Derk Langebeek (29) and Lisa van Esch (29) became colleagues in 2019. Now they are jointly in charge of the management of Van der Valk Hotel Texel-De Koog on the beautiful Wadden Island of Texel.
Derk: 'I'm 4th generation Van der Valk. My parents had Hotel Drachten, where my brother Sjoerd is now in charge. After the hotel school, I worked at various Van der Valk Hotels and Restaurants experience. After that, I ran Hotel Groningen-Hoogkerk together with my brother Stijn. When Lisa came to work as a waitress there, we immediately got along well.' Lisa: 'I also did the hotel school and then followed a part-time study at the teacher training college. During that study I started working in the ministry, where I met Derk. Soon we started hanging out with each other outside of work and got into a relationship.'
Derk: 'We had been together for about 1.5 years when it was discussed that our family could take over a hotel on Texel. That was quite a step for us, but in the end we consciously said 'yes' to this adventure together.' Lisa: 'Unfortunately, I had to quit the teacher training college, because running a hotel on Texel and also following a study was not possible. Now I wouldn't have it any other way.' Derk: 'The collaboration is going well. Every now and then we disagree, but we never have a fight.'
When we're not working, we like to go to the beach
LEISURE
Derk: 'When we had just taken over the hotel, we were working on it day and night. The hotel was always number one.' Lisa: 'We've been there for three years now and there really is a better work-life balance. Our work runs like a thread through our lives, but we don't just talk about the hotel.' Derk: 'If you had told me a few years ago that I would now be living on Texel, I would never have believed you, but we have really found our place.' Lisa: 'We like to go to the beach in our spare time, which is only a 10-minute walk from our hotel.' Derk: 'The work in the hotel always continues. There will also be a new family soon, because Lisa and I are expecting our first child, so we will stay busy!'
Derk: 'There's something special about island life. Guests always tell us how special this place is." Lisa: 'Texel is a real holiday destination, which we enjoy in addition to our busy work. When the island comes to life in the spring and we can enjoy the sea in the summer, we will certainly experience a holiday feeling here as well.'
Rational
