Dolf Jansen's hotel speech
Presenter: We have a longer programme than other times, but you know, you will be rewarded. Finally, the wait is for something that is always a banging end to this day. We once started the tradition with Jort Kelder, who did an excellent job, but after that it only got funnier. And today, I also have high expectations. Because it is now time for the popular part: the Hotel speech. The man of 6 million words per minute. Cabaret artist of the first hour, runner, radio producer, Pinkpop presenter, Lowlands legend. Anyone who doesn't know him doesn't get out enough. It is none other than: Dolf Jansen.
Dolf Jansen: Yes, thank you. Good afternoon, I'm Dolf. How are you? Good? What an atmosphere. Right? I'm going to tell you, because I was already 10 minutes backstage during that award ceremony. And the guy next to me who was head of the confetti cannon and he only had to do one thing: set off the confetti cannon during the award ceremony and it didn't go off. So my afternoon is already so successful. I am really happy to be here. Really. It was like erectile dysfunction, only as big as what it was. Dear people, I am Dolf and I was just announced as, “It once started with Jort Kelder and it only got more fun after that”. I don't know if that's a good announcement. Because after Jort Kelder, everything is more fun, let's be honest.
Dolf Jansen: It started with Johan Derksen and after that there was only more content. Anyway, I'm happy to be here. I've been in here for a few hours now in this beautiful venue and it's seriously true. I do come to speak somewhere quite often, venues like this and other venues. And what happens to me here is really a wave of hospitality and I mean that seriously. Everyone I speak to looks at me as if they are just happy to see me. And I understand that's your business, I understand that. But then again, it's really true. I came in. It was typhoid weather outside. I am a traveller on public transport. I was immediately handed a towel from the purse of... You never get a towel anywhere. Normally they ask: what are you doing? And fuck off.
Dolf Jansen: But here you feel what this is, this is your work, I know, but it is really wonderful. I got part of the programme, not all of it, but I want to say a few things about it. You are here, that is what it is all about. About 50 people are not here today. I'm told that's because of the flu. That's possible. And you know flu you always, always get from your guests. So it's really the guests' fault that there are fewer people present. Because when I came in, the screen said: future ready hospitality, connecting with Gen Z and Alpha. Then I just know I'm in place. That's nice to know. I have no idea what it's about, but I read it and then I came here on stage.
Dolf Jansen: Thijs, that was that young man from the fair, I gathered. Surely there was a very happy young man from the fair standing there and he literally said the sentence: my mother is a mortgage broker. Let me put it this way that doesn't strike me as an ideal opening line in the café if you want to get laid. Anyway, and your wife thinks otherwise. Anyway, at least then I know what to say to her. Next came Justin. Justin, I'm definitely going to talk about that. Well listen, I'm happy to be here again. It's an honour. I do it quite often. Not often. But you know, very sometimes there are organisations that can pay me then. I'm surprised, though. I mean that seriously.
Dolf Jansen: I am surprised you booked me, though. Let me explain why. Over the past 25 years, I have regularly stood in halls and I will just list what I normally speak for. That's why I was quite surprised to be asked here. I have worked for Crédit Lyonnais, for Lehman Brothers, for Fokker, for DSB, for Philip Morris, for Volkswagen Diesel, for NAM, V&D, Perry Sport, Boeing, Intertoys, Coolcat, the UWV, the NS, ProRail, the Tax Authority, the trade association of mink breeders in the Netherlands, Tata Steel, Parkmobile, Babboe cargo bikes: very nice times. Van Moof, the Floriade. Let me put it this way: if I also had to deal with the NPO, I would never be booked again.
Dolf Jansen: But you booked me and I am really happy about that. It's really heartening to be here. I was also really happy that there was an extensive supporting act. Not just all those handouts and people running around with a clicker. But just other things too. The important speakers for me were: Justin, Jos and Justin. I think if those also made songs, I knew a nice name for them. Thank you. Just hook up at my pace and we can all get through. I didn't hear it all, but I understood that Jos had a positive perspective of the youth. That's heartening, isn't it? And the role, the more positive view of the future, the role of youth.
Dolf Jansen: I'm too old to be Gen Z myself, but I don't think I'm a boomer either. So what are you anyway if you are of my age? You look at me, how old are you then? I am 61 and indeed you wouldn't say that. But what are you actually? Does anyone know? Piece of interaction? What do you say?
