Noodopvang Utrecht (Biltsestraatweg)
The Star Lodge Hotel on the Biltsestraatweg in Utrecht's Voorveldse Polder has been used as COA emergency accommodation since December 2021, housing around 330 asylum seekers. In August 2022 unrest broke out over the repetitive meals provided by the COA: after a resident threw a carton of milk, more than ten police officers entered the building with batons drawn to restore order, and the COA moved one resident to another site over what it called threatening behaviour. Roughly 250 residents had signed a petition asking for cash instead of meals so they could buy their own food. In June 2023 the city extended the hotel's use as a reception site by three years, to around July 2026.
Occupancy
195
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€184
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€13m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Biltsestraatweg, Utrecht. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Aug 2022
Police with batons restore order at Star Lodge reception over meal complaints
Unrest broke out at the Star Lodge Hotel on the Biltsestraatweg after residents protested the repetitive meals provided by the COA. More than ten officers entered with batons drawn after a resident threw a carton of milk; the COA transferred one resident elsewhere. About 250 residents had petitioned for cash to buy their own food.
RTV Utrecht · source
Jun 2023
Asylum reception at Utrecht Star Lodge Hotels extended by three years
Utrecht extended the use of the Star Lodge Hotels on the Biltsestraatweg as a reception location for around 330 refugees by three years beyond the planned July 2023 closure, citing continued national shortages of reception places.
DUIC · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate — always check the linked source.
Timeline
Dec 2021
Star Lodge Hotel opens as reception site
COA begins housing around 330 asylum seekers at the Biltsestraatweg hotel.
Aug 2022
Police restore order after meal protest
Unrest over COA-provided meals; officers entered with batons drawn and one resident was transferred.
Jun 2023
Reception use extended by three years
City extends the hotel's use as an asylum reception location to around July 2026.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €184 per person per night for emergency reception (noodopvang), the 195 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €13m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
COA / Rijksoverheid (Kamerstuk, 5 Sep 2025) · 2025-08-13. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.