A new beginning, implemented in less than three months

Donny Resorts is truly a story apart. For while the sector is increasingly facing the rise of large chains and the smaller (family) hotels are slowly but surely disappearing, the De Panne-based Deconinck family remains a solid rock in hospitality branding. Bruges-based Inside, meanwhile, is child's play when it comes to furnishings and related items within its facades.

On 6 June 1992, Donny Hotel - located on the Donny dune - opened its doors to the first visitors. Meanwhile, it is a good thirty years later and one can already speak of a mini-imperium in De Panne, with Hotel Escale, Hotel Villa Select, Villa Vindini, Hotel Villa Anita, cottage Donny and Novo. Under the collective name Donny Resorts, this company has made a significant contribution to the restoration of architectural heritage. Because that is one of the secrets of this family's success: respect for the history of the property and, by extension, De Panne.

But not only the exteriors of the respective hotels were meticulously tackled, no effort was spared for the interiors and techniques. When eleven years ago, the family's daughter, Xandra Deconinck, and her partner, Matthias Beun, took their first steps in the hotel industry with Hotel Villa Select, Inside from Bruges was approached.

Ian Meulemeester, co-founder Inside: "Eleven years ago we tackled the ground floor. This included a thorough renovation of the lobby, breakfast room, the restaurant, ... After all this time, the interior is still there to be seen and it looks more than clean. I remember that the owners were very happy, so when the three floors and the respective rooms of that same hotel were in need of a refresh - read: stripping and redecorating to the bone - we got another call. Our designer Thomas Vandenabeele immediately set to work with sketches, mood boards and 3D visualisations. No room on each floor is identical, but the same style - including materials - was continued throughout, seamlessly linking up with the existing lobby. And all with timeless class and clean uniformity. For the corridors, the carpets and panelling were given their own colour per floor, so that they now each have a specific individuality and recognisability. Because - design-wise - this was also thoroughly considered. In other hotels, the corridors are sometimes treated as the poor relation; at ours, they get just as much attention." 

"Apart from some improvements to electricity points, the final positioning of each room remained virtually the same," Ian continues. "But otherwise, for this extensive project, we tackled everything from start to finish. Each room was given a complete makeover with thoughtful materials and attention to every detail. As is the case with almost every project, we are the main contractor and select our subcontractors very carefully, which we then follow up tightly. And that pays off. Because in addition to the interior works, we also replaced the lift and gave the technology a thorough update. This used to be done with radiators and a gas boiler, but now heating and cooling is done with a heat pump system. Complete with app, for remote control. And all done in less than three months, after an extensive design phase. The customer was already very satisfied. Not only about the preparation, the design process and the final finish, but also about our speed of approach."