Audience: A boomer.
Dolf Jansen: A boomer, though. U? Well, you are also a boomer and you recognise me, right, from the target group. Well, then I am a boomer. Doesn't matter to me, but I wanted to know because I was told it wasn't right. I myself am 61 and that's what it is you know. And in the end I am still standing. Justin was from TikTok right? I myself have a recent experience with TikTok. Just very briefly, one question to you: who's into superfoods? Who believes in superfoods? Strange question. Who? You can just talk to me or raise your hand. It is a man taking photographs, me now in the middle of the room. He's from the probation service. He must surely know where I am. Then he can share that with his supervisor.
Dolf Jansen: But for whom? Is anyone into superfoods? Or do you eat at all? Thank you. One lady the... Are you afraid of me? What the fuck is this? There are a lot of you. I weigh 61 kilos. What are we talking about? If you exhale, I'll lie in my own screen. Shut up man. So there's one lady you... super. You know superfoods. Well I will explain it to you. They are things you believe in. Yes, I have an example. Earlier this year I spent quite a long time on frozen blueberries from... Oh no, now suddenly they know. And for the record why I'm telling. I was on frozen blueberries. It wasn't really because of the superfoods. But there was a TikTok Challenge. You look at me, what's that then?
Dolf Jansen: Well, Let's say the moment I sat naked in front of a camera with a funnel in my mouth and a kilo of blueberries, I did start to wonder if it was a good choice. Anyway, later you find yourself in the Beurs van Berlage, but the frozen blueberries had a problem. These were infected with hepatitis A, which I find strange, because with frozen blueberries you would expect hepatitis B. Anyway, apart from that, you all know, when you have frozen blueberries if you use the abbreviation... Yes, that's the BBB, right? So I think... You're a really nice venue, but it's just a lot of reverb. And no, I think let me put it this way, I think you know, there was a whole story. Albert Heijn had blueberries and then there was hepatitis A on them because some Polish picker, they had done a shit and it had got on those berries.
Dolf Jansen: Is annoying, especially for you. But apart from that, I don't believe a word of that. I think it is a ploy by Caroline van der Plas to put the Polish agricultural sector in a bad light. I think so don't I? This is a whole story of hepatitis A and poop. I think so. Just look at The Farmer Civil Movement. Do you know those too? Yes, I know those too. I'm going to mention one name, the number two of De Boer Civic Movement. I don't know how I came up with it. That's Henk Vermeer. Yes, and Henk Vermeer is the financial miracle of De Boer Civic Movement. And I find that funny, because Henk Vermeer did the bookkeeping for the Blokker for years. Yes, the Blokker.
Dolf Jansen: Apart from that, I find that funny and I love doing this. I think it's so much fun to speak for you, you know? Because normally I don't get into your hotels, but I really enjoy it. Back in December, I spoke for the Blokker. Normally I do what for companies I do a kick-off party right? Do you have a new project? Then you get the whole staff together for a kick-off party? And then you get a new mouse pad and carry on with that, that's what it is. But at Blokker it turned out to be a fuck-off party, I didn't know that either. But what staff it was the last day. And what I didn't know either. I spoke for Blokker, and I do so out of love for the company, but also kind of for the money.
Dolf Jansen: But Blokker was already bankrupt, so I ended up getting paid. I got: a colander, two washing racks and 160,000 Douwe Egberts points, so I'm really happy to be here because I'm just hungry. Anyway. And so after that came this other Justin. That's what I was talking about, who talked about future-ready hospitality right? Thank you very much. He's the only one answering. Everyone else is already fat. What the fuck, but anyway. No. Justin talked about. He explores the impact of Gen AI on different traveller types and was touted in your programme as a must-see for anyone who wants to be ready for the future of hospitality. A good sentence, right? No idea what it says. I really don't. But in proper Dutch, it's fucking interesting bro. But the nice thing about Justin, because I was there.
Dolf Jansen: Totally got it Justin, who was part Canadian and part American. That's the only one who wants to say that within his own body, yes, import tariffs should be levied. I find that funny. Really. And there was another one standing there. You didn't see all of it, but I'm paying attention, because he also had all these slides and then they didn't work. But that's not the point. Strikingly on one of the slides was really literal. Do you know what they were? Travellers, they had spoken to travellers. Those are people who yes, and then someone literally said You know such a quote and they literally said, “I see myself as a traveller more than as a tourist”. And then you can say but we decide that anyway. Fuck off.
Dolf Jansen: Yes, a quote: “I see myself is a traveller more than as a tourist”. I wrote down, “I see myself more as a cover model for Men's Health than as a skinny guy looking hungry”. But that doesn't mean anything, does it? Fuck off. And one more. That whole story of his. I didn't catch it all because I was lost. But at one point... it was about the OTA. I don't know if that's what. What does OTA mean, is the abbreviation right? What is OTA? Sorry. Online Travel Agency. Thank you. There is one person who is just the... Thank you. Love! Oh, I didn't know either. I wrote it down. OTA at OTA as Online Travel Agency I really did know. It literally said as a commendation, “everything is gonna be good”. Well, I would love to book that for my relationship too.
Dolf Jansen: If that is possible. Do you feel what I mean. And then there were three pitches and there were no women among them and I think that's a shame. I really think that's a shame, because I see a lot of women. And women, they just have talent. I hadn't written anything else on it, because I assume. Okay. Piece of sustainability-I'll come back to that when I have time. Then there was someone trying to sell VR glasses to you. Really, even with a confetti gun which doesn't work, but that's not the point. And then you have a VR. I don't know what such a thing is called. A VR thingy right? And it walks around and it's Manuel or some such name and at a certain point, while it's explaining how to keep things clean, it says: time to flush the toilet.
Dolf Jansen: Well, I think if you need a course for that, then you really... I can do that without VR glasses, fuck off. What I think would be fun is if you put VR glasses on all your guests when they come in. That you just have some dilapidated cabin, but they think they're in a five-star hotel, see. Yeah, I find that useful. And geez, what a load of crap. Well, listen, so I'm happy to be here and I didn't win a prize, but if the confetti cannon still goes off, I'm out. Let that be clear. I'm happy to be here. And why am I talking about it? Normally when I speak, yeah, I don't have a support act. And here I just had a fucking pre-programme of three speakers, two award ceremonies and a refusing confetti cannon. That's what I think. But then I realised where we are.
Dolf Jansen: We are here, at the Beurs van Berlage. And the only time this is really true, the only time in my career that I ever had a support act was at the Beurs van Berlage and part of you doesn't remember the rest. I'm going to tell you anyway. About seven or eight years ago there was the Correspondents Dinner here at the Beurs van Berlage. That was the prime minister at the time. That was Mark Rutte. That one was an impersonation. Normally I do a bicycle and an apple, but that was too much hassle. Mark Rutte has been your prime minister for a very long time. He has no active memory of that himself. But you are now going to finish my sentences. As if my wife is with me. But apart from that, I was... Maybe you remember. About seven or eight years ago, Mark Rutte was, very briefly... Mark Rutte was my supporting actor.
Dolf Jansen: Mark Rutte, your prime minister was here, he spoke and I was the comedian on duty. In front of the full Dutch viewing audience, I was allowed to roast him afterwards. Which I did and which in no way affected his career. But one memory of that. Mark Rutte was my support act. Listen carefully, what happens is this: Mark Rutte was then working from the VVD with the SGP. And maybe you know the SGP that could be. SGP is a fairly strict Christian party where actually no woman has ever won an award. Well, the SGP needed, Mark Rutte, needed the SGP. I'm talking about about eight years ago to get a majority in the Senate. We now also have a cabinet which needs that.
Dolf Jansen: But if they had even one good idea, they might actually succeed. But apart from that, Mark Rutte needed the SGP. And then people asked how can you as a liberal... I'm sure there are VVD voters here. I'm not going to ask, but I recognise them. Listen. Then they asked Mark Rutte: how can you cooperate with the SGP, which is of the black stockings, etcetera. And then Mark Rutte literally said about the SGP: “The SGP is a congenial club of people with interesting ideas”. And that is a golden phrase, because it means nothing. The SGP is a likeable club of people with interesting ideas. Yeah, he gets away with it, doesn't he? Fucking teflon.
