Whether they would encourage their own children to also work at Hotel Mitland? Danielle (1988, daughter of Frank) and Mats (1990, son of Wim) Plijnaar are very clear. "We don't have any children, but if we ever do, we'll do it the same way our parents did," says Mats. "They never pushed or pressured us, but encouraged us to discover our own interests and explore horizons. That's how I would do it with my children as well and then see where they end up." Not all of the children of the four Plijnaar brothers have chosen careers at Mitland, but Danielle, Mats and Jort (1986, son of Rob) have all found full-time jobs in the company. As general manager, Danielle is responsible for the ins and outs of all departments, Mats is mainly concerned with the operational part of the meeting rooms and Jort (not present at the
interview) is head of technical services. "All the children of our generation, the fourth at Mitland, have had vacation and Saturday jobs here, although most have gone on to do something else
to do," Danielle explains. "I was just 15 when I asked my father if I couldn't do something in the company. I started helping with breakfast for guests at the hotel on Saturday mornings, and over the years I started doing more and more, alongside school and later alongside my studies and internships elsewhere. I also worked in other companies and progressed there. Then I was able to develop further here."
Longer detour
Mats' detour toward Hotel Mitland was even longer, although he too started with vacation work as a young boy, working in house keeping, among other things. "I initially went to the Hotel School, but I didn't like that very much," says Mats. "I switched to CIOS, the sports training program. I finished that and also started working in that profession. Besides that, I was doing things here at Mitland anyway and it became more and more. At one point I had two full-time jobs and that really became too much. I wanted less restlessness and rushing and more overview and regularity and had to choose. So that became Mitland." Danielle also did have doubts about whether she would choose the family business. "The deciding factor was that at another company I was completely repulsed by the atmosphere and disrespectful treatment of the employees," she explains. "I quit there, even though the jobs weren't up for grabs at the time. Fortunately, I was able to start working here, and at Mitland we treat each other in a completely different way." And so we naturally come to the family business Hotel Mitland. What actually typifies such a family business?
Warm atmosphere
"We have short lines of communication, there is hardly any distance between the management and the employees and everyone's commitment is great," Mats concisely summarizes Mitland's characteristic. "We hear so often that there is such a warm atmosphere in and around our hotel, and of course the guests taste that too. We are now a large hotel, but it feels small. You also meet the management -my father and his three brothers- on the shop floor and they are approachable for everyone." The fact that the atmosphere in the company as well as in the family is good certainly does not get in the way of professional dealings with each other, Danielle emphasizes. "We talk to each other daily, even go on vacation together sometimes, but we can very well separate that from business discussions," she says. "Of course it can be difficult to tell someone the truth when you know them so well, but with a little tact we get by. Actually, that just goes really well."
'They are open to new developments'
Moreover, Danielle and Mats realize, their generation can still make good use of the knowledge and experience of the management brothers. None of the four of them still make full working days and are around between five and 15 hours a week, but they are always closely involved in important decisions. "And they are open to new developments," Danielle explains. "We never hear
never: 'we've always done it this way, so we'll keep doing it that way.' As long as we come up with good arguments, they accept them and we make a decision. And then it's done and there's never any whining afterwards." Thus, the fourth generation Plijnaar felt, a few years ago, there had to be a new hotel management system, a so-called Property Management System. "That software system is actually the heart of the business, " Danielle explains. "You can see in it the occupancy of the halls and rooms, where turnover is being made, in which
departments could do better, you name it. But switching to that new system was a hugely radical step, about which the brothers had their doubts." This was especially true for Danielle's father Frank, who is responsible for the finances and did not want to jettison any certainties. "But we discussed it well and used the corona period to
transfer everything over. Fortunately, it all went well and we now enjoy it daily."
And the future?
"We continue to expand and innovate whenever possible, but the most important thing is to keep our product up-to-date," says Mats. "We must continue to excel in what we offer. The quality is rock solid now, our company stands like a house." "And we are very proud of that," concludes Danielle