Efteling, a theme park in the Netherlands, has opened its first luxury hotel: Efteling Grand Hotel.
Amsterdam-based studio Heinzel De Vries was commissioned to shape the properties guestrooms, public spaces, pool, spa, and retail areas with a rich interior design. Firm founders Tinka Heinzel and Barbara de Vries envisions a surreal yet sophisticated world that extends the beloved park’s magic into an overnight chapter.
Drawing inspiration from Efteling’s seven decades of history—and with a nod to the cinematic whimsy of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel—the designers worked closely with Efteling’s own creative team, led by Sander de Bruijn, to create a setting where narration and detail intertwine.
Channeling the theme park
The arrival experience is theatrical yet inviting: Burgundy wood-paneled walls, mint-green arches, and black-and-white diamond marble floors offer both grandeur and familiarity. Inside, organic forms, bold color palettes, and authentic materials—like marble, terrazzo, wood, brass—combine in harmony.
Throughout, subtle references to iconic park attractions are tucked into the décor, creating a visual treasure hunt for guests with a sharp eye.
“Designing the Efteling Grand Hotel was an exceptional multi-year journey in which we translated Efteling’s immersive storytelling, through close collaboration with the Efteling’s design team, into a tangible and layered interior experience,” says Heinzel and de Vries. “This project highlights the transformative power of narrative-driven design.”
Guestrooms at Efteling Grand Hotel
The 140 rooms and suites are grouped into four distinct palettes drawn from the surrounding vistas. Green tones echo the Fairytale Forest, while soft reds mirror the Pardoes Promenade.
Organic shapes flow through furniture and corridors alike, creating a visual rhythm that is softened by curves and punctuated by graphic checkered flooring.
Dining as theater
The F&B venues are equally transportive. Brasserie 7, with its deep reds and soft pinks, feels intimate despite generous proportions.
Upstairs, Mystique restaurant and bar, which looks out over the Aquanura water show, is enveloped in midnight blue tones and aged brass accents. Here, velvet, marble, and smoked wood promise to develop character over time, layering the dining experience with patina and soul.
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