Dolf Jansen: The SG... If you say about the SGP, “A congenial club of people with interesting ideas”, you could also say about the Ku Kux Clan, “That's a very close-knit group of friends, with a distinct choice of clothing and lots of outdoor activities”. Yes, factually it is true. And now they are reigning in America, but that's a long story. But what I wanted to tell you, that's no joke. Listen, I could also have come up and done like this, right? Old Germanic friendship greeting. No, okay, never mind. Yeah I'm not making it up, they're the boss there aren't they? I mean, you are still in freedom, here in America you just have absolute idiots. You understand what I'm talking about? Elon Musk and the like, they are the boss over there huh. OK, listen, we are here in Amsterdam and maybe you like that, maybe you find that scary.
Dolf Jansen: This is, of course, a city of mass tourism. I walked here from the railway station. Typhus weather, isn't the point. We are really in the middle of mass tourism and maybe you like that. So what you have is syrup waffles. You have the so-called TikTok queues. You have an abundance of people who regularly speak a language where even Frans Timmermans and Ivo Niehe think: I have no idea what you're saying, Joseph. Crowds everywhere. Taxi drivers? Yes indeed. Amsterdam taxi drivers with an idea all their own. Of the quickest route to a specific hotel. The weed smells that are so thick in many places that all you have to do is inhale twice and you're already stoned. No need to go to the coffee shop anymore, right?
Dolf Jansen: And near here is also the red light district. I didn't know that, but the organisers of this afternoon, did. And the nice thing about the red light district, apart from the fact that I never go there, because I don't have time for it. Amsterdam has had one big discussion. Amsterdam, you know, an important city, had to have an erotic centre. You may know that. The last two years discussion in this city. Erotic centre and a lot of people come to that. And the discussion was mainly where should the erotic centre be? I want to say two things about that, one: at one point, a few places were mentioned in Amsterdam where the erotic centre could come. And some neighbourhoods were not happy about that.
Dolf Jansen: Among others, Amsterdam-Zuid. If you are an Amsterdammer, you know Amsterdam-Zuid is a bit of a popper. Yes, and Amsterdam-Zuid, which didn't want an erotic centre. I already thought that was funny. Then I would do it right there. But it's not about that. It's about the residents of Amsterdam-Zuid. They were not happy about the possibility. So I cycle through Amsterdam-Zuid at one point, a year and a half ago. You may know the Van Baerlestraat? And those people were so angry, they had banners hanging on their facades. Those people do have a house, unlike the rest of Amsterdam. They had a banner hanging on their façade and it read, among other things, as an angry protest against a possible erotic centre: “Fuck you in the Red Light District”.
Dolf Jansen: Which I like the phrase. I got off my bike and called upstairs, “Speak for yourself, Floris-Jan!”. I just find that... That's a fine phrase. But what happens is this: last summer there was a debate further up here in the Stopera City Council and it had to be decided, where will the erotic centre be, but what happened then? Short anecdote, everyone was there, so the mayor, the aldermen, the officials, the whole council. Because it had to be decided where will the erotic centre be? Last year I talked about it a few times when I played somewhere in the Netherlands and then you often play in more rural settings. At the beginning of your tour, smaller venues is okay, right? Air of acid manure, no point.
Dolf Jansen: And people looked at me. Dolf, what is an erotic centre? And now I often explained that to my rural audience. An erotic centre is where you go after a day at the agricultural RAI. That's a... Pretty clear description. And then they were nodding and knew what I was talking about, which I find very funny. The spot that was finally decided on, by the way, is about 300 metres from the RAI, so some thought has been put into it, because then you can enjoy watching tractors all day and afterwards for a while... and you're still home for dinner. Well why I tell it is: there was a lot of discussion in the council further on. Because where should that be, and who is for, who is against and during that debate, I'm not making anything up, debate about Erotic Centre, important for tourism, but also for your industry.
Dolf Jansen: During that debate, sounds rang through the sound system. What was happening, the mayor, the councillors, all the officials, the city council. One of the people who spoke inspiredly and then over the sound system, I'm not making it up, “Ah”, that sound. So the speaker interrupts himself. Who thinks: I hear sounds, but okay, the moment he stopped it was gone, so he was talking again. Inspired story. “Ah, ah, ah”, that. To which the mayor literally said, Femke Halsema literally said, “I hear noises I think it's good”? There was no denying that. I hear noises. And then she literally said, “It sounds like snoring”. I find that funny. Because the rest of the council asked, “Then I am very curious what your sex life sounds like Ms Halsema”. But I didn't want to tell them that at all.
