De Plesman

Style

Jet-set pedigree

Setting

Between sea and city

Business fares have been upgraded to first class at De Plesman in The Hague — a boutique hotel set in KLM’s former headquarters in Scheveningen (and named after KLM founder and Dutch aviator, Albert Plesman). Mid-century-inspired decor and a hotel-commissioned art collection propel this hotel’s listed lodgings into a destination stay, bolstered by suitably globetrotting cuisine, a sociable bar-lounge and consummate concierge service. You’ll want more than a layover.

Facilities

Rooms

103, including 15 suites.

Checkout

11am, and check-in is 3pm; both are flexible, subject to availability and additional charges from €25–€30.

More Details

Rates are room-only but you can buy breakfast at Suus restaurant in the hotel from €25.

Also

De Plesman has five rooms that are adapted and suitable for wheelchair users; an elevator provides access to all floors, and there are accessible bathrooms in the hotel’s communal spaces.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Paid laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: 40-inch TV, Roberts Radio, air-conditioning, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, free bottled water and local, natural bath products. Some rooms also have a kitchenette.

Our Favourite Rooms

Light-filled and high-ceilinged, rooms and suites at De Plesman vary more by size and layout than decor or view, plus many have a kitchenette. We’re drawn to the open-plan studios for stays à deux; families will want to book suites with made-up sofa-beds; top of house is KLM founder Albert Plesman’s original office — the Plesman Suite — a sprawling expanse of period features, gleaming russet woods and refined, retro furnishings.

Spa

There’s no spa at De Plesman but workouts are catered for in a state-of-the-art gym, kitted out with Technogym equipment: join one of the group classes or ask ahead to arrange personal training.

Packing Tips

A capsule wardrobe built to flex: city threads will get you so far, but this is also a break where you might want to hop on a bicycle, stroll along a beach or sip mojitos in a shoreside bar way past sunset.

Also

Look up: the original swirling plasterwork on the ceiling at the end of each corridor was designed to resemble a plane’s propellers in homage to KLM.

Children

Welcome: suites come with sofa-beds that sleep up to two little Smiths. De Plesman has six pairs of connecting rooms (speak to our Travel Team specialists), and there are board games to borrow, but beyond this, there’s no specific kit for children.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Dress Code

Let your imagination take flight with vintage tailoring, neck-tie blouses and bauble-like jewels to complement your retro surroundings.

Hotel Restaurant

Named after Albert Plesman’s wife (who helped to broker alignment between unions and KLM bosses with her legendary hospitality), Suus restaurant has yet to open its doors, but we can’t argue with its ethos of ‘good food, done well’ and look forward to chef Paul Dingjan’s suitably international menu of polished plates — rooted in European cuisine, paired with sommelier picks from the hotel’s impressive cellar. Inviting mid-century-modern design (sculptural lighting and furniture, a coffee-and-cream palette and polished-wood finishes) continues into this expansive dining room, which also has its own bar and a mezzanine.

Hotel Bar

As you’d expect from its airline heritage, De Plesman has a strong lounge game: in the pillared Albert Bar & Lounge (named after Plesman himself), mornings bring the café set for leisurely coffees, and as the sun retreats, expect wines by the glass, frothy Dutch beers and classic cocktails. Suus, too, has its own bar — a lively spot for pre-dinner drinks.

Last Orders

Breakfast at Suus is served between 7am and 10am; lunch is from noon till 2.30pm, dinner from 6pm until 10pm. Sunday brunch is from 11am until 4pm. Albert Bar & Lounge is open from 8am until late.

Room Service

You’ll be able to order snacks and light bites to your door from a dedicated menu.

Planes

International arrivals touch down at either Rotterdam The Hague or Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, which are respectively 20 minutes or 35 minutes by road from the hotel and are also served by rail connections to the Hague.

Trains

Den Haag Centraal Station is a seven-minute tram ride from De Plesman.

Automobiles

Go Dutch and skip the need for a car in this city of bicycles and trams, but if you do need to bring your own set of wheels, the hotel has private parking from €25 a day.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

A university city set around canals, parkland and sweeping tree-lined avenues, The Hague, aka Den Haag, has much to offer beyond international justice and border-crossing crime-solving. Mauritshuis tops the museums list, housing an impressive collection of Dutch Golden Age art, including Rembrandts and Vermeers — most famously, the latter’s Girl With a Pearl Earring. For something more modern, the former winter palace of Queen Emma, the Queen Mother now houses over 120 works by the Dutch graphic artist in Escher at the Palace: you’ll find it on Lange Voorhout, a scenic boulevard not far from the Old District and the city’s pedestrianised shopping streets, including storied arcade De Passage. Hire bicycles or hop on a tram to your local beach at Scheveningen, which conjures ‘Dutch Brighton’ comparisons with its broad promenade, mid-century food-and-drink kiosks, amusement arcades, ferris wheel and pier. A little less tamed, Zuiderstrand is an equally wide stretch further south that’s ideal for shoreline strolls along the sand.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .