Category: 101 Happy Hotelier

All you may want to know about Happy Hotelier and his blog

Hello world! Happy Hotelier continues on a new server

Usually this is the first post of a new Blog. I’ll leave it here as a reminder to the fact that I changed server and had to migrate  the blog from one server to another server.

This didn’t go without difficulties. I started WordPress from scratch and exported the content from the other server via an XML export and then imported the content here. I believe this gives me the best result, but I’ve lost my links and categories. Well maybe it is a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity and restructure my whole categories department… some SEO gurus out there would advise me I had far too many categories. I tried it via a database export and import, but in one ore another way that gave constant errors.

I hope that I can easier work with PHP version 5 on this server because that is what WordPress advises. In addition I have more space available now and hope I can re install the translation plugin without going off limit.

Added November 24, 2009:

This is the post I got with the first installation on the new server. Now at least all posts both the last post of the old server the posts added in the first installation and those of the second installationare here. During a certain period of time the installation on the old server remains in place….for if I decide to port some nitty gritty.

Last edited by Happy Hotelier on November 24, 2009 at 11:02 am

Proud 2010 Gault Millau Hotelier

Gault Millau 2010 sticker for Haagsche Suites

Yesterday, as the first of the 5 or 6 prestigious restaurant guides in The Netherlands, the Dutch version of the Gault Millau Guide presented its 2010 awards and 2010 guide with the best 500 and something Restaurants and best 220 Hotels of The Netherlands here around the corner in The Hague. I’m a bit sad I had to miss the ceremony…so near by.

Today I received the sticker proving the Gault Millau editors deem Haagsche Suites worthy to belong to the best 220 Dutch Hotels in their guide. Thank you Gault Millau for the quick service, that even beats the new listings on your own website 🙂

Gault Millau started in France as a restaurant guide in 1969. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault (1929-2000) and Christian Millau. The French site is a mere window for their paper guide.

Yesterday the Belgian and Luxemburg Branche of Gault Millau also presented its 2010 Guide and awards.

I grabbed the following from the Misset Horeca Site:

Plaese note the best restaurant has been awarded 20 points out of 20 which is remarkable in the Gault Millau history. At the same time our Belgian neighbors awarded a Dutchman, Roger van Damme the Chef of the year award for his Antwerp based lunches only restaurant.

Gault Millau’s top 13 Restaurants of The Netherlands:

Points Restaurant City
20 Oud Sluis Sluis
19,5 Inter Scaldes Kruiningen
19,5 Beluga Maastricht
19,5 De Librije Zwolle
19 De Leest Vaassen
18 La Rive Amstel Hotel Amsterdam
18 Chalet Royal Den Bosch
18 De Lindenhof Giethoorn
18 De Bokkedoorns Overveen
18 Parkheuvel Rotterdam
18 De Zwethheul Schipluiden
18 De Leuf Ubachsberg
18 ‘t Brouwerskolkje Overveen



gaultmillau 2010 logo
Two of those top restaurants, Parkheuvel and De Zwetheul are easy to reach for a dinner when staying in Haagsche Suites.

Two other Restaurants Calla’s and Seinpost who also earned good points are even nearer to Haagsche Suites. Seinpost has the best wine food combining sommelier of 2010.

Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland each have their own Gault Millau guides.The US and the UK have their Gayot guides. Gayot was a friend of Gault and Millau and they published joint guides until a schism in 2000.

Gault Millau is said to be the guide of the food purists more than the Guide Michelin….

Nominated for the Dutch Bloggies with Two Blogs!

db-banner500ENG

Because I’m writing my blogs in the English Language – the Dutch Bloggies site is entirely in the Dutch Language – and only about 7% of the readers of Happy Hotelier originate from the Netherlands, I never anticipated any ranking in the Dutch Bloggies Award.

So you can imagine that I’m quite amazed (and a bit proud) the Dutch Bloggies jury has deemed it worthy to nominate not only this blog, but also my significant other blog Chair Blog among 300 blogs for the public voting round of the Dutch Bloggies Award.

As of the moment of publishing this there are only 11 more hours before the public voting round of this week closes and 20 of the 300 nominated blogs will enter the final round.

If you like you can vote here.

Time permitting I will be covering the Award Ceremony as that will take place in The Hague, The Hague being an official Sponsor of the venue.

Self Portrait Chair by Ka-Lai (Dutch Design 49)

selfportrait Chair by Ka Lai
Ka Lai is a designer who just graduated from the Dutch design school in Utrecht:

Based on the personal emotions and sentiments that the designer, Ka-Lai Chan, has experienced. The chair is an expression of the growth of her own personality and character over the past years. With partly organic forms and using a classic black and white leather skin, it brings together contemporary and modern elements.

“In the past I have always found myself to be quite introverted. Often, perhaps due to my social background, I could not let my emotions surface – I didn’t dare show my feelings to other people. It felt like there was something growing inside me which was getting bigger and bigger. I always tended to hide away my personality, but my deepest wish was to be able to open up and just be myself. In part, I see my chair is an expression of this process”

Via Ka Lai

Modrian Cake at the Moma

Mondrian Cake at the Moma

Not published much lately here due to some travel and a very busy hotel. Ah and you might find this blog unaccessible in the coming 24 hours as my hosting company decided to change server. I’m looking forward to it as I hope some glitches are evened out after the change.

Resuming with this nice photo of a Dutch painter Piet Mondrian inspired cake served at Moma and posted by managing Inhabitat editor Mike Chino on Twitpic.

Love this, as Piet Mondrian is tied very much into my The Hague where our museum of modern art has many of his paintings.