Dolf Jansen: I wanted to tell something that is really true. Very personal. I may stand here once and then they will call Jort Kelder again. Listen. That I am here is thanks to your sector, to the hospitality industry. Let me explain. I have a father and a mother. I really come from an old-fashioned family. Two genders, that's all you need. Listen, my father, I'm really going to tell you. My father did the Higher Hotel School in the mid-1950s. Yes, my father did an internship at the Prinsenhof in Delft, which was really a serious cabin back then. And eventually he went to work in Heidelberg in Germany for the first part of his short, long hospitality career. We're talking about the mid-1950s, my father. But now it gets even better, because my mother is from the Irish west coast.
Dolf Jansen: My mother also got an education. You could just do that as a woman in Ireland. Then she came to work at a hotel in Ennis in County Clare. That was called The Old Ground and then she was allowed to do a period exchange, a hospitality exchange. And where did she go? To Heidelberg in Germany. So the fact that both my father and my mother were working in your wonderful industry determined that these two people from the Irish west coast and from fucking Overijssel met in Heidelberg in Germany, bumped into each other. Yes, that got fucked, you understand. No, you didn't have that back then. They eventually got married in 1959. And now? What is it fucking, 66 years later, because they have procreated, I am now standing in front of your industry speaking.
Dolf Jansen: Do you understand my emotion? Do you understand how happy I am that this happened? I don't know who is having sex with all of you, but it's really important. Well, what I have been told, you are from chains and the big hotels and small hotels and boutique ho... Who is from a small hotel, just for me, because I have no idea who you are, who is from a small hotel? You are from a small hotel, where?
Audience: Close to Leidseplein.
Dolf Jansen: Nearby? Near Leidseplein. OK, and what is small?
Audience: 22 rooms.
Dolf Jansen: And what is it called?
Audience: The Backstage.
Dolf Jansen: The Backtage, yes I know that one. That's next to Bellevue, on the canal. Right, where all the bands I used to see in Paradiso and the Melkweg always went to that Backstage hotel.
Audience: All signatures are on the wall.
Dolf Jansen: All the autographs are on the wall. Most are dead now, are rock'n roll. But what fun man! Wonderful! Any other small hotels? Thank you. Nice story, others yet, small hotels? You only have fear I feel. I'm not scary huh. I'm just curious. Okay, there are also people with a family hotel that seemed tough too. A family hotel, where?
Audience: In Amsterdam, a Van der Valk hotel.
Dolf Jansen: A Van der Valk hotel. So that's the Van der Valk family. Right... I could already see you looking from one more comment and we grab it. But no, Van der Valk is one of my favourite hotels with a toucan. But you are. Are you all also really from family Van der Valk? Right and that's the cold side. How nice! Hadn't I at all... What fun! Because when I think of Van der... I mean when I think of a family hotel I think of a family that has a hotel. But you also just have the fucking Van der Valks right? That's a serious family, right? And these days they just pay taxes. Well what I was going to say... Just kidding. No, I'll explain to you why I asked. I think of a family hotel as a you know a... Okay. My father once had the idea in the 1970s to take over a hotel on Terschelling and he would run it together with my mother and my mother made the statement at the time: “If that had happened I would have beaten him to death in 1976”.
Dolf Jansen: Isn't that wonderful? And then I can imagine, I shouldn't think of running something with my family. Can I sum that up... Do you guys feel what I mean? I think one Christmas dinner is really the max that you spend together. But the idea of running a hotel together. Anyway, you really did it with great success. Wonderful, really. But I'm going to skip this one because I've written down way too much. Ah, golden stories. So my father has always worked in the hospitality industry and also here at the American Hotel on the... American Hotel is it still called that? Well, yes, I have no idea. Maybe I'm talking from far too long ago. Is on Leidseplein. Around the corner there is a very nice, at Backstage, beautiful hotel, American Hotel.
Dolf Jansen: Yes is one of my favourite hotels that just does say something. But so what it is, that was my past. And what I do in the meantime is then travel around the country and I was also asked: Dolf, do you have any experience in the hotel industry? And the crazy thing is, and it's really annoying. The crazy thing is that you, you usually remember the things that, how shall I put it, that turn out differently than you intended. Do you understand what I mean? I'll give an example of that. Or two, maybe. For example, I was in the Winterswijk region. You know... Are there people from the Winterswijk region? I heard... Okay, well, I wanted to explain why. Right? Like. You point to where Winterswijk is. Yes, I know, just that way.
