We are back again

“Hello! I’m back.” The doorbell just rang. And he was standing in the doorway: the nice man, who refills our brochure stand with the art and culture flyers. We missed him. After three months of silence, we have new flyers again. Still very hesitant and restrained, and of course with all safety instructions and restrictions, there are again announcements and information. About exhibitions in museums, about performances and concerts. In the non virtual world. That pleases us very much. Because for us, this is also a sign that something is happening. The brochure stand is not yet as full as usual, but obviously things are starting to move again beyond the Internet. So there is – quite classically and analogically – something new to discover and see or listen to again. – We are back again!

Attention! For art and culture.

At Hotel Villa Meererbusch, we combine “sustainable accommodation near Düsseldorf” with art and culture. What does that mean? Let’s take a closer look at the “art and culture cornerstone” of our concept.

We’re back! Art in our hotel

Art and culture make life for us more diverse, more colourful, more varied. They are impulse, stimulation, creative impulse. In short, indispensable. With our project “KUNST IM HOTEL” (=”Art jn our hotel), twice a year we offer artists the opportunity to show their art in our hotel.

Currently Thomas Heinlein is with us, with an exhibition of older and newer works. He did not want to let Corona take this spring-summer exhibition away from him. Which makes us very happy. A  “classical” exhibition, just without the usual vernissage.

However,  Corona is currently also producing new innovative forms and creative offers to engage with art and culture. Theatre performances and concerts are available in streaming. Artists invite virtually to their studio and show what they are currently working on.

Thus, for example, Birgit Lessmann, “our” artist until the end of May 2020, has recorded her exhibition “Farbenmeer” (“Sea of colors”) in a virtual tour of our gallery. And her “predecessor”, Laura Flöter, who had shown her material collages at our gallery from spring to autumn/winter 2019, recently has established a video blog on YouTube.

We’re back! Also in our blog

Our BLOG for sustainability. Art and Culture. And sometimes “this and that”. It lay a little fallow. Because in our BLOG, which we publish on our website and also on Facebook, we deal with a wide range of current topics on sustainability, art and culture in the region. We write about things worth seeing, about exhibitions and fairs. About events in the Kunstpalast, or about events in the nrw Forum, in the K 20 and K 21, also in the Walraff-Richartz-Museum, or in the Museum Ludwig. We write about the Museumsinsel Hombroich, or the Krefeld Kresch-Theater. The list is quite confused and not complete at all.

We write about things we experience ourselves. “There’s so little time and so much to do”  Louis Armstrong sang in 1937/38. And he’s right. The day is always too short. Though the days feel kind of long these days.  Especially our section “Event Tips” was simply out of place for well-known reasons. That should change again.

We’re back. And we never really left.

We’re back. However, we never really disappeared, even though travelling for long weeks was almost impossible. And hotel accomodations were simply unnecessary. “Systemic relevance” or not. The borders were closed, there were simply no travellers. Not with social distancing, home office and zoom. Business trips simply didn’t happen, and “tourist trips” were not allowed anyway.

And admittedly, “Tourist travel” is not such a big issue in our region. Not even at “normal” times. Greater Düsseldorf is an economic region, not a destination for the summer holidays. And those who travel now are drawn to the sea, the North Sea or the Baltic Sea, or to the mountains, the Allgäu or the Bavarian Forest, Lake Constance. However, there is also a lot to discover in the Rhineland. Even outside the big cities. Not only when you are passing through. Moreover, the “journey through with a stopover” and beyond the classic tourist paths could well be a beginning. And such a “stopover” can be quite pleasant and sustainable.

Friendly. Comfortable. That is our concern even in times of Corona. With a sophisticated protection and hygiene concept that does not leave sustainability “out in the cold” even when it comes to hand disinfection. It is important to us that our guests feel comfortable and safe with us. We are a small villa, with only seventeen rooms, with a manageable number of guests. Very well connected and reachable, but not “in the hustle and bustle” of a big city.

We’re back. Sustainable overnight stay near Düsseldorf

Sustainable. This is not a buzzword from the “Green Washing” department, but has long been well established and backed up with facts. For example with a delicious “Zero Waste” breakfast from sustainable production and with fairly produced food. Certified organic. Often homemade with love and care. Of course, no convenience food. Local and regional suppliers. 100% green electricity, 100% climate-neutral natural gas. A water softening system for soft water, which makes aggressive cleaners unnecessary. Environmentally neutral cleaners from GRŸN , and detergents and sustainable disinfectants from Sonett. Certified. 100% natural, finest hotel cosmetics from i+m Berlin. Also certified, of course without silicones, paraffins and microplastics or similar. And 8,000 l less residual waste per year, and over 50 t CO2 savings. Long-standing permanent employees, no temporary work, no subcontractors, fair working conditions.

Have we already completed our personal sustainability list? No, there is still a lot to do for us as well. But staying on it is crucial. And every single step counts. “There’s no good unless you do it.” I guess that’s the appropriate phrase on the calendar. Yes, it is. Every day. Sustainability is the basis of all business decisions. And we’ve been doing it for over 11 years.

We’re back! You can decide for us

On your next trip through the Rhineland. On your way to the mountains, or the other way around to the sea. Maybe even on a trip to the Rhineland. You can make a very conscious decision for a sustainable overnight stay with us. You can make a conscious decision for a small, individual hotel with a distinctive profile. Not a chain. We are not interchangeable and “the same everywhere”, but personally there for you. With our small team. Friendly and competent. And sustainable.

We stick to our concept of sustainability, ecology and social responsibility. We back up our “sustainable overnight stay” with verifiable facts. For us, art and cultural life are not only “also somehow part of it” and pretty decorations, but on the contrary are indispensable. Because all this makes our life richer. We believe in our path because we believe that our topics remain highly relevant, even though the “climate debate” – which was previously intense – seems to have somehow disappeared. We are curious how it will be taken up again after Corona.

Greetings from the Meererbusch

And just for the record

We do not get any percentages or discounts from GRYN, Sonett, i+m or other manufacturers. Indeed, choose all our products ourselves. Of course, we pay full price for all products and do not enjoy any special treatment. But we just think we should talk about good things that convince us.