About us
I remember it like yesterday. Well, it wasn’t actually a day, but a year. A hectic 2020!
I had been working at an event agency for a few months, but had been walking around with ideas of starting my own business in a sun-drenched place for some time. And, driven by passion, I said goodbye to my boss. I wrote plans, went to Curaçao with my brothers and visited beach clubs and similar pampering venues. The necessary investments and complex permit structure did not make it all easy… And then, in February 2020 a small but nasty “invader” suddenly arrived, the corona pandemic.
In no time the coronavirus was hurtling around the world and everything and everyone went into lockdown. But my ideas, now somewhat modified, were alive and well. Hospitality… I wanted to make people shine, make them happy, make them feel at home, pamper them. Not with a beach club in Curacao and not with five-star hotels. No, I was thinking of special places to stay. Okay, for now call it apartments, bungalows, cottages, treehouses… Whatever, it’s not about the name!
At least living quarters where my guests would feel completely at home … In places more than worthy of discovery. It was initially rowing against the current. People in corona times were not eager to travel for a short break or vacation. The virus chained many people to their homes, not infrequently going into quarantine. Nor were investors lining up to bring in the capital for the necessary investments. But the stronger the objections seemed, the more opportunities I saw in my concept.
I wanted to bring something beautiful into someone’s life, to see someone smile. And no fantasies can be brought to life with waiting. The perfect timing was just then! ‘And if my concept works in corona time, it always works,’ I said to myself.
Happy To Host You (HTHY) was founded by Iris Verlegh in November 2020. Without much equity, but with help from family and friends. Exactly one residence…
Two homes were added in the spring of 2021. Six months later another three and a year later another three. We are now writing September 2023 and HTHY now has a nice portfolio and works with a great team of more than 10 people. Every booking is managed with care, from the first moment until our guests are on their way back elsewhere. A perfect experience, that’s what it’s all about. But it also looks beyond. Iris and her team want to spread the wings with HTHY: expansion, growth and development … both nationally and internationally. “I would like to be able to offer people around the world a feeling of home with a hotel experience,” Iris says.
Accommodations
Cities
Counties
Satisfied guests
HTHY believes it is important for all guests to feel completely at home and welcome. HTHY is available to its guests 24/7, everyone is welcomed personally and a surprise is waiting for them upon arrival.
To deliver the desired experience, where expectations are exceeded, the team at HTHY is incredibly important. Being informed, friendly, hospitable, enthusiastic, cheerful and accurate are therefore basic traits that are reflected in all teammates and bind our team together. We think in terms of possibilities and no question from our guests is too much for us. That goes for Happy to Host You as a whole make also for each of us individually. Because all of us, are HTHY … all of us make our guests shine! ‘We treat our guests exactly how we ourselves would like to be treated … and then take it a step further’.
Our mission can be formulated with high-flying, rambling phrases, but we at HTHY like to be “down to earth” and are best in our element when we are close to ourselves and our guests’ expectations. We become the benchmark for different and wonderful enjoyment and create lasting memories. We offer the perfect experience for people looking for a destination for a “high value” break or short vacation. Freeing people from worry for a moment, surprising them positively and conjuring a smile, that’s what we are all about! Every single day!
