Through all weathers: the construction of Hotel Bloemendaal aan Zee

Building a hotel in the dunes is not so easy. A long permit process, the tricky supply of heavy equipment and loose sand. A lot of loose sand. In short: a special project that construction company Peter Peters is happy to cooperate in. Commercial director Alexander Schoonenberg and project leader Dennis van de Leemput tell all about the challenges and progress of the Hotel Bloemendaal aan Zee project.

Construction company Peter Peters builds homes, healthcare facilities and schools, and has already helped build several vacation parks. "We have been involved in the construction of Hotel Bloemendaal aan Zee since 2019. From the first sketch design, we were there to help think about the feasibility of the plans," Schoonenberg said. The client of this project is a familiar one: In fact, construction company Peter Peters had previously worked with Inleisure on other projects in Bloemendaal. And so they got to work on this project as well. The construction company is not only working on the implementation itself, but is also directing other cooperating parties.

Weather conditions 

Building in the middle of the dunes is not easy in the Netherlands. There are many permits and, for example, nitrogen regulations involved. To make it somewhat easier, the client bought an existing building in the dunes, demolished it and started building the Hotel Bloemendaal aan Zee. The challenges now are mostly sand- and weather-related. "Of course it blows an awful lot and hard on the coast," Van de Leemput says. "It doesn't matter what material you want to take to the air then: it just doesn't work. As a result, we can't work as fast and sometimes we have to work on the inside of the
hotel start."

In addition, construction must take into account how busy the boulevards are. "We therefore start working as early as 6 a.m. in the morning: we will then continue until 3 p.m. After all, from around one o'clock the crowds of beach visitors start, so we have as little trouble from that as possible." And the supply of large equipment? "With good advance planning, that works just fine."

Special project

The weather conditions and special location make Schoonenberg and Van de Leemput see this project as one of the finest things they have built to date. "It's very special. And it will soon be so beautiful: a lot of attention will also be paid to the interior."

The building has many different shapes, and stone slabs are placed on the outside. "That's all handwork," Schoonenberg explains. "And super-heavy, because those slabs weigh quite a bit. So a very labor- and time-intensive project. But definitely worth it, because it will be beautiful," Van de Leemput adds. The roof of the hotel is also unique, and the untreated Accoya wood window frames provide a
nice look. 

Additional project

The Bloemendaal aan Zee Hotel is expected to open its doors to guests next summer. A catering establishment with additional hotel rooms and swimming pool on the roof, should also be ready by then. "That will be located next to the hotel and should of course be ready about the same time. It will be very special."