A place of

Passion

We love chocolate, and we want to share this passion with as many people as possible—which is why, in 2016, we transformed our traditional family hotel in Westerstede into Germany’s first and only chocolate hotel.

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A group of people is standing in a field, talking about cocoa beans

Philosophy

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A group of people is posing in front of a building for a photo.
A black-and-white photo of a building called The Chateau

History

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The staff of the Chocolate Hotel pose for a photo in the restaurant.
Two people are walking along a path in a park near a pond

Philosophy

A sign providing information about the Chocolate Hotel's sustainability efforts.
We stand for enjoyment with a clear conscience

Chocolate is good for you—but it doesn't always do good. The brands of major food companies are often associated with farmers who are paid unfairly, environmentally unsustainable farming practices, child labor, and other abuses.

 

We have never accepted this, and we never will. That is why, even more important to us than the taste is ensuring that the cocoa we use is produced under fair conditions, without child labor, and to the highest quality standards—in an eco-friendly, sustainable, and climate-friendly manner.

Our chocolate makes your life better—and that of cocoa farmers

That is why we source our chocolate from conscientious chocolate manufacturers, primarily Original Beans. This supplier does not operate anonymously on the global commodity markets, but instead sources its cocoa directly from individual cocoa farmers at fair prices.

A person's hand reaches for a red cacao pod on a tree.

But Original Beans does even more: Farmers receive training and financial support, and are assisted in their development in a variety of ways. We saw this for ourselves during a trip to Colombia and through many conversations we had there. You can find more information about our craft chocolate from Original Beans here.

Anyone who visits the Chocolate Hotel will not only be doing their soul a favor by enjoying chocolate, but also helping the environment and the producers of what is, for us, the most precious delicacy on this planet.

Bernd and Tanja Voss's Trip to Colombia

Bernd and Tanja Voss met local farmers who, back then, grew the cocoa for our Voss chocolate with enthusiasm and passion. We believe you can still taste that in every piece of our chocolate today.

 

And the more guests we introduce to the sweet side of life at our hotel, the more cocoa farmers we can help to farm in harmony with nature and lead a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Projects we have already supported

Donkey Project: Together with our guests, we collected donations for donkeys, which were donated to schoolchildren in Colombia. Since there are no roads there, only muddy paths, and the walk to school would take several hours, a donkey is a better means of transportation than a bicycle.


Drinking Water Project: In Caribia, next to the Luker Chocolate cocoa forest in Necoclí, there was no drinking water supply. The Luker Foundation took on this challenge and began building a water supply system in 2018. We have supported this project from the very beginning and can now proudly say that, as of early 2021—after three years of hard work—Caribia is the first community in the municipality of Necoclí to have access to drinking water.

Host

Family

Voss

The Schokoladenhotel Westerstede has been family-owned by the Voss family for four generations. Founded by Hans and Sophie Voss, each generation has since built on the hotel’s legacy and shaped it with its own unique touch.

Bernd and Tanja Voss took over the business in 1995 from their parents, Claus and Erika Voss, and transformed the well-established traditional country hotel with event halls into a modern, top-tier wellness and conference hotel. It was also they who, driven by their passion for chocolate, came up with the idea of turning the Hotel Voss into Germany’s first and only chocolate hotel.

On January 1, 2023, Kathlyn and Christian Voss—representing the fourth generation—will take the helm, bringing with them no less ambition and drive than their parents and grandparents. Both bring experience from the world of fine dining; they met at the Michelin-starred restaurant Jagdhaus Eiden, gained valuable insights during joint work stays in Australia, at culinary school, and at other positions in the restaurant industry.

A black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and tie
A black-and-white photo of a woman in a black dress.
An older woman wearing glasses smiles at the camera.
A man in a suit and tie is smiling in front of a wine glass.
A man in a suit and white shirt is standing in front of a window.
A woman wearing glasses and a white jacket smiles at the camera

Tanja Voss

A passionate hostess whose warmth delights guests and shapes the atmosphere of the hotel. Without her, the Hotel Voss would not be the Chocolate Hotel it is today.
A woman in a maroon jacket smiles at the camera
A man wearing glasses and a watch is sitting at a table

Christian Voss

His passion for food becomes apparent very quickly

the food and beverage offerings at the Chocolate Hotel. Guests love him for his sense of humor.


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A Brief History of Our Company

The warm, family-like atmosphere and the passion with which we welcome our guests—these are qualities that many of our guests particularly appreciate. It’s no wonder, since our inn has been a labor of love for our family for nearly a century.

