CityHub Rotterdam Hangout

CityHub Rotterdam Hangout is the shared space of CityHub Rotterdam at Witte de Withstraat 87 in Rotterdam. The location is in Cool, in the city center. CityHub describes the Hangout as a reception, lounge, and bar in one. As such, it is not an independent coffee bar in the classic sense, but part of a hotel concept with shared functions.

The broader CityHub concept was founded by Sem Schuurkes and Pieter van Tilburg. Public sources describe them as university friends or classmates. Their background is in Business Administration at Tilburg University. Travel and entrepreneurship are also mentioned as themes in their careers.

CityHub Rotterdam opened on April 20, 2018. Design and architecture sources place the realization of the Rotterdam project in April or May 2018. The Rotterdam branch was the second CityHub location. The concept combines compact private spaces, shared facilities, and digital processes.

Guests stay in compact private “Hubs” and use shared bathrooms and social spaces. The system operates with digital check-in, access, and payment via a wristband, an app, and support from CityHosts. Within this model, the Hangout serves as the place where reception, accommodation, and the bar function come together.

Regarding coffee provision, CityHub has announced via Instagram that its locations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam serve Bocca Coffee. Bocca Coffee publicly describes itself as a specialty coffee roastery, founded in 2001. The company is also certified as a B Corporation.

Available information mentions coffee and tea in connection with breakfast and the use of the Hangout. CityHub documents a self-service bar or refreshment system, where guests use the CityHub wristband. A to-go breakfast that can be reserved is also mentioned. A public Instagram post describes breakfast with coffee or tea and a to-go bag for use in the Hangout.

Less public information is available regarding coffee preparation. Specific methods, such as espresso, filter coffee, or other brewing styles, are not documented in the available material. No specific coffee drinks or recipes are listed, other than the general availability of coffee or tea and the mention of Bocca Coffee as the supplier.

Within CityHub Rotterdam, the Hangout primarily serves a social and practical function. The space is described as a shared reception, lounge, and bar. While it supports the stay of hotel guests, the sources provide no indication that the place is presented as a standalone coffee destination.

CityHosts play a role in the broader concept. They provide local tips and help guests plan activities in Rotterdam. This role focuses on the city and the stay, not specifically on coffee. No public documentation of coffee workshops, tastings, or exhibitions at CityHub Rotterdam Hangout was found.

There is, however, a third party that mentions a Rotterdam Bar Crawl event at CityHub Rotterdam in December 2019. This does not concern a coffee program and does not appear to be described as a regular activity of the Hangout in the available sources.

CityHub announced that it became a certified B Corporation in May 2024. In communications about more conscious travel, the company mentions various aspects of its model. These include shared Hangouts, shared bathrooms, compact Hubs, and the reuse of vacant buildings.

CityHub’s B Lab profile describes the reuse of vacant buildings and space-efficient rooms. The profile also mentions an 89 percent lower CO2 footprint per guest compared to the European average. This claim relates to the accommodation concept as a whole, not specifically to coffee in the Hangout.

Bocca Coffee, the documented coffee supplier, is also B Corp certified. The company states that it manages the coffee chain from sourcing to roasting, packaging, and serving. No separate sustainability claims regarding coffee machines, cups, waste, water usage, or milk alternatives were found for CityHub Rotterdam Hangout itself.

CityHub Rotterdam received attention in various media and trade sources in 2018. OpenRotterdam reported on the opening on Witte de Withstraat. Boutique Hotel News announced the opening of the second CityHub location. Hospitality Design covered the interior design by Studio Modijefsky.

The e-architect, We Heart, and Studio Modijefsky also documented the project. Studio Modijefsky mentions CityHub Rotterdam in connection with the Rotterdam Architecture Prize and Frame’s Night Fever 6. These references primarily concern the hotel, architecture, and interior design. No coffee-specific awards or press coverage for CityHub Rotterdam Hangout are publicly documented in the available materials.

Based on the available information, CityHub Rotterdam Hangout can be seen as a hotel-affiliated space where coffee is part of a broader hospitality system. The presence of Bocca Coffee places the coffee offering within the specialty coffee field, but the sources provide no details on brewing methods, the menu, or barista practices. For readers following the coffee industry, the combination of the hotel concept, self-service, and the documented supplier is particularly relevant.