Roompot Holidays: bungalow parks, hotels and marinas in five countries
Roompot popular among investors and tourists
ZEELAND - As a reporter from the province of Friesland, there was plenty to surprise me during my exploration of the province of Zeeland. I started out from the Cape Helius Beach Hotel in Hellevoetsluis. The hotel itself is located on the shores of the stretch of fresh water known as Haringvliet which is separated from the North Sea by a dam. In the first place I was pleasantly surprised by the neatness and the slick contours of the world-famous Delta area with its dozens of dykes, dams, flood barriers and sluices. When you pass the Haringvliet dam, the feeling of being on reclaimed land, as in the province of Flevoland where you are confronted with the aromas and colours of a landscape on the shores of the IJsselmeer which is less than half a century old, soon becomes mixed with images which come to mind when you take the ferry to the Wadden Islands in the north of the Netherlands. On the way to the island of Noord-Beveland, the home of the holiday accommodation company ‘Roompot’, you pass never-ending expanses of North Sea beaches... …and dunes!
The five star Beach Hotel Cape Helius in Hellevoetsluis is one of the two new Roompot hotels in the Netherlands.
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A dam constructed as part of the Delta Works project (1960-1986) is almost entirely concealed under a landscape of dunes and beach grass. Other things that catch the eye are the perfect signposting and ample parking areas at walking distances from the beaches. Sometimes the beach is less than 50 metres away. It is no wonder that Zeeland is so popular among lovers of sand, sea and clean living. It seems that Germans, in particular, value the cleanliness and excellent accessibility of the province’s many beaches. They, and tens of thousands of Dutch, Belgian and English people stay in the bungalow parks owned by Roompot Holidays which are located in the dunes and hidden behind dykes. In 1965, it was still a small campsite run by the Kortekaas family op Noord-Beveland. Now it is a business specialised in luxury holiday homes with 50 parks, 800 permanent staff and 2,000 seasonal workers. The company’s dramatic expansion, particularly after 1986, is down to the efforts of son-in-law Henk van Koeveringe. This ex-headmaster, who was born in 1949 on Walcheren, which is also where the magnificent provincial capital of Middelburg is located, opted for the rapid, but very well thought-out development of principally large bungalow parks with leisure pools and other all-weather facilities, as well as camp sites, marinas, kidney dialysis centres and also hotels, which are relatively recent additions. The required funding came from private investors at home and abroad and from Dutch limited partnerships. The yield on the investment has been good enough to enable this entrepreneurial family to expand its operations substantially each year. The bungalows are let all year round.
The hundreds of house-owners clearly have a lot of faith in the policy of the company, which was originally a family business which Mrs Ineke van Koeveringe also helped to run and develop.
Photo 1: Henk van Koeveringe, director of Roompot Holidays.
Photo 2: One of the best-known employees of Roompot Holidays is Piet Hamelink. He builds and mans stands at holiday exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad and carries out other PR activities on behalf of Roompot Holidays. He was born and raised in Zeeland and is a member of the PvdA [Labour Party] parliamentary party on Zeeland Provincial Council. As an authority on Zeeland he accompanied the editors of this website during a visit to the islands of Zeeland.
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Extremely neat and tidy
Roompot Holidays is suitable for all kinds of holidaymakers. You can hire a wigwam fitted with hiker’s hut equipment or a five star bungalow, and then everything and anything in between. That includes static caravans, fully equipped tents and hotel rooms with all the trimmings a tourist might wish for. They are all Roompot products with one immediately recognisable characteristic, namely that they are perfectly maintained and extremely neat and tidy. The neatness for which the people of Zeeland have been famous for since the great flood of 1953, during which hundreds of people were killed, seems to be a code of conduct which is needed for survival. And that is really what it is. If you neglect your dykes and fail to raise them in time, you will soon be facing the watery consequences. That is also how Henk Van Koeveringe views the holiday business. The sea is like a tourist in that it is demanding and unpredictable. The marketing and sales department of his business has to be very alert and has to respond quickly to developments and forecasts, particularly when it comes to the weather. The weather is going to play an increasingly larger role. Consumers who like to play safe are tending to book their holidays later and later, and for shorter periods.
Photo 1: The villas and cottages on Buitenhof Domburg (Zeeland, Walcheren island) are top of the range. They are exceptionally spacious and have luxury furnishings and fittings. The five star hotel holiday park not only has an attractive leisure pool but also a health and beauty centre.
Photo 2: Roompot parks have professional sport and entertainment teams.
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Photo 1: Roompot Cape Helius.
Photo 2: Roompot Chochem.
