Elegant hotel with mid-century flair, located between downtown The Hague and the sea

De Plesman Hotel / Den Haag / Netherlands

I can understand that saving an old building, giving it a new chance, can be an immense and expensive challenge. Especially when the original building is old and therefore listed. Then the challenge (and the cost) increase even more. But luckily there are people like Bart Dura, a local entrepreneur that decided that this challenge is to be overcome and he decided to upgrade this lovely building and open the elegant De Plesman Hotel.

This powerful brick building was built to house the head office of the Dutch flag carrier, KLM. The founder of the company that today is one of the world’s largest airlines, was Albert Plesman. They moved in in 1939 and stayed until the 1970s when they had outgrown the building. After that it was a government building for some time before it was left empty for years until Dura finally came along. To honor the founder of the company it was decided that the hotel would be given his name, De Plesman.

When De Plesman was created, Amsterdam design studio Nicemakers were hired. It is so funny, when we stayed here, I said to M the husband that the hotel looked and felt like a more grown-up and elegant version of The Hoxton. When I looked into the Nicemakers and looked at what other projects they have done, I found out they have created the design for both the Hoxton Amsterdam and Hoxton Lloyd (also in Amsterdam). I see a family resemblance, and that is a good thing. I think they have done an excellent job with De Plesman. The mid-century look and feel is intact but a lot of modern features have effortlessly been introduced without destroying the heritage. The look is warm where the color scheme is full of pinks, taupes and ochres combined with some deep blues. I especially love the chequerboard wooden floors and the striped, two tone wooden wardrobes. So classy and elegant.

This 102-key hotel is (according to me, how usually don’t love to stay in the middle of the downtown madness) perfectly located, right between the centre of town and the beach. And the best way to reach both is to rent one of the hotel bikes and you will be there in just a matter of minutes. I love when you can first get some city vibe and then to spend lazy hours on the beach. The Hagues is often overlooked as a destination when people are coming to the Netherlands, squeezed between the two most popular ones, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. And this is a shame since The Hague is truly a great place for city weekend. And if you are coming here, you know where to stay, De Plesman.

This magnificent chandelier is hanging in the entrance so it is the first thing to catch your eye as you enter.

M checking out the vast lobby/bar area while I am checking us in.

There is a lot of interesting art work presented in the hotel. I particularly like the work by Jeroen Hofman.

All checked-in and heading up to our room

Our room had a very elegant look and feel.

This was my favorite design element in our room, the two tone wooden wardrobe.

The color scheme is gentle and warm. I particularly appreciate when this is applied in bathrooms. I have never understood why stark white is so common in bathrooms when it is so much more comfortable to be surrounded by softer hues.

Many of the original features have been inspired the aviation industry. The stair case have been inspired by the wing tip of an airplane.

The breakfast is great, so I can recommend to include that in your booking.

Any Dutch hotel worth its name in salt must have bikes to rent or lend.

We used to live in the NL and one of our favorite places for a bike ride is the Meijendel. A long, winding bike path through the sand dunes.

We met these two cuties during our ride.

And when you need to cool off, you just have to climb one of the dunes and the sea is right there.

When you’re back in The Hague and you need to load your batteries, I suggest you go to this area which is one of my favorites. It is called *Zeehelden*.

And my favorite pit stop is Bartine. This is their second outpost in town (there is also one close to the station).

And if you are looking for a great place to eat, I can highly recommend another one of our favorites in town, *De Kade*

M biking back to De Plesman after dinner, through the wonderful *Haagse Bos*.

RG inside info

Date of RG stay:

July 2025

This place is perfect if you…

…are one of those people who appreciates to see old buildings get a new lease on life where heritage is honored and contemporary elements have been infused gently. If you are planning to come to The Hague and want to stay just outside downtown, one step closer to the beach De Plesamn will make you happy.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is the design balancing act combing the past and the present. This is not an easy feat. It could easily tip to heavily in one of the two directions where it risks becoming gimmicky or the opposite, where you ignore the heritage and bulldoze in all kinds of modern features. At De Plesman the mid-century elements are all intact and the design, although it is contemporary, has been carefully added into the mix, without force. And the result is a powerful yet elegant design statement.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to rent one of the hotel bikes and explore the area on two wheels. The Netherlands is made for cycling and the infrastructure is like no other place I have ever seen (ok, perhaps tied with Denmark). My best recommendation is to bike down to the beach and take the route through the sand dunes in Meijendel towards Katwijk and Noordwijk. Stop for a dip somewhere and then return to Den Haag and explore this often overlooked city. You’ll find great cafés, bars, shopping and restaurants all across town.

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Hoxton Lloyd / Amsterdam, Netherlands

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