The team met with André Tammer, Hotel Director, Kasteel Engelenburg, and found out more about his experience in the industry, the amazing hotel and some special Christmas traditions they have. 

Tell us about yourself and your experience in the hospitality industry.

I have been the Hotel Director for two years now, after graduating at the International Hospitality Management school in Leeuwarden. I have worked in the hospitality industry for over 10 years and over the past couple of years have moved to working at a director level. It is a great opportunity to be here in Kasteel Engelenburg, such a magical place to work and to be the General Manager every day.

Who designed Kasteel Engelenburg?

Some of the rooms are still how they were originally. We took over in 2023 and have been doing renovations for the past couple of years alongside Wouter Decker who is the director of operations of our group. We make mood boards and then we come with an idea of how it needs to look like and design it together as a team. The design is a touch of both of us, that we are designing to create and sell the authentic atmosphere that the castle has but with modern features, to make it appealing to everyone.

What inspired you to pursue a career in hospitality?

At the age of 16 I got a job in a restaurant as a waiter, which is when I originally go my interest in the industry. Then when deciding what kind of education route, I wanted to go down I decided on international hospitality management. I really enjoyed it and the whole atmosphere; it is a unique life that you live within the industry. Every day is different with different guests, different properties that you can work for, and you can do some inspiring things to make the stay for the guest even more unique.

What is your favourite part of your role?

Creating the future of the castle, as that is what we really want to do and is why we acquired it. I think if you can give it still a new identity but respect the past, as we have 450 years of history already here at the castle, it is a great opportunity and is very unique.

What is the best piece of business advice that you've ever received?

Don’t stick to things just because they’ve been done the same way for a long time. Always try to create a new situation and get advice from everyone because people will work in a different way, which always brings something specific and unique to each person.  See if things can be done differently and never just go with the flow as we do every day.  Someone once told me, 'When you step into a company, look at the processes and see if you can make changes to create something magical.’

What does great guest experience look like in your hotel and what makes you truly unique?

Well, I think already the entrance of the hotel is something which creates a very  special feeling with everyone that's arriving as I already said, there is 450 years of history, you can feel it when you enter the estate. You're welcomed in the main hall by our front of house staff members, you get welcomed in the lounge for welcome drink. A very informal check in, and then we guide you to your room.

We make sure everything is appropriate, either the air conditioning switched on or we have the heater already in your room. Then you just can get relaxed, you can even join some hours in the spa and wellness that we have here at the estate, and after you just fresh up and you come here for a great dinner here in the restaurant where we're sitting. Which is a very culinary and gastronomic experience. So, I think it's a whole package, but the feeling that you're at a certain place with so much history, it creates the unique experience for a guest.

Can you share one of your most memorable experiences in the castle?

We have many, but the thing that's stood out is a celebration of 25 years of marriage. The whole castle was private, and we celebrated with a Great Gatsby theme, so everybody was dressed like Great Gatsby, even the stuff members. It was like a whole kind of theatre within the castle. We finished off with a light show outside here in the square right in front of the hotel with a show which is like Tomorrowland and I think that's one of the best experience that we could create for the guest. It was such a special day, because everybody was going into the theme.

Tell us a surprising fact about a hotel that no one knows.

What nobody knows is actually that back in the days, in 1600s, the family from the Cappella owned the castle and they have been the first family, actually, that fought for our democracy. They were against the power of the monarchy in the first and they created the kind of atmosphere to create nowadays, democracy. It started all over here in Engelenburg, so that's something nobody knows, and which is very great to fact to tell

What makes Kasteel Engelenburg special during this time of the year?

I must say it's a ribbon at the facade, which is one of the things that I really wished for when we were arranging all the Christmas decorations, we have so many things that we can add to a certain room, because nothing is fixed so we can change it. It's the warmth of the estate, but also inside when it gets dark outside, it gets cozier inside. With all the Christmas lights around, I think it gives you the Christmas experience you want.

How do you and your team prepare for the festive season? And what does it take to create this atmosphere?

Next to all the decorations that we do, which is a plan that we have every year, we see if we can add things every year. We already start in April with our first Christmas meeting. So, when it just gets spring, we are in a room with Christmas music to get into that feeling again to discuss what we are going to do differently this year to surprise our guests that are coming every year.

So, we start in April, we come up with ideas. Then we go along for some time, and in June we come back to the table and everybody knows, okay, we’re going to do this, this, and this. Then the whole creation starts. I think it has been, I think, in August that we already launch our campaign. So, everybody knows Christmas season will come, and especially in Kasteel Engelenburg. We already send out newsletters. To create that magical experience, we already start way long in the year to start it.

Do you do different decoration, different themes every year?

