Who's Going
Fat Boy Slim, Jamie Oliver, Viktor & Rolf
Reason to Stay
Fashionable Clientele, Historical Building, Hip Lounge
Hotel Type
Boutique Hotel
It's one of the best locations of any Amsterdam hotel, situated in the heart of the city's Fashion & Museum District in the vibrant Zuid (South) neighborhood. The College Hotel is located in an exquisite 19th-century structure that feels like a private prep school, an Amsterdam version of Gossip Girl, that was built in 1895 as an actual school. It's red stone façade and fenced garden with rod iron gate leads to a double door entrance and into a brick lined atrium with arched doorways and minimalist reception worked by a collection of hip and youthful staff that are actually students of various hotel management schools in the region. Beyond the reception is a sexy lobby lounge under high ceilings alit by two large open fireplaces and sweeping staircases.
A true boutique hotel at its core, the College Hotel is built on dramatic design with service and maintenance sometimes taking a backseat to good old-fashion fun. The hotel's eatery, The College Restaurant, is perhaps one exception with meticulous culinary staff located in the school's former-gymnasium serving a menu of international cuisine with Dutch accents by chef Chef Pepijn Schut. An adjacent bar is stiletto stomping ground for burgeoning Viktor & Rolfs with illuminated onyx bar with open fireplace on black oak floors with an in-house catwalk. As for a gym you'll have to hit one in the neighborhood, they're always better anyway, the same goes with spa services except for an in-room service arranged by the hotel.
The Room
Did we mention this is a boutique hotel with high-gloss and design details that look great on paper but sometimes result in hard-worn, wobbly, impractical details that are better fit for the young than the luxury-accustomed. A series of standard guest room and duplex, junior and Ban Baerle Suites offer a similar design statement of dark walls, tall dramatic drapery in solid colors and plush carpeting that could use an updating. Smaller rooms are likely smaller than you expected with compact double beds with single chair and writing desk with minimal views. On the plus side, they’re some of the best values you’ll find in Amsterdam and bring in a much more fashionable crowd than most any other hotel. Larger Duplex Suites, our favorite, have a two-floor layout with view on the Roelof Hartplein. Bathrooