Some success stories begin with strategy. Others purely by chance. For Mayke Van Straalen and Pascal Zimmer, founders of MyQ sàrl, it all started with a solo road trip, a centuries-old castle, and a meeting that would turn both their lives, and the Luxembourg hospitality scene, upside down.
From a road trip to a partnership
“It was supposed to be just a stopover,” recalls Mayke, smiling. “On my way back from Italy to the Netherlands, I booked a room in a small castle I found on Airbnb. In my diary, I even wrote that I felt something special would happen there.”
That feeling proved right. After dinner on her first night there, she met Pascal, the castle’s owner and a creative visionary with a lifelong passion for restoring forgotten architecture. “We had an instant connection,” she says.
For Pascal, the encounter was equally striking. “I had owned the castle for years, but I always dreamed of meeting someone who could share my passion and help manage the business side,” he explains. “I’m a creator at heart. When Mayke appeared, I felt she was the person I had been waiting for.”
After that first meeting, Mayke went back to the Netherlands. But Pascal sensed potential far beyond coincidence. Days later, he called her with a bold idea: to launch a company together. By September 21, 2021, they had become business partners. Two months later, Mayke moved to Luxembourg, and in December, MyQ was officially born.
The name itself fuses both personal and symbolic meaning: MyQ could refer to “my quota,” or “my headquarters” and, of course, echoing Mayke’s name. “It symbolises both of us,” she explains.
A castle reimagined
Pascal’s relationship with Clémency Castle in the west of Luxembourg stretches back more than 20 years. When he bought it, the building was in ruins. “What made me fall in love was the staircase, worn by 400 years of footsteps,” he recalls. “A journalist once wrote that I spent €500,000 just to buy a staircase and in a way, that’s true.”
Pascal restored the castle first as an office, then transformed it into a guesthouse. He stresses that he is not an architect by training but a creator, a handyman passionate about reviving old buildings. “Old buildings have a soul,” he explains. “Modern architecture often favours functionality, but I’m inspired by the wabi-sabi philosophy, the beauty of imperfection and the passage of time.”
His mission became clear: to preserve the past while reimagining it for contemporary travellers.
From pandemic challenge to business breakthrough
In 2020, just before the pandemic, Pascal decided to open the castle as a temporary residence for people in transition, whether they are moving homes, changing jobs, starting anew. Then COVID-19 hit.
“The government introduced local travel vouchers, and I suddenly had visitors again,” he says. “I had nothing else to do, so I cleaned rooms, made beds, and welcomed guests myself. That’s how it all started.”
From those uncertain beginnings, the seeds of MyQ’s hospitality concept were sown: intimate, human-centred stays that blend authenticity, comfort, and design.
Building a brand on balance
“Pascal is the creator; I bring structure and business sense,” says Mayke. Together, they’ve built a thriving company with occupancy rates rising from 50% to nearly 90%.
“I handle operations, marketing, and guest experience, while Pascal focuses on design and renovation,” she explains. “We trust each other completely, that’s the secret. He keeps the soul; I make sure it’s sustainable.”
Pascal nods. “It’s all about composition and balance, like in art. We decide case by case what to preserve and what to transform. It’s our version of yin and yang.”
The business behind the beauty
At MyQ, the balance between artistry and entrepreneurship is deliberate and deeply human. “Pascal is a master at renovating without overspending,” explains Mayke. “He’s perfect at what he does, and he lets me do what I do best. He chooses materials and colours with care, finding simple, clever solutions. He handles creation, I handle operations. That balance keeps the soul alive while making the business viable.”
For Pascal, creation is not a profession: it’s a life force. “I like to find solutions for old spirits,” he says. “There’s energy in old houses, stories everywhere. In former times, people were drawn to beauty; today, it’s often about functionality. That’s why I use wood and chalk, why I repair instead of replace. I need to create, it’s my oxygen.”
A philosophy rooted in beauty and purpose
At the core of MyQ lies a simple yet powerful belief: that hospitality is the harmony between a space and its spirit.
“Our philosophy is beauty, authenticity, and celebrating life,” says Pascal. “Winston Churchill once said during the war: ‘If we don’t celebrate life, why win the war?’ That inspires us. Our motto is ‘Be our guest, let us inspire you.’”
Pascal’s eye for detail shows in every corner: a restored window left intentionally imperfect, a repaired wallpaper preserved for its patina, a marriage between old oak and modern black lines. “It’s always a question of composition and balance,” he points out. “That’s the wabi-sabi philosophy, finding beauty in imperfection, and meaning in time itself.”
Every MyQ property, whether a manor, a restored farmhouse, or a countryside retreat, embodies that idea. “We don’t just offer rooms,” adds Mayke. “We offer stories. Each house has a soul, and our guests feel it.”
Crafting a boutique portfolio
Today, MyQ manages five distinctive guest houses, with a sixth on the way: Château de Clémency in Clémency dates back to 1635 and offers 4 uniquely themed rooms in a historic castle; Tailor’s Trail in Beaufort was built in 1860 and hosts 4 stylish rooms in the heart of the Müllerthal region; meanwhile Beim Mulles in Vianden, boasts 3 individual guesthouses all dating from 1790: “The Blacksmith,” “The House” and “The Schapp”.
Each one reflects its surroundings, blending old-world charm with modern design. “We prefer quality over quantity,” mentions Mayke. “Each place is a small jewel, unique in its character and energy.”
Their clientele is as diverse as their portfolio: from travellers driving between northern and southern Europe to business professionals and leisure guests seeking inspiration off the beaten path.
“Hospitality for us is not transactional,” says Pascal. “It’s relational. The goal is for people to leave inspired, more connected, to the place, and to themselves.”
The luxury of authentic connection
In an industry often obsessed with scale and automation, MyQ’s approach aligns with a growing luxury tourism trend that favours emotion over opulence, a sector valued for its ability to combine exclusivity with empathy.
For Pascal and Mayke, that’s not a marketing strategy; it’s a way of life. “Luxury is not about gold taps,” Mayke remarks. “It’s about how you make people feel. When guests leave with a smile, that’s the real five-star rating. People first, always!”
Recognition — and reflection
The commitment to passion and perseverance was recognised in 2025 when MyQ was nominated finalist for Best Host at the Luxembourg Tourism Awards 2025.
“Of course, it would be wonderful to win, but the greatest reward is when guests leave with a smile, feeling truly welcomed, both in our houses and in Luxembourg itself,” says Pascal.
In a world rushing toward efficiency, MyQ stands quietly apart, blending entrepreneurial precision with emotional intelligence, design with meaning, and heritage with modern hospitality.
From a diary note in Italy, a meeting that became a partnership, a ruin that became a home, to a thriving boutique brand in Luxembourg, Mayke and Pascal’s journey proves that sometimes, the most powerful business stories are also the most human ones.
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