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hWhen you visit Xebia, there's a bit of magic happening behind the curtain. That's Xebia's hospitality team, hard at work behind the scenes, to ensure everyone feels comfortable and at home there.
"We're here to help you 'feel" the Xebia experience," explains Michael van der Tweel, Xebia’s hospitality team lead and facility manager. "That takes a bit more thought and effort than just arranging a few desks in an office space and throwing in a few couches."
The hospitality team wants visitors to feel like they've entered a special place—one with a genuinely warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes it easy to work, connect, and create.
"It's all done by building a relaxed and creative environment," says van der Tweel.
"To me, hospitality is the cherry on top. It's the personal touch that makes the Xebia experience truly memorable, for both customers and employees," says Jan Beljaars, one of the team's members. "It doesn't matter if you're a colleague, guest, or a vendor; everyone gets a personal welcome."
Focusing on Xebia values, the team puts people first, sharing knowledge, quality without compromise, and customer intimacy at the center of all its activities. "Quality is really important to us," explains Maria Galla, another team member. "We take pride in our office buildings and in the way we treat our colleagues and guests. We put 100 percent into making sure everyone feels taken care of."
Hospitality Location Manager Anouk van de Beek agrees, "Making sure colleagues and guests can relax and have the best possible experience, that's our entire reason for being here! It's in our DNA."
With two locations, one in Hilversum and one in Amsterdam, Xebia's open, graffiti-art splattered offices serve as both workshop spaces and event locations for a broad community of professionals. "It's also perfectly fine to just park yourself on a couch with your laptop, there's plenty of space for that too," says Van de Beek.
The team consists of nine permanent employees and a pool of students who "facilitate" in the broadest sense of the word. One day they may be putting together a huge BBQ event in the office garden, or an in-house MeetUp, and the next day they're setting up one of the Xebia guesthouses or arranging an intimate client dinner. They've even been known to convert a parking garage into a trendy conference room. "You name it, we've done it," laughs Shanon ten Napel, a hospitality team member in Amsterdam.
"Our philosophy? Make yourself at home,” says Sander Hoogenbosch, another team member.
“Of course, we're happy to facilitate, but that's only possible if everyone feels comfortable to take care of their own needs and pitches in."
Shanon agrees, "We're happy to make you a cup of coffee, but we'll also show you how to make one yourself."
"We'll also show you where the dishwasher is, too, so you can put it there when you're done," laughs Hoogenbosch. "There's a shared effort that contributes to the unique experience of visiting one of our locations."
"Yes, that's the secret to the magic," smiles van der Tweel.
