History of Mitland

Mother Thea had seen bowling alleys, a rather new phenomenon that had come over from America, which Utrecht had not yet reached.

Mother Thea had seen bowling alleys, a rather new phenomenon, imported from America, which had not yet reached Utrecht.

The history of Hotel Mitland, which already spans a century, is inextricably linked with that of the Plijnaar family. They consider 1924 as the starting point of the company's history. This is factually correct, as the grandfather of the current four brothers started a tennis complex at the location where the hotel, bowling alleys, restaurant, and meeting rooms now lie. But even before that, this G.P.J. Plijnaar had operated a concrete tennis court annex tearoom in the immediate vicinity. However, it had to close due to the nuisance that the residents claimed to experience.

Rob Plijnaar (1951) has delved the most into the history of the enterprise among the brothers; moreover, he can add much to the historical facts from his own experience and embellish them with personal memories. Rob still remembers well that Mitland (Match Ice Tennis) at one point had 15 tennis courts, which were intensively used by multiple clubs. “Bert ran the place and especially the bar was booming, whether there was tennis or not, it was always packed. And as soon as it started freezing, we flooded those courts so that skating could take place,” he says. “So it was a win-win situation.” But that success came to an end when in the early '70s, the artificial ice rink Overvecht opened and the municipality of Utrecht also stimulated the construction of multiple tennis courts with subsidies. “So many clubs moved to those cheaper, subsidized courts. Moreover, our courts were below ground level, causing them to flood quickly in the rain. So we lost the skating and largely the tennis as well.”

Enormous fire
Fortunately, mother Thea provided a solution. She had seen bowling alleys in The Hague and Amsterdam, a rather new phenomenon, imported from America, which had not yet reached Utrecht. “By then I was out of military service and after a year at Bijenkorf, I started working here at Mitland, during the period when the bowling was being built,” says Rob. In connection with that construction, a wooden temporary building was erected on the site, which served as a canteen. “In June 1973, a huge fire broke out in that temporary building, which of course was a setback. But together we quickly cleaned up the place and set up a new temporary building so that construction could continue.”

In December of that year, the bowling alley, the first in Utrecht and the surrounding area, was opened; Mayor Van Tuyll van Serooskerken threw the first ball.

Upside-down flower pots as lamps
Due to the enormous investment that the construction of the bowling alley required, the Plijnaar family had to be creative. “It took a lot of effort to get the financing in place and those first years were really tough,” Rob recalls well. “During the furnishing, we all painted ourselves and for the lighting, we used upside-down flower pots as lamps. A makeshift solution, but it looked nice too.” The bowling alley was immediately a huge success, so the company expanded, which came at the expense of tennis courts, which eventually disappeared completely over the years. In 1978, the restaurant was added. This offered the opportunity to combine bowling not only with fondue, gourmet, and stone grill but also to provide buffets. “That bowling alley remains a big hit,” says Rob. “I can't fully explain it, but since corona, the alley has been constantly full again. It must have to do with the atmosphere and the total package we offer.”

'No expensive cars'
By now, all four brothers were working in the company and despite the business running excellently, it was not a goldmine for them. “My mother was very frugal,” Rob recalls. “That meant no expensive cars or big salaries for us and we all lived in a flat here within walking distance, on Karel Doormanlaan, so there were no travel costs either. Everything we earned was directly invested in the company.” In the course of the '80s, the idea arose to expand the business with a hotel ('initially we wanted a motel, hence the long corridor that is still in the building') and in 1986 it was opened. Due to the lack of hotels at that time in Utrecht, the favorable location, and the parking facilities, the hotel immediately attracted many tourists, but also sports teams found and still find their way to Hotel Mitland. “We've had dart players, footballers, hockey players, cricketers, cyclists from the Tour de France and the Vuelta,” Rob lists. “And we are not only close to the city but also to the Utrecht Science Park and the university and hospitals.”

'Keep going'
For now, Hotel Mitland is not finished with further development. There are plans to expand even further ('although space is becoming increasingly limited') and renovation is always ongoing. “When we're done at the back, we start again at the beginning,” says Rob. “We've had quite a few renovations and renewals. And every five to seven years, all rooms are redecorated. Especially in times of recession, you have to do that. No, we keep going.”

On mitland.nl, under 'About Mitland', the history of the company is listed in chronological order with figures, facts, and years