The curtain has fallen for Coevorden Castle. The judge in Assen declared the catering company in the heart of Coevorden bankrupt on Tuesday.
The 4-star château hotel has been operated as H Design Hotel since September 2013, after entrepreneur Ben Woldring bought the property from Jos Wijland for 1.8 million euros. Woldring concluded a ten-year lease agreement with owner Huub Juurlink of H Design.
According to curator Paul van Boven from Assen, the corona crisis and high energy costs in particular have killed the company.
Castle, Governor’s House and De Vlijt
“In a castle, energy costs are of course a lot higher than in a new-build building,” explains Van Boven. “In addition, there are usually other causes, which I am still investigating at the moment.”
The history of the castle hotel is turbulent. Jos Wijland was brought in as savior in Coevorden in 2006, because the catering entrepreneur wanted to invest millions in restoring the Castle, the Governor’s House and the De Vlijt warehouse. Money that the municipality did not have in the run-up to the crisis years, while the wish was on the table to bring history back to the impoverished city center.
Years of affair
The catering entrepreneur from De Schiphorst opened the hotel and restaurant in the fortified city in 2010 after years of renovation, but subsequently became involved in a years-long affair with the municipality of Coevorden, in which they accused each other of failed to keep agreements.
For example, in 2013 Wijland demanded 1.5 million euros from the municipality because, in his opinion, the beautification of the city center in crucial parts was not completed. As a result, and because of the crisis, the exploitation of Coevorden Castle became a lot more difficult, according to him. The municipality of Coevorden also came to Wijland with claims due to the failure to purchase parking spaces, additional restoration costs and repayment of a loan.
The hotel and restaurant will remain open for the time being
According to curator Van Boven, current owner Ben Woldring will look for a new operator as quickly as possible. “In the meantime, I have received authorization from the judge to keep the restaurant and hotel open,” says Van Boven. “Agreements have been made with suppliers for this purpose. That is good news for both guests and staff.”
Van Boven hopes to hold the first discussions with takeover candidates next week. He is not afraid of a lack of interest. “This is the only castle in Drenthe, a unique location. It seems very likely to me that I will not be able to find a takeover candidate, although of course you never have a guarantee.”
The aim is to have a transfer arranged by March 1. Should the staff then fear for their jobs? “No, I don’t think so,” says Van Boven. “Good catering staff are scarce and I also take their interests into account in the conversations. My experience is that most takeover candidates would like to continue with the most important part of the workforce. They know the routes, the customers and the ins and outs. Those are big advantages.”