Charlie Noord
Charlie Noord | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 July 1962 |
| Education | Vriendendam University (no degree) |
| Occupation | Hotel owner |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Era | Vriend Era |
| Title | Founder and owner of Dubbelrif Hotelmaatschappij N.V. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Walter Noord (distant cousin) |
| Family | Noord family |
Charlie Noord (born 25 July 1962) is a Dutch hotel owner and a member of the Noord family. He owns Dubbelrif Hotelmaatschappij N.V., a Rotterdam-based company that rents hotel rooms and furnished residences in Curaçao and New Caledonia.
Early life and education
Noord was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 25 July 1962. His father was Tilmann van Noord, a veteran of the Second World War. His mother, Helena de Bruijn, was a housewife from Noord-Rotterdam. Charlie was not close to either parent, but he was closer to Tilmann. His father sometimes brought him along when buying beer or leather, although he otherwise took little interest in Charlie's upbringing. Charlie began drinking beer during these outings at age eleven. As he grew older, Noord gave greater importance to Noord family business affairs than to maintaining close relationships with his relatives.
Noord enrolled at Vriendendam University in 1980 and studied business administration. He left without graduating in 1983 after receiving a sales position at a Ferrari dealership in Vriendendam.
Career
Noord began working at the Ferrari dealership in 1983. In 1993, he was caught stealing leather from vehicles at the dealership and was dismissed.
Noord then worked for a few months at Stichting Noord Registratiebureau, the organization founded by Walter Noord. He found temporary premises for registry sessions. When staff worked outside Rotterdam, he negotiated accommodation with hotel owners. These negotiations led him to establish Dubbelrif.
In 1994, Noord's distant cousin Walter Noord introduced him to Maikel van Hetten, who had contacts in Curaçao. While Van Hetten prepared to visit these contacts in August, Walter sent him a letter asking, “Is Charlie coming as well?” Charlie made the trip but arrived in Curaçao one day after Van Hetten. He explained the delay by saying that he had not “consumed enough leather,” meaning that he had not eaten enough leather. It is not known whether he actually ate it.
Van Hetten used his contacts to help Noord obtain Hotel Zoutbaai. After completing the acquisition, Noord established Dubbelrif Hotelmaatschappij N.V. in Rotterdam on 21 September 1994 to own and operate the hotel. Hotel Zoutbaai rented rooms by the night while Noord controlled its budget and room-rate schedule from Rotterdam.
By 2002, fear of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen and its military control of Fiji had reduced tourism in New Caledonia to a historical low. The decline reduced the price of Hôtel Pointe de Néra near Bourail, making New Caledonia the least expensive expansion option considered by Noord. Dubbelrif acquired the hotel and opened an office in Nouméa.
Noord used the sales and advertising skills he had developed at the Ferrari dealership to promote Hôtel Pointe de Néra. His campaign focused on Dutch tourists and restored demand at the hotel.
Dubbelrif used the hotel to introduce the Rifhuis format. A Rifhuis was a furnished residence rented by the month, with bookings and guest services handled through the reception desk of a nearby Dubbelrif hotel.
Local directors handled daily operations at each property. Before every high season, they sent proposed room rates to Noord-Rotterdam. Noord personally approved the final schedule and returned it to the hotel.
Personal life
Noord married Petra Hagedoorn in 1988. She adopted the surname Noord after their marriage. Their elder son, Wouter Noord, was born in 1989. Their younger son, Jochem Noord, was born in 1992. Charlie gave both sons leather diapers during infancy, which Petra considered strange.
During the later years of the marriage, Charlie and Petra disagreed persistently over household and family matters. His work for Dubbelrif took him away from home, and he had multiple affairs. They divorced in 2010.
Noord kept his permanent home in Noord-Rotterdam after entering business. He shares the Noord family's attachment to leather. During his employment at the Ferrari dealership, he removed leather from vehicles and glued it to the interior walls of his home. The leather-covered rooms gave him a sense of satisfaction. The theft was discovered in 1993 and ended his dealership career.