Groningen and its surroundings are full of hidden gems – from cozy restaurants and unique hotels, hostels, campsites to the most beautiful event locations. But where can you easily find and book everything while also supporting Groningen itself? That was the question Wessel and Diet asked themselves. They discovered that such an all-in-one platform did not exist yet and decided to change that. Thus, Stay in Groningen was born: the ultimate place to book hotels, events, and tables in and around Groningen– and you also support the local community!

What is Stay in Groningen?

With Stay in Groningen, we are building a unique online hub for the Groningen community. Think of hotels, events, cafes, and restaurants – all on one website. We are working hard to develop everything tailor-made so that we can offer visitors a unique experience. It hasn't always been easy, but with the support of partners like Marketing Groningen and the hotels in the city center, our network grew quickly.

Diet, with her experience with OvernachteninStijl and software company BoostmyBookings, already had a strong network in the city itself. This gave us the kickstart we needed. However, there were challenges. Many hotels found it difficult that they couldn't receive bookings directly via our network. Therefore, we formed a fantastic collaboration with Cubilis and expanded this with other systems. Once this is ready, we will start the pilot with some early partners. Of course, alongside the Groningen hotels that are already clients of BoostmyBookings. These will likely include The Market Hotel, Flonk Hotels, PJ's, Watertoren West and Van der Valk Hotel Groningen Hoogkerk. Once the API is ready, we will add the other interested hotels so that bookings appear directly in the hotel's calendar. Later, we will also integrate with more software partners. We have a wishlist ;-)

From events to culture: Stay in Groningen makes it possible

What makes Stay in Groningen truly special is the social concept behind it. In addition to booking hotels and tables, you can also find a wide range of cultural events in and around Groningen on our website. It has become a complete overview, including the option to create a beautiful timeline (also useful for festivals and larger events like King's Day). From music to theater, from festivals to exhibitions – we are putting Groningen on the map as a cultural city. This thanks to partnerships with SPOT (Stadsschouwburg and Oosterpoort), Forum Groningen, VERA, Simplon Poppodium, Groninger Museum, and new partners are joining at the moment. The current list can be found on our event calendar.

Partnership with ESNS

In January 2024, we even welcomed ESNS as a partner, who were immediately enthusiastic about our idea. We can already send festival-goers to restaurants, cafes, and parking garages via the ESNS App. In 2026, we expect a more intensive collaboration.

Additionally, we want to do something for artists who are struggling financially. By collaborating locally, we hope to bring commerce and culture closer together, so that artists receive more support and the city becomes more vibrant.

Why Stay in Groningen is also good for hotels

Hotels in and around Groningen often pay high commissions to large booking sites. With Stay in Groningen, the costs are lower, so more of the revenue goes to the local economy. This makes Stay in Groningen not only beneficial for guests but also for the hotels themselves.

Putting Groningen literally on the map

We want to put Groningen and surroundings literally and figuratively back on the map. Do you remember the beautiful maps the VVV used to give you as a B&B owner? We are building a digital version of such a map, where visitors can quickly see where to find the best places – and book directly. From hotels to event locations, and from cozy cafes to convenient bike garages, everything comes together in one place.

If event locations that are part of our community want to publish their locations on this map, we complete the circle and bring the city to life like never before.

Who are we?

Stay in Groningen started as an ambitious idea, and now Wessel and Diet are putting in a lot of hours alongside BoostmyBookings. Wessel (28 years old) is a full-stack developer and graduated in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Groningen. Anton Daleman, (54 years old) handles all the finances of the companies. And his business renting classic cars in Groningen will soon run on the booking software. Joris Röling is involved as a senior software architect.

Since 2024, Xander Perlee (22 years old) has joined as a junior developer. He is still studying Software Engineering at HBO. Dara (International Law student) helps with adding locations and events, and also writes blogs. Wessel and Diet have been working together for seven years – first with online videos from the kitchen table, now from an office on Westersingel in Groningen (known for the Irish setter in the window!). Diet (43 years old) has her roots in the hospitality industry with her own B&B in Groningen. And currently, Thomas (18 years old) is doing an internship from the Media Design program.

Join the community

Do you want to promote your event, restaurant, café, or hotspot in Groningen or simply get more bookings? Do you want to stay up-to-date with everything happening in Groningen's cultural world? Sign up to receive the newsletter! It’s free to become part of the community.