Hotel Owner, Tour Manager, Book Publisher, and Father. Multitasker Pierre Rieu also finds time for what is truly important. Source: De Nieuwe Ster (The New Star) Magazine March 31, 2026, by Peter Eberson Photos: Jean-Pierre Geusens Translation: Diana D. Le It’s well known that his father André is world-famous, but his son Pierre is making quite a name for himself locally. He bought the Derlon Hotel on Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, had some back-and-forth with the Building Commission, and has plans for a museum in Margraten (town in Limburg, known for the American war cemetery). What drives Pierre Rieu? The interview with Pierre Rieu at his father’s castle has barely begun when André walks into the room holding a red figurine of a bear. Rieu, who has just returned from a concert in Berlin, explains that after their concert at the Uber Arena in Berlin, artists receive a small figurine of a bear—the symbol of Berlin—as a gift. “I now have fifteen of them. No other artist has as many figurines from this concert hall,” he says proudly. Pierre Rieu, who usually accompanies his father at concerts around the world, was not present in Berlin on Saturday. He was at the Theater aan het Vrijthof for the premiere of the theater tour by Emma Kok, the singer who made her big breakthrough after performing “Voilà” at Rieu’s concerts on the Vrijthof. “I no longer need to be present at every concert,” Pierre Rieu explains his absence in Berlin. André’s 44-year-old son says he has consciously sought more balance in his life. “The concerts run like a well-oiled machine even without me.”

For Pierre Rieu, this sunny March morning is a special day in any case. It has just been announced that his 16-year-old daughter Linde, the older of twins, will play a major role in the new spectacular musical Bokkenrijders, which will be performed at De Geusselt Stadium in June. Pierre: “It’s nerve-wracking for her, because she’s naturally very shy and will soon have to perform in front of 6,000 spectators.” For Linde, who is a member of ’t Mestreechs Volleks Tejater (Folk Theater), this marks her debut in a major musical. She will alternate the role with Belle Noten. (Click HERE for more information). Pierre Rieu has been in the news quite a bit over the past year. This was due to his purchase of the well- known Derlon Hotel on Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and his run-in with the Building Aesthetics Committee after they felt he had decorated his hotel a bit too extravagantly for Christmas. Rieu can laugh about it now. “I’m happy to say that relations with the Building Aesthetics Committee are back on track. I’m currently working on expanding our warehouse in Withuisveld, and I have to say that the meeting went very smoothly." Speaking of the purchase of Hotel Derlon, it certainly came as no surprise to Rieu that he would one day end up in the hotel industry. “If I’m to believe my parents, I’ve been ‘playing hotel’ since I was a child. When I was growing up, our family always went to the same hotel in the German Sauerland region. I think we went there for 35 years in a row. It was a real family hotel, where the owners knew every guest. In the basement of the hotel, there was a bowling alley, like you find in many German hotels, and upstairs there was a cozy ‘stube,’ a bar where I always helped out during our vacations. So, my love for the hotel industry started early on.” Last year, an opportunity arose to become a hotel owner. “I had lunch with the owner, Benoit Wesly, at Bar Verde, which is right near my house. It’s my favorite restaurant. I’m a committed vegetarian, and Bar Verde serves only 100% plant-based food. It’s not Wesly’s favorite spot, though, because he does eat meat,” Rieu laughs. “He still hasn’t forgiven me for having lunch there. At the end of the meal, I asked Wesly, ‘If you ever hear of a hotel for sale, please let me know.’ Wesly replied right away. 'I’m selling you the Derlon hotel!' He’d been working on that for a while. I thought there was no way I could afford it, but when he named a price, I thought, ‘I can actually afford that.’ It turned out later that Wesly was only managing the hotel and that the property itself belonged to someone else. Those owners would have to agree to the sale as well. The negotiations took a while, because the lunch was in February and it wasn’t until July that I got the key to the hotel and became the owner of Derlon. It still feels surreal when I walk onto Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and see my hotel." After taking over the hotel, Pierre immediately set to work on developing plans for its future.

Photo ARP: 15 bears from Berlin!

