The Good News Paper

23 January, 2025
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As the guest editor in chief of the Good News Paper by The Usual Hotels, it was my pleasure to combine my love for the city of Rotterdam, sustainability, slow travel and last but not least: food! I interviewed my favourite restaurant Rotonde, selected sustainable souvenirs, talked about reimagining hospitality with Gisele Boersma and interviewed Tineke van der Burg of Stichting Voedseltuin Rotterdam.

Thank you to the team at The Usual Hotels: Joachim de Looij, Aniek Ajanaku-Holland, Maureen Steenks & Gisela Boersma. Concept, Production & Design by W.Green: Willa de Goede-Stoutenbeek, Gabriëlle Ibelings & Kyriaan Barrow-Blanken.

Editor's Note

A spontaneous encounter with a stranger. Chatting with a passionate restaurant owner. Bumping into someone on the street and exchanging a smile. When you’re visiting a new and unfamiliar city, these little connections make the difference between feeling like an unwanted outsider or a welcome guest. For me personally, these personal interactions are all about giving, not just taking.

In my hometown of Rotterdam, we as locals are always welcoming of visitors who come to our city with a sense of open-mindedness and curiosity. This mentality has its effect on us as well; we start seeing our own city with fresh eyes. And this city is constantly evolving an expanding, ever since the destructive bombardments on 14th May 1940 destroyed most of its historic centre. This is exactly what makes the ‘City on the Maas River’ such an exciting metropolis.

When I first arrived in Rotterdam, I was an 18-year-old girl from a small town in the south of The Netherlands who marvelled at the sight of a skyscraper. Now, exactly 18 years later, I’m happy to say that this city has been my home ever since. Many things have changed since then; just take the incredible architectural highlight of the central train station, which I remember being a dusty construction site during many of my student years. New, exciting buildings and venues keep popping up, The Usual being a great example. It’s a newcomer that focuses on building and maintaining local connections, not just with the hip and happening hotspots in town, but also with places and people representing the real Rotterdam. Take the remarkable Neighbourhood Faces captured by photographer Zahra Reijs on page 18. Or the people making this city a little more sustainable and more connected, such as The Food Garden on page 36.

As a guest, you can contribute to supporting the city and the environment as well. For example, you can take the train to get to the hotel instead of a plane or car, make conscious use of the shower and support local initiatives with the donations made by The Usual from your reservation. This way, we’re all part of a regenerative system. Derived from the Latin word ‘regenerare’, it stands for recreating and considering everything to be connected. Instead of seeing things and people as separate entities, we can improve and create together.

And these contributions don’t have to be big: just smile at a stranger or plant a seed, and you’re already leaving a place a little better than you found it.

I hope you fully enjoy your stay at The Usual!

Good night or good morning,

Joline

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Get-in-touch-Camel

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© Copyright 2025 Joline van den Oever

© Copyright 2025 Joline van den Oever

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