Des Indes

The stately Hotel des Indes The Hague was initially built as the town residence of Baron van Brienen in 1858. A hotel Steeped in History Hotel des Indes is well known for its comfortable, luxurious and unique ambience, combining an elegant and historical atmosphere with first class, state- of- the- art services and features. The history of the Hotel des Indes mirrors the life of The Hague, one of the most celebrated cities in Europe and known all over the world for its rich political, diplomatic and artistic history. In many ways, it also reflects the customs, attitudes and way of life that Europe has experienced throughout the last 150 years. The Baron The history of the Hotel des Indes starts in 1858 with a gentleman by the name of Baron van Brienen, private advisor to King Willem III. The Baron lived outside the city of The Hague and feeling that this situation did not allow enough guests to attend his social functions, he decided to build a baronial townhouse in the centre of the city. The resulting home contained a wide variety of rooms and salons, the centrepiece of which was a lovely ballroom suitable for his numerous festivities. The building also included a courtyard (now the site of our luxurious Lounge), stables (now the site of our excellent Restaurant), a hay barn (now the site of our Bar), separate servant’s quarters and, of course, the Baron's own set of apartments in which he lived for approximately twenty years. The First Hotel The Baron passed away on 1877 and his children, who were not interested in maintaining the expensive building, sold it to a local hotelier. The building was re-opened four years later, after extensive renovations and alterations. This new hotel contained 120 bedrooms and boasted the extreme luxury (in its day) of one bathroom on each floor! The Late 1800's From its beginning in 1881, the hotel has stressed excellence in service. The personal touch provided by the hotel’s original owners attracted a variety of interesting and well-known guests, and the opening of the Peace Palace brought distinguished government representatives from around the world. The Early 1900's The hotel maintained its commitment to luxury and service during the first half of the 20th century, developing a guest list that was both legendary and diverse, including Josephine Baker, President Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, Cecil Rhodes, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Several guests, such as President Paul Kruger of South Africa, even lived in the hotel for extended periods. Misfortune in the 1930's Like Europe itself, Hotel des Indes has had its share of misfortune, and the early 1930's proved to be especially eventful in this regard. In 1930 a fire almost destroyed the hotel. After the smoke had cleared, the owners decided to capitalize on the opportunity that this fire afforded them, and added an extra floor to the building. It may surprise you to know that this extra floor was not simply added to the top of the building, but was instead 'inserted' into the building between the 2nd and the 3rd floor. The Second World War Occupying troops took over Hotel des Indes from 1940 until 1945, and used it as their headquarters during The Second World War. An infamous piece of history was the result: People hiding under the roof of the hotel for the entire period were never detected, but they were forced to eat all of the hotel owner's prize-winning pigeons. The Post War Years Once the war was over Hotel des Indes became the headquarters of the American troops. American and British dignitaries such as General Eisenhower and Montgomery and prime Minister Churchill all frequently visited the hotel during this period, and the hotel maintains an excellent relationship with the American Embassy to this day. The 50's, 60's and 70's: Changing Times The 1950's and the 1960's marked the beginning of a difficult period for Hotel des Indes. International travellers began to prefer newer, more modern hotels, and many of the older hotels in The Hague began to close. Even during these troubled times Hotel des Indes was continuing to contribute to affairs of state. Prince Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (who had visited the hotel in the 1920's) came back in 1956 as the Emperor of Ethiopia on an official state visit, and a state banquet was held in the hotel in the presence of Queen Juliana. Five years later, the hotel was the site of another state banquet in honour of king Bhumibol of Thailand.

In 1931, a train accident interrupted the farewell tour of Anna Pavlova - the world's most respected ballet dancer - as she arrived from Paris on her way through Europe. The dancer became an instant heroine of the time, offering assistance to her fellow travellers. Tragically, Anna developed double pneumonia as a result of her efforts, and died in the hotel two days later. Many admirers still visit the hotel to see the Anna Pavlova Room.