 

In 1935, Hans and Sophie Voss purchased what was then known as the Gasthof Buhr in Westerstede—a popular but simple inn with a bowling alley that was frequented mainly by locals. During the turmoil of World War II, the property was confiscated several times, later used as a prisoner-of-war camp and refugee shelter, and run solely by Sophie Voss until Hans Voss returned from captivity. The years of the economic miracle finally brought the necessary funds and confidence for new plans: Hans and Sophie converted the hall into 11 guest rooms, thus laying the foundation for today’s hotel business. In 1963, after completing culinary training, military service, and hotel management school, Claus Voss took over the business together with his wife Erika. Over many years, they repeatedly remodeled and expanded the property, renovated and added on, purchased neighboring buildings, built a swimming pool and parking lot, and finally, after more than thirty successful years, handed over a modern and thriving four-star hotel to Bernd and Tanja Voss, who further expanded the hotel and conference operations, modernized them, incorporated their passion for chocolate into the hospitality concept, and finally had Hotel Voss officially registered and protected in 2016 as “Germany’s only chocolate hotel.”

 

What will the fourth, younger generation bring to the family business? You’ll have to wait and see. We have lots of plans. One thing is certain: our personal service, our close-knit family atmosphere, our passion for food, and our warm, personalized hospitality will always be part of our family’s DNA.

Team

With love

and a love of chocolate

Meet our Chocolate Family in this video!

A woman wearing a black jacket and glasses is standing behind a counter.
An employee at the Chocolate Hotel smiles warmly at the camera.
A friendly employee smiles at the camera.
A friendly employee at the Chocolate Hotel smiles at the camera.
A friendly employee of the Chocolate Hotel during a photo shoot.
Sasha from the front desk is smiling at us in the photo.
Portrait of a man wearing glasses and a black polo shirt against a plain background.
An employee of the Chocolate Hotel during a photo shoot.
An employee smiles at the camera. Black-and-white photo.
Black-and-white photo of an employee at the Chocolate Hotel.
Silvia from the front desk team smiles at us.
Kristina, our service manager. Black-and-white photo.
Black-and-white portrait of a man wearing a dark shirt with a name tag, standing in front of a solid-color background
Leyla, our breakfast fairy, in a black-and-white photo.
Heike, our breakfast fairy, smiles at the camera.
Janine from the Service Team, smiling broadly. Black-and-white photo.
Hendrik from the service team, smiling warmly. Black-and-white photo.
Angelique from the service team in a black-and-white photo.
A black-and-white portrait of a smiling person wearing a dark jacket against a plain background.
A portrait of a smiling person wearing a dark shirt in front of a plain wall, with long, wavy hair.
Dawoud from our service team. A big smile. A black-and-white photo.
Here's Anh, our intern on the service team. She's smiling warmly at the camera.
Meikel, our apprentice from the service team, in a black-and-white photo.
Paula, our trainee on the service team, smiles warmly at the camera.
Evelin, our apprentice on the service team. Black-and-white photo.
Studio photo of a smiling person wearing a dark top with a name tag in front of a solid-color background
Yilmaz, our apprentice on the service team. He’s smiling warmly at the camera.
Jane, a student worker on our team, smiles during the photo shoot.
Jane, our student worker, in a black-and-white photo.
A person with long dark hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt, smiles against a solid-color background
Hans-Georg, our head chef, smiling broadly in a black-and-white photo.
Giuseppe, our second chef, with a friendly smile.
Tim from our kitchen team in a black-and-white photo.
A smiling person in a dark chef's jacket against a solid-color background
A portrait of a hotel employee wearing a striped apron, looking directly at the camera against a plain background.
Tobias from our kitchen team in a black-and-white photo.
A portrait of a person wearing a dark chef's hat and an apron, looking directly at the camera against a solid-color background.
A portrait of a man in a dark chef's jacket, smiling against a plain light-colored background.
Abdelali from our kitchen team smiles warmly at the camera.
Judith smiles warmly at the camera. She is part of the Atelier team.
A woman in a chef's uniform is smiling; her name tag is visible.
Tatiana-Mariana from the Breakfast Team smiles warmly at the camera
Deniz, our breakfast chef, smiles warmly at the camera.
Ralf, our pants technician, smiles at the camera.
Thomas, our in-house technician, is having his picture taken. It's a black-and-white photo.
Bianca-Nicoleta, our housekeeper, smiles warmly at the camera.
A black-and-white portrait of a smiling person wearing a dark shirt against a solid-color background.
A woman in blue is smiling; she is wearing a name tag that says "Maryana."
Vera from the housekeeping team smiles at the camera.
A woman in surgical scrubs smiles at the camera; she is wearing a name tag.
Ike from the housekeeping team smiles warmly at the camera
A woman wearing glasses, surgical scrubs, and a name tag smiles at the camera.
A woman dressed in dark blue is smiling; she is wearing a name tag. Her name is Aziza.
A man wearing a black apron and a cap, smiling. His name is Mehmet.
A woman smiles at the camera; she is wearing a name tag.
A woman is smiling; she is wearing glasses and a name tag. Her signature reads “Manuela.”
A woman in a brown shirt is smiling and holding a spoon
A woman in a black shirt is smiling and wearing a name tag. Her name is Olha.
A woman with dark hair wearing a black V-neck shirt is smiling; a name tag reading
A woman with gray hair tied back in a bun, smiling, wearing a black shirt with a name tag that reads "Renate."

Learn more about our team and stay up to date on the latest news

CONSEQUENCES