PORTRAIT. Wealthy real estate family donates Ostend’s first hotel in 25 years, although father-founder was recently knocked out by sons: who is the Degroote family? | Exclusively for subscribers

For the first time in 25 years (!) Ostend is getting a new hotel, but the story of the contractor behind it – real estate family Degroote – is even more striking. Because the three sons Degroote thought that their father-founder Xavier wanted to go too slow, he was kicked out of his own company. Today they are competitors and even outbid each other. Portrait of a construction family with a high Dallas content.