Martine's story
The intern is truly part of our team.
Martine Conings once started as an intern at the company she now works for. She knows very well how important that first period can be. Martine is now the Hotel Director of NH Noordwijk Conference Centre Leeuwenhorst, which was named Best Hospitality Learning Company 2024/2025 earlier this year. “Nobody knows better than us how important the contributions of young, enthusiastic people are.”
How did you get into the hospitality industry?
“I’ve now been working for Minor Hotels, the parent company of NH, for 26 years. And the fun part is that I originally started as an intern. Three years ago I returned, this time as Hotel Director, with 155 employees on the payroll.”
Did your arrival act as a catalyst for becoming a learning company?
“Training and guiding people is deeply embedded in our DNA as a learning company. We’re a large hotel with many departments, so we can provide a truly broad training to interns. We have 24 trainers on staff, some of whom have been here 25 or 30 years. By nature, I’m really an HR and people manager. It’s something that’s very close to me and that I like to promote and encourage.”
What exactly does it take to become 'Best Learning Company'?
“It has to feel natural, completely woven into your organisation, it must not be a ‘trick’. What sets us apart is that we do it as a team. The jury didn’t see a PowerPoint, they walked around the hotel. In every department someone spoke: a trainer, an intern or a former intern now fully employed. That’s how they saw how learning actually happens in practice with us.”
You say: you do it as a team. What does that look like concretely?
“A trainer doesn’t do it alone. The entire work environment contributes to an intern's development. It’s about the atmosphere, colleagues making you feel welcome. Only then do you dare to learn. Last year, during a lunch with the interns, it came from different sides: ‘We are so warmly welcomed and immediately feel part of the team. We are not just labelled as interns, but seen as a colleague, just like everyone else.’ Well, thát is what we do it for.”
How do you enthuse students about the profession?
“By showing the joy in the work. We sometimes run huge conferences with big peaks. We always do this together, including our interns. You sometimes have a hall set up for 1,000 people in a theatre style, then rearranged for dining in two hours. The team responsible is often too small to manage that by itself. “At those moments, we gather everyone from all departments; it doesn't matter if you're from reception, F&B, the hotel director, dishwasher, or maintenance. Together we ensure the chairs are stacked and the new setup is created. Yes, it’s hard work, but at the same time, we laugh a lot. By working together like that, we hope to show that you can achieve so much more together. The intern is truly part of our team.”
In your opinion, what is the strength of this practice-oriented learning method?
“I always say that not everyone benefits from the same solution. Our profession remains bespoke. Suppose a customer has a complaint. Then the same handling isn’t always appropriate. What one may see as a good solution, another may not. You need to feel that out. You can’t learn that from a book. How do you read guests, how do you respond to situations? That’s not black and white; it’s doing and sometimes stumbling and getting back up. Ultimately, you guide each intern on a tailor-made basis. “One person may be very outgoing and sometimes needs to be reined in. But you also have people who are rather shy. Often it has to do with gaining self-confidence in what you do. So you give those interns some extra guidance and make sure they know they’re not alone.”
Can you give an example of a successful intern?
“I’d like to mention our housekeeping quality supervisor. She comes from France and wanted to do an internship in the Netherlands to improve her English, she spoke hardly any. She developed beautifully, and her English has improved significantly.”
What has the title 'Best Learning Company' brought to the hotel?
“Pride, and positive energy that still lingers, even now! It has made apprenticeship more visible in the hotel. It also means that we ourselves zoom in on how we do things. Are we happy with that or can we still do better? We’ve agreed to meet with the trainers once or twice a year to consciously reflect on that. Yes, we’ve won the award, but that doesn’t mean it’s good forever; you have to keep evolving, and we’re happy to do that.”
Do you have any advice for other companies?
“I hope every learning company gives the time and attention students deserve. Because when it works, it gives an enormous amount of energy back. Hospitality has so much to offer, we must continue to show that.”