Dolf Jansen: Thank you. I don't need to go there, but I have no idea. Still think it's sweet that you just say a random plate. Nieuwegein? Yes, secretly, right? That man: some kind of geographical autist. Well what I wanted to say. Still nice that you say a name and that man points right you should go that way. I have no idea. Maybe he's just bullshitting. Then I'll go all the way, right? OK, I'm going to tell you how I got to Winterswijk. I am a train passenger, because despite my success in venues like this, I just travel by train. I'm a very ordinary guy, yes. And I had to go to Winterswijk, this is really true, I also had to go to Winterswijk recently for... to speak for something. Okay, I'm a train passenger. I live in Utrecht.
Dolf Jansen: There you have an intercity to Arnhem. I don't know if you know Arnhem or you know Arnhem station? Arnhem station? That's an improbably unnecessarily large station for the city of Arnhem. I respect Arnhem. Truly one of the most beautiful cities in the Nijmegen region. But apart from that. I feel the tension, so nice. Listen, I had to go to fucking Winterswijk, so I take the train to Arnhem right? That makes sense. And then you arrive. Perfectly on time, man. Intercity. I arrived at station 1A, just on platform 1A, which is okay. But so what I didn't know is Arnhem has had a new station for about ten years now. Which is so typhoid big you think, why? Because I arrived at platform 1A, perfectly on time, but I had to go to Winterswijk.
Dolf Jansen: That... That was a coach that turned out to leave from track 22B, so I had to go from track 1A to 22B. That turned out to be a distance of 800 metres. Yes, transfer time: two minutes. I'm the only one who made it to that train, I wanted to tell you anyway. I don't know why, but then I came... this is really true. I ended up in Winterswijk at some point late at night in a beautiful hotel. Not. I don't know. What happened to me there was this: there was a group of men, were all men. Those, I don't know what that is. Who had a meeting there and what they were doing. And maybe you know it from your own industry. What those did was with bottles of champagne and a sabre. Knocking the head off a bottle of champagne. That's a hobby. You look at me. You're making this up. No. Is there anyone who knows this? What is it called? What are you saying?
Audience: Sabring.
Dolf Jansen: Sabring. Why? And my question to you. I come in, I have been playing, I am broken. I enter somewhere. There's about 30 men sitting there, slightly tipsy, all with a sabre. I don't think that's a good combination. Those are standing with fucking bottles of champagne. Why? Why not just take the cap off? What is it? What's the idea? Something about tradition? That would be a perfect catch phrase for The Farmer Citizen Movement. Something with tradition and manure and nitrogen. Some good. People know me, because I came on TV and shit, so I had to join too. I sabre-rattled. I got... There were also two injured, but also head off. But those are the things you remember. Other thing.
Dolf Jansen: Much longer ago, I was in The Hague with Lebbis and Jansen at Diligentia for a few evenings and then my technician had decided: we will stay overnight there. Who had booked a hotel near Hotel Hollands Spoor. That was a hotel and two things stood out one: the sheets were all plasticised, removable. And two: they asked why we wanted to book a night and not by the hour, so then you know roughly. Well, some of you recognise that, which is at least very nice. And it was about a number of things and one of the things I want to talk about myself, but what it was also about here was: sustainability. And that of course also in your industry of paramount importance.
Dolf Jansen: And I heard from numbers and things that were also mentioned that sustainability is paramount. That you also believe that. That you are also working on that. And yet I want to say one or two things about that. Because let's put it this way: I assume that you are somewhat or to a great extent concerned about climate change, climate crisis, sustainability, etcetera. I am assuming that. And if you don't, then it's time you did. Let me give one example. I follow science. That is a very, very old-fashioned concept. And science proves in every way that major climate change is happening. Then you can say yes, but in our industry bladiebla. No, that's going to affect everything.
Dolf Jansen: I will give one example. There are people who say yes, sea levels are rising, but I don't know how much and for how long and all that shit. I don't know either but I follow the science. And sea levels are rising. Yes, that means big implications for everyone. And if you think is sea level really rising? Yeah, okay. Do you know what the most popular boy's name in the Netherlands is? That's Noah. Okay, listen up. The weather is getting more extreme. Yes, that affects everyone. Yes, if you have a hotel in a city and there are going to be fucking wildfires or mudslides, that's pretty bad for sales. Do you understand what I mean? The economic damage of the already ongoing...