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Convenience
“Modern holidaymakers want to experience a lot in a short space of time. When they arrive they expect to find exactly what they ordered. We are selling more and more ‘convenience holidays’, that is holidays offering lots of convenience and service. Young double income families no longer spend money on caravans and tents. They do not have time to spend ages preparing their holidays. It is becoming more and more unusual for mothers who start packing the caravan two weeks before the start of the holiday. I think the number of camping sites will remain stable during the years ahead. They may even decline in number. Fully-equipped hire tents and caravans are selling well. Camping will continue to be an option, but only on the basis of lots of convenience.”
Core business
The core business of Roompot Holidays is the letting of holiday accommodation and the running of restaurants, leisure facilities and shops. The supermarkets on the Roompot parks are competitive thanks to the application of a single formula and ties with a single large buyers’ cooperative.
“We are still first and foremost a provider of accommodation. However, we have also become a provider of holidays. Modern clients want holiday accommodation with lots of added convenience such as bicycles, horses, swimming pools and a lot more besides. Nowadays we have to take account of countries such as Turkey and Spain which have become major competitors. In concrete terms this means lowering prices and increasing quality. In the old days we had to compete with the tourist industry on the Wadden Islands. Nowadays, tourist organisations around the world are our competitors. That is why we need to become a global company. And that means investing in growth in order to guarantee continuity and to become attractive to a major partner in the long term. After all., I won’t be around for ever.”
Veere, and particularly the market square with its attractive pavement cafes and stately buildings is a 'must' for people on holiday in Zeeland.
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No degeneration
There are no residents’ associations on the parks run by Roompot Holidays. Van Koeveringe considers such associations to be very risky for business. He determines policy, and not a club of individuals who would bring disaster to a park and all its magnificent facilities. There are plenty of examples of how things can go wrong.
“We hold consultations with each individual owner. Although that requires a lot of work, it enables you to make clear agreements quickly. We have a transparent sales and letting policy which is a proven success. The degeneration which often affects other caravan parks is something that does not happen here. Each purchaser signs an agreement stating that he will buy a new caravan after a period of 12 years. There are numerous examples of once beautiful parks which have completely gone to pot due to ageing caravans. These parks then start to attract less wealthy clients and this, in turn, results in facilities not being updated and kept up to standard.”
The 17trh century town hall in Middelburg on the marketplace [Markt], which dates from 1452.
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A link with the locality
Roompot Holidays does not allow permanent residents either. The circulation of residents is key to how the parks are run. Each week sees the arrival of new residents with new spending power. This is essential to keep the expensive facilities operational and to maintain life in the nearby villages.
“A typical feature of Roompot parks is their relationship with the locality. We consider the area around the park to be as important as the park itself. Our parks are therefore always located in an attractive area close to charming towns and villages where there is plenty to see and do. Our visitors eat and do their shopping outside the parks. The establishment of an Roompot park is much more beneficial to the trades people of the local village or town than a fenced-off park that people barely leave during their holiday. We work closely with local people and businesses and that is why we provide as much tourist information as possible. Our Tourist Shops, like the one opposite Middelburg town hall, are very well-equipped information and booking agencies.”
Zoutelande.
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Outside Zeeland as well
Roompot is the largest provider of holiday accommodation in the province of Zeeland. Since 1999, the company has also been operating elsewhere in the Netherlands, including in Volendam. There, a brand new resort has been established comprising 300 holiday homes, a hotel, a restaurant, shops, a swimming pool, overnight camping plots, a marina and a parking area for coaches. The parking area is for coaches bringing day-trippers which, from now on, have to park on the outskirts of the village. Marinapark Volendam and Cape Helius, which also offers luxury holiday homes, a hotel and marina but then on the island of Goeree Overflakkee in the province of South Holland, are also top-quality holiday parks.
Friesland
Roompot Holidays also has holiday homes in the province of Friesland. Henk Van Koeveringe talks of the Wadden Islands as being “competitors of Zeeland. They have an exotic feel to them. When you are on the ferry, you feel like you are leaving the Netherlands, and everything else, behind.” The Roompot boss believes that one advantage that Zeeland has is that, if you are coming from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia or Belgium, you can reach the sea, sand and sun more quickly and more cheaply precisely because there is no need to catch a ferry. In addition, Zeeland has a lot more amenities for children and more enchanting towns and villages. The Roompot parks in Zeeland therefore tend to attract lots of young families with children.
Germany
Of course, a global company has to keep an eye on what is going on across the border. Ferien- und Golfresort Cochem has been established in the German town of Cochem, on the banks of Moselle. Moreover, Roompot is now offering bungalow accommodation in a complex similar to Center Parcs in the Hambachtal, near Oberhambach, not far from the roman city of Trier. Who knows, it might not be long before you can arrange an Roompot holiday in France as well. The boss, in his capacity of scout, already has a holiday home there.....
Cochem, Germany.
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Info: www.rpholidays.nl
