History

The construction of the A73 South highway and the purchase of a meadow in the late 1990s heralded the beginning of the Maashof family business. It started as a trout pond and in barely two decades, it grew into a leading hospitality and recreation company in North Limburg with over 70 employees.

1998

The Beurskens family buys a 1.5-hectare meadow zoned for sports and recreation in the village of Boekend. However, there is no specific idea yet to exploit the plot commercially. This arises when son Rob strikes up a conversation with a colleague who is an avid fisherman. Father Jac then decides to build trout ponds.

2000

An ambitious business plan is written and at the same time the meadow is turned into a park-like setting with four large ponds. To provide visitors with food and drinks, a wooden chalet is installed as a catering point. The opening of Trout Ponds Maashof takes place on Wednesday 12 July 2000. Father Jac, mother Maria and the two sons Rob and Jack embark on the adventure together.

2002

The ponds attract many amateur anglers from the region and the German border area. Thanks to the park-like surroundings, other people also know how to find Maashof. Due to the increasing number of visitors, a café is built and a larger terrace is constructed. It is now possible to barbecue by the water.

2006 and 2007

Brothers Rob and Jack have now taken over day-to-day management and are fully supported by on-call staff in the summer. To meet the demand from groups and companies, solexes are purchased and hand archery ranges are set up. There is high demand for the activities combined with a barbecue.

2008

Family business Maashof continues to grow, but is bound by seasons. Rob and Jack also want more continuity in autumn and winter. The arrival of the world garden exhibition Floriade in 2012 brings the idea of hotel rooms to the brothers. The future Floriade venue is a few minutes’ drive from their business and there is still plenty of time to realise the plans now.

2011

After much drawing and calculation work, Maashof’s expansion begins. It doesn’t just stop at the construction of 24 hotel rooms. The existing café will be extended with a restaurant and a meeting room. The new functions will be inaugurated on 1 June. This will make Maashof an accommodation for day and night recreation, as well as for the business market. The number of brunches, dinners, family parties, training courses, meetings, team-building activities and condolences is increasing.

2013 and 2014

Maashof is located in a special place in the woods close to the highway A73 and A67. Access is very good and the wooded surroundings mean guests can walk and cycle to their heart’s content in the area. As a result, more and more people know how to find Maashof. This makes Rob and Jack decide to increase the range of activities on offer. They purchase e-scooters, e-kickbikes and segways. These transport options allow more guests to explore the region. The basement is further excavated to store all means of transport. To properly welcome the growing number of visitors, the existing venue will be extended with a reception area and a conservatory. In addition, hospitality building ‘Viéverhoés’ will be built.

2015 and 2016

The Venlo City Council on Wednesday 29 April approved an amendment to the Hotel Maashof zoning plan. This will allow Rob and Jack to expand their hotel by 31 hotel rooms on an adjacent forest plot. An additional conference and meeting room will also be added. The new hotel wing will be inaugurated in May 2016. On the grounds, a pavilion will be installed at the ponds at the back, serving as an additional catering point.

2017

All the expansions have grown the organisation to over 70 employees. The company has further professionalised and has a technical department, reception staff, marketing department, expanded kitchen team and, of course, lots of enthusiastic catering staff. The daily number of visitors has increased significantly over the years, which is why the car park has been expanded by 50 parking spaces.

2018

Family-owned Maashof has grown into a leading hospitality and recreation company that scores an 8.5 on customer satisfaction among both business and leisure guests. Groups of 8 to 250 people can book a package and people who want to enjoy drinks, lunch or dinner can visit the restaurant.

2019

Rob and Jack want to expand their business one more time. They plan to expand the hotel by 30 rooms and add a sauna and wellness area to make guests’ stay even more enjoyable.

2020

The final hotel expansion, including the sauna and wellness facilities, was completed in 2020. Simultaneously, the hotel bar was refreshed, and a nearby vacant sports pavilion was acquired for potential future activities. For the time being, it serves as overflow space when Maashof’s meeting rooms are fully booked.

2021

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, Rob and Jack decided to upgrade the Comfort and ComfortPlus rooms with Auping beds and renewed interiors, ensuring optimal guest comfort.

2022

With the acquisition of Fit Focus, Maashof now offers high-end sports facilities, allowing business guests to maintain their fitness during extended stays.

2024

In April, Maashof introduced a float cabin, where guests can float in magnesium water at body temperature, experiencing a unique sense of weightlessness in total silence and relaxation. This wellness addition complements the hotel’s offerings. Simultaneously, the entrance, reception, restaurant, and meeting rooms were renovated with input from interior designer Hans Kuijten. The temporarily used, external reception space now functions as a boardroom with a direct view of the pond, adding new meeting capacity to Maashof.