There is all sorts of things happening there, it is buzzing on all sides in the heart of the country." Is Utrecht a bustling city, as that line from a Utrecht folk song suggests?
It is certain that a lot is happening within the hotel industry.
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In their own words, Westra and Pieters are not hoteliers. Well, entrepreneurs. So let's start in the distant past with this story. Young Paul Westra and his brother Olaf started their first own business, called Broers, in 1992. In 1994 they started a new concept 'Havanna' and expanded in Utrecht & Tilburg. A few years later, Westra sold Havanna and kept 'Brothers'.
During that period, he met former mortgage adviser Hans Pieters, a man with similar ideas and expertise. Westra: "I had no idea, but was liquid." Pieters: "I wanted to go into real estate." The agreements that led to their B.V. were succinctly summarized on one A4 page.
In short, a man who had studied law and had a business sense of cafes, restaurants and discos found a partner who came from the world of mortgages and financing. Together they dived into the hotel industry. Why?
Westra: "At the end of 2011, we were in the middle of the crisis. The only way to continue growing was to dare to seize opportunities. Then the opportunity arose to take over restaurant De Rechtbank. Court Hotel was also attached to it. We immediately took that along. 'We'll see where it takes us,' we said to each other."
This is how the development of Utrecht City Concepts began. The combination of historical buildings, hospitality, and distinctive concepts proved to be a strong foundation for further growth. From Court Hotel, Hans Pieters and Paul Westra developed various hospitality concepts in monumental Utrecht buildings: Mother Goose (2014), Eye Hotel (2015), Malie Hotel (2017), and The Hunfeld (2019).
Pieters: "Our core values have always remained the same: Utrecht center, historical, warm, homely, and sustainable."
In the years that followed, the collection was expanded with Utrecht City Apartments, Hilversum City Apartments, and the fully renovated MalieGarage as an inspiring work and meeting location.
As is typical in entrepreneurship, the portfolio continuously evolves. During the corona period, they said goodbye to Mother Goose and Malie Hotel temporarily closed its doors. After a complete renovation, this location reopened in May 2025 as Malie House: a stylish boutique hotel with space for meetings, conferences, and enjoying an accessible all-day menu in a homely setting.
In July 2026, Court Hotel and Restaurant De Rechtbank were successfully transferred to a new owner. This once again created space to invest in new concepts and future growth.