Zuidas, with the RAI and EMA around the corner, is geared more toward business people and tourists. The 234 hotel rooms are larger than at other hotels, there is a roof garden, two restaurants and, on the top floor, a wellness with a view of Amsterdam. Hotel manager Kristien Van der Valk, along with Ineke Roosen and Wiel Arets Architects were responsible for the hotel's interior design choices. They chose materials that give guests a warm and homey feeling from arrival to departure. 

"In addition to a luxurious look, the interior above all has a warm homely feel. Our goal was to create a hotel for everyone. A hotel that fits the high demands of the Zuidas but also the family feeling of Van der Valk. We therefore chose to use a lot of color, such as soft pink, blue and green, natural materials such as real wood, beautiful marble and striking lighting everywhere," says Kristien Van der Valk. 

The four-star hotel on the Zuidas belongs to the Van der Valk label "Valk Exclusive" and has since been named the best Van der Valk hotel in the Netherlands.  

Sustainably built

Sustainability was an important aspect from the start of the design process. Therefore, certified building materials and suppliers were used throughout the construction process. The all-electric Van Der Valk Zuidas has now been awarded the certificate BREEAM Outstanding, the highest sustainability certificate achievable. With a completion score of 87%, no hotel in the Netherlands has ever scored higher. 

Bathe in luxury

All hotel rooms and suites are modern and attractively furnished with a bathroom with rain shower or whirlpool bath. As with many other Van der Valk hotels, Ed Arnst of Designed Sanitair advised the Van der Valk family on the complete design of the bathrooms, paying great attention to hygiene aspects. To emphasize the luxury in the bathrooms, special glass walls were installed with a curtain effect. 

In order for hotel guests to enjoy optimum comfort and convenience, rapid drainage of shower water is a must. In addition, cleaning must also be easy and quick to perform. Because of this, a shower drain with round shapes is preferable because it has less chance of dirt adhesion. Just like at the Van der Valk hotel in Utrecht, the ShowerDrain C from ACO was chosen. Kristien Van der Valk explains why: "We chose these shower gutters because they are easy to clean and because we could have them custom-made. In addition, it is an attractive gutter". 

Wellness with spectacular views

On the top floor of the hotel is the wellness with the spectacular view. Here hotel guests can completely relax and enjoy the sauna, sanarium, steam baths, bucket showers, ice room and relaxing areas. Also in this wellness area, the ACO ShowerDrain line drainage channels ensure optimal and hygienic water drainage. 

Challenging project for best results

Linthorst Techniek was responsible for all technical E and W installations in the hotel. In terms of mechanical engineering, for example, they realized the heating and cooling systems, ventilation facilities, tap water system, sprinkler system and sanitary systems. "It was a special project," says Jeroen van Neerbos, Utility Projects Manager at Linthorst Techniek. "This was mainly due to the architecture in which nothing is straight. The angular shapes and the 25 different hotel rooms made the work less repetitive, but this also made it a fun and challenging project for us. 

The special architecture of the hotel even made it necessary to order custom shower channels for the suites' bathrooms. Here, fortunately, I had no worries, because I simply sent the drawings to ACO and they arranged it in their own production facility. ACO proved to be a flexible company throughout the project."

Jeroen van Neerbos was delighted that brother and sister Adriaan and Kristien Van der Valk chose the solid and compact ShowerDrain Type C shower drain. "When building a hotel, things are often a bit rougher," he says. "I therefore favor a shower drain with a fixed connection. The condition for this is that the engineering is good, but we have ample experience with this. And if you do engineering well, then a 2-piece shower channel with a flexible siphon, such as the ACO FlexDrain, is not necessary." 

All in all, the project took at least two and a half years but the result is worth it. Kristien Van der Valk concludes the interview by saying, "We are super proud of the overall look and get many compliments on our hotel rooms. We look forward to welcoming many national and international guests!"

For more information, visit www.aco.nl