Dolf Jansen: Climate change is so big that is unfathomable, especially for men in America. With a red tie, a small dick and a thick black marker to draw the cries. They have no idea about that and they just deny reality. But we are in the middle of that and I believe that. I sincerely believe that big changes are happening and I also sincerely believe that it is therefore of paramount importance for your industry as well. Yes, we live in times where drill baby drill is more successful than just thinking about the generations to come. That worries me and I also believe in your industry that anything is possible and anything... I don't know what you are doing about sustainability. It was talked about that is important and I am sure you are doing things. And I wrote down.
Dolf Jansen: You can do more than some solar panels on your roof and sustainable towels, right? You can do more than a so-called grey water system. Of course, it is possible... So-called grey water and ordinary drinking water, separate that and then you don't use drinking water for things you also use water for. I'm going to tell you one thing about that. It was talked about in politics. You could introduce that system in the Netherlands that you have grey water and drinking water. Then we wouldn't have a lot of drinking water wasted on, let's say, the things we use. Yes, and then came Barry Madlener. Who is minister of the PVV. He is minister of yes, how shall I put it, minister of Schiphol and 130 kilometres per hour. And Barry Madlener, who literally said that it was linky to introduce such a grey water system. Because, he said: “People might get confused between those two systems”.
Dolf Jansen: I then wrote down: people who occasionally drink from a toilet bowl should definitely be deprived of their right to vote, as far as I am concerned. That will cost the PVV six seats in no time and that seems like a good development. I hear an oh really, no. Oh, I start talking about the PVV. And yet. Oh, the typhoid. You see this too huh? Yes, because just as well I'm having a migraine attack. But you see it too. Well, I will explain to you what happens next. I had asked the organisation do me a subtle signal after 28 minutes, had I asked right? And this is a subtle signal in your industry. Yes, they can also come up. Put on VR glasses and then you think you are in the Ziggo Dome. No, this was the signal. Then I almost unwind, but not yet.
Dolf Jansen: Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have a picture that is also sharp friend, he completely ignores me. Okay, lazy. No, is also good. Of course it is. I believe in okay... I'll just take a few... Just out of the box. I don't need to win a prize, but you could bet on sustainability. You said: I'll do one example. For example, you could say that anyone who comes to your hotel and doesn't come by plane but by train or by electric car or by bike or by running shoes, that they get a discount. This means the prices stay the same, but if someone makes the effort to be sustainable, that person gets a discount. Yes, then if more people come, you earn more and you have a piece of sustainability. Part of you looks at me: good idea. And part of you looks at me like: I don't know yet.
Dolf Jansen: That's okay. Yes, which I think is a good idea, if you have lobbying. You could lobby. Yes, that if you want to book an international train journey within Europe, it would be nice if you didn't have to study applied mathematics first and take a day off work to get past all the booking obstacles, you know what I mean. Clearly, you don't go by train very often. Should you try going within Europe by train. It's really insane. You could commit to that. And my message is basically: do that, do that as an industry. Commit to sustainability. Because that is necessary because then future generations will also be able to go to a hotel cosily.
Dolf Jansen: And when people tell me: Dolf I don't believe anymore, I'm desperate. I am always optimistic. I believe in it, it can still be done. Let me sum it up like this. If you look at this country, this society, it can still be done. Sustainability, et cetera, it can still be done. We just need to change a few things. I did the maths: if we allow everyone in this country to shower only once a week from now on, that everyone eats meat only once a month and that everyone over 55 rides an e-bike without a helmet. Then it will be achievable. And while saying that, I wanted to conclude, but suddenly it hits me. A year ago, a proposal came up in this country, in civilisation, at least for now. In this country, came a proposal to introduce mandatory helmet on e-bikes.
Dolf Jansen: And then there was a man on the news. I watch the news, that's my job. And that man was angry. I think that's funny: angry people on the news. And that man was angry about the possible helmet requirement and he came on the news and they are literally the following. Who said: if helmets are made compulsory in this country, I will emigrate. I already found that funny, but the next sentence was: to Germany. The idea that you hate helmets and then think, you know what, I'll go to Germany. I find that fascinating. Anyway, I owe everything to your industry and to Heidelberg. I thank you very much. Have a nice afternoon. See you another time. Thank you very much. Bye-bye! Bye-bye.