For Pierre Rieu, this sunny March morning is a special day in any case. It has just been announced that his 16-year-old daughter Linde, the older of twins, will play a major role in the new spectacular musical Bokkenrijders, which will be performed at De Geusselt Stadium in June. Pierre: “It’s nerve-wracking for her, because she’s naturally very shy and will soon have to perform in front of 6,000 spectators.” For Linde, who is a member of ’t Mestreechs Volleks Tejater (Folk Theater), this marks her debut in a major musical. She will alternate the role with Belle Noten. (Click HERE for more information). Pierre Rieu has been in the news quite a bit over the past year. This was due to his purchase of the well- known Derlon Hotel on Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and his run-in with the Building Aesthetics Committee after they felt he had decorated his hotel a bit too extravagantly for Christmas. Rieu can laugh about it now. “I’m happy to say that relations with the Building Aesthetics Committee are back on track. I’m currently working on expanding our warehouse in Withuisveld, and I have to say that the meeting went very smoothly." Speaking of the purchase of Hotel Derlon, it certainly came as no surprise to Rieu that he would one day end up in the hotel industry. “If I’m to believe my parents, I’ve been ‘playing hotel’ since I was a child. When I was growing up, our family always went to the same hotel in the German Sauerland region. I think we went there for 35 years in a row. It was a real family hotel, where the owners knew every guest. In the basement of the hotel, there was a bowling alley, like you find in many German hotels, and upstairs there was a cozy ‘stube,’ a bar where I always helped out during our vacations. So, my love for the hotel industry started early on.” Last year, an opportunity arose to become a hotel owner. “I had lunch with the owner, Benoit Wesly, at Bar Verde, which is right near my house. It’s my favorite restaurant. I’m a committed vegetarian, and Bar Verde serves only 100% plant-based food. It’s not Wesly’s favorite spot, though, because he does eat meat,” Rieu laughs. “He still hasn’t forgiven me for having lunch there. At the end of the meal, I asked Wesly, ‘If you ever hear of a hotel for sale, please let me know.’ Wesly replied right away. 'I’m selling you the Derlon hotel!' He’d been working on that for a while. I thought there was no way I could afford it, but when he named a price, I thought, ‘I can actually afford that.’ It turned out later that Wesly was only managing the hotel and that the property itself belonged to someone else. Those owners would have to agree to the sale as well. The negotiations took a while, because the lunch was in February and it wasn’t until July that I got the key to the hotel and became the owner of Derlon. It still feels surreal when I walk onto Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and see my hotel." After taking over the hotel, Pierre immediately set to work on developing plans for its future.

“It’s not that the hotel and the rooms aren’t up to standard, as some reviews claimed, but it is true that the rooms were outdated. However, immediately after the purchase, all 48 rooms were thoroughly cleaned and refreshed and now look like new again. Despite this facelift, all rooms will be completely renovated in the coming months. I hope to be able to present the first new rooms in July, when my father’s concerts begin at the Vrijthof.” It’s not just about the hotel rooms. The hotel’s basement contains Roman ruins. The basement also serves as the breakfast room for hotel guests, and tourists can take a guided tour of the Roman ruins, but Rieu can’t say for sure whether it’s really an experience these days. “I come from the entertainment industry. That’s my passion. A visit to the hotel’s cellar should truly be an experience. I can’t say much about it yet, except that it will be spectacular—but with great respect for history.” The hotel’s new hospitality concept will also be unique, though Rieu isn’t giving much away here either. “It will be a concept unlike anything else in Europe. I have to come up with something unique for that location, because as strange as it may sound when you’re situated on Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, we’re still ‘off the beaten path.’ The terraces and restaurants across the street fill up first—there are a number of establishments there—and only then does our terrace come into view. It makes no sense to me to do the same thing as the other restaurants and bars." “I’ve hired a new chef, and together we’re developing a new concept that doesn’t yet exist in Maastricht or anywhere else. And no, our goal isn’t to earn a Michelin star. Above all, we want to make our hotel’s dining options accessible to a wide audience.” You’d think that with all his activities, Pierre barely gets any sleep, but that’s not really the case. “I really do need seven hours of sleep a night.” He finds relaxation in restoring World War II military vehicles to their original condition, a great passion of Rieu’s. “Wednesday evenings are sacred to me. That’s when you’ll find me in my workshop with 45 volunteers, where we work on the vehicles all evening. Then the “vlaai” (fruit tart) is served, and we have a cozy group with a very diverse crowd. We call our group '50 Shades of Green'. Wednesday evenings are truly relaxing for me.” His passion for World War II has also led Rieu to make plans for his own museum. “We’re in the research phase for a museum. There’s a lot of enthusiasm in Margraten about establishing it there. It’s going to be an interactive center where we’ll use World War II as a means to stimulate critical thinking among young people. We’re going to do that in a unique way.” (Note Ineke: In our “previous items” of Jan-Jul 2011, we found an early video (dating back to 2006), in which André and Pierre show us Pierre’s warehouse Withuisveld, click HERE) Back to the Derlon Hotel. Before the interview, photos are taken of Pierre in front of the hotel. For the occasion, he’s wearing a white shirt. And for good reason. “I was recently approached by an elderly lady who congratulated me on buying the hotel and told me how happy she was that it remained in Maastricht hands. 'But,' she said, 'the way you’re dressed…that’s really not acceptable.' She’s right, because I usually wear a T-shirt, but for this occasion, I’m wearing a neat, white shirt. I took this woman’s criticism to heart,” he laughs.

Ruud and Ineke stayed one night at the Derlon Hotel, click HERE

To go to Pierre Rieu, page 5, click HERE