March 30, 2021 · Team HG
Pavilion of the Lady The establishment at Lake Paterswold has a new owner. Imogen and Bert Westerhof are handing over the business on April 1st ‘with a heavy heart’. Not because they have to, but because they can.
“No, it is not an April Fool’s joke. And no, corona has nothing to do with it. At least, not directly. “We made this decision because, thanks to the lockdown, we experienced how nice it is to have a bit more free time,” says Bert. After all those years of working incredibly hard, this came as something of a surprise. We were sitting quietly at home, or out and about, and said to each other: ‘Lovely, isn’t it?’‘
The number of wedding bookings has already been rising sharply again in recent weeks, the summer season is just around the corner, and the corona misery will come to an end eventually. Bert: It is not a necessity for us to stop. We have simply started looking at things a bit differently. That process has certainly accelerated due to corona and the lockdown. On the one hand because of the perception of free time, on the other hand because there has been so little perspective in recent months. You want to do all sorts of things, but you aren't allowed to do anything. That doesn't make things any more fun. So then LOETJE when the door knocked again early this year, we quickly reached an agreement.
Again, indeed. In recent years, there has been interest in The Lady more often. Imogen: “Back then, I especially wasn't ready for that yet. I still had a lot of ideas. Now it’s different. Bert recently turned 65, and that makes you think too. Above all, we want to enjoy life. And I think that works even better without De Dame. Especially now that we know we are leaving the business in good hands.”
It is not easy in any case. Bert: “It is your baby, after all. We poured our heart and soul into it, especially Imogen. We opened the doors exactly five years ago. Of course, not with the intention of selling it now, but sometimes things turn out differently than you anticipate.”
The final phase of the sale went quickly. And that is very good, he thinks. Imogen. LOETJE can now focus on the upcoming season. For us, it is now a time to say goodbye and hand everything over as smoothly as possible. The many weddings that are already scheduled will proceed as planned.
And now a free life awaits the two, although Bert Westerhof is still the owner of the Groningen nightclubs Club Kokomo and Ocean 41. Imogen: What are we going to do? We have no plans until the summer holidays. After that, I’ll probably do something else again, maybe even
outside the hospitality sector.”
Naturally, the two are going to miss their Dame. “They were wonderful times with our guests and all our staff. We will look back on them with great pleasure for a very long time. It is a real shame that we can't throw a farewell party now. But to be honest: I think we will still come to the terrace regularly. It will be lovely to just sit back and enjoy ourselves. I am really looking forward to that!”