Not every year, because I think most of them, it's a kind of a colour that we want to have with the castle of because it's authentic. But we have different colours and decoration in most of the rooms. Especially the Spiegelzaal, which is more in a silver tone. The Christmas decoration is with silver, it's like Christmas decorations, and if you go to the other hall, you will see a lot of Bordeaux. The gold red, so what we adapt it to the rooms for the decoration.

What is your favourite room in the hotel?

I must say, I think is our lounge. It's like an Old English style which is very relaxed. If you go there for a meeting or with one of your conversations with your guest or you'r one-on-one with 1 of your team members, you're already relaxed. It’s a whole vibe to have a chat with someone in a room like this. Its very relaxed

What can you guests look forward to when they stay here during the Christmas period are there any special events or activities plans?

Okay, so next to the bed and breakfast that we offer, we do have different courses every month. On Christmas Eve, we serve a 5-course menu. Then, on Christmas Day, we serve a 7-course menu, and on Boxing Day, it’s going to be a 6-course menu. Every day features different dishes. Last week, we did the whole run-through—everything has been created and photographed so everybody knows what to do.

We also have a guided tour of the estate with the landlord. So, I will be guiding guests around here during Christmas, telling them about the history of the castle but also about what you can find outside on the estate in nature. We have a big area surrounding us with the forest, so I take them on a tour.

And then, we also do a special afternoon tea that is truly focused on Christmas, with all kinds of Christmas decorations that you can eat. It’s magical and different every time.

Are there any traditions or rituals among the staff during the Christmas periods?

Well, our Christmas drink, for example, is always something that we do together. But on the other hand we always have on Boxing Day, a cocktail with our regular guests to appreciate them for the whole year that they've been here during Christmas days so that everybody comes along. It's kind of a family feeling. It's always good to do and to welcome them back. 

You have a lot of guests that come back year after year?

Year after year and then they're coming throughout the year during spring to enjoy the golf course, for example or in summer or they just want to be here because they feel like family for us as well. So, they just want to come back and they just call me directly like Andre, do you have availability, sure I will fix something and they pass by.

What excites you most about the hospitality industry right now?

I think the artificial intelligence changes that are already here, but it's evolving so quickly every day will even help us even and more in the satisfaction that we can provide and the expectations that guests have to arrive at a certain property, and I think AI can help us at the estate very it's good and to excel ourselves in services.

How has hospitality industry evolved in recent years? And how has Kasteel Engelenburg adapted to those changes?

I think it has evolved to more fine dining more into hospitality and here at Kasteel Engelenburg, we have 15.5 Gault & Millau points. We really are happy with that score and we want to continue growing with that score, so what we did is we will start with an executive chef here at the Kasteel Engelenburg and we will focus even more on the gastronomy, so that we can go into the fine dining by launching a specific restaurant branding for our castle, which is something upcoming for 2025, it's absolutely. It's going to be on everybody's mind that we are there as a Kasteel Engelenburg.

What is your vision for the future of Kasteel Engelenburg? Are there any plans to renew to expand certain aspects of the hotel?

We have just added spa & wellness to the estate, we still want to update our conference rooms, the terraces outside with the magical view over the golf course and we want to renew the bedrooms so that's something that will be coming up for the coming years. It needs to be a culinary estate where you go to for some days where you have the fine dining, you got like some kind of bistro, spa wellness, you can play golf, so everything will be here and you don't need to leave the estate and you can just relax and slowdown from a rush life.

If Kasteel Engelenburg could host a dream guest or event, who or what would that be?

For Golf it’s going to be like a KLM open or something. As for a dream guest I think everybody is unique and that's how we treat everyone here at the estate, no matter who you are, so I think we don't have a specific dream guest but everybody that wants to enjoy the experience of Kasteel Engelenburg is welcomed, and we would do our outmost best to create and to give the expectation of the guest.

Is sustainability a focus for the hotel, and if so, can you tell me some of the initiatives that you that take place here?

As this is a very old building and a monument, we can’t do everything we might want to because it’s a monument. You can’t change something that isn’t broken, and if it is broken, you need to restore it in the old style. For example, one thing we’re focusing on is adding extra protection behind the windows. Most of them are single glass, so adding protection helps with insulation. I think that’s one of the biggest sustainable things we can do at the moment.

Besides that, we just focus on the main things we can do. For instance, all our garbage is separated. Another example is our wine selection. We only get wine from the European continent, with one exception—South Africa. That’s related to the past with one of the previous owners. But nowadays, we avoid importing wines from far-off places like Australia or Chile to reduce the environmental impact of flying them in.

We also prioritise working with local suppliers. We look to the surrounding areas for their products, which we can use here. So that’s already something we’re focusing on, and it’s a step towards sustainability.

So, you're a regular visitors visitor at the Independent Hotel Show.  What is your favourite part of the show?

My favourite part is to see designs which are showed over there but also to go to different sessions or hear people about their profession about their thoughts of the industry, which brings you new ideas and some new effort to continue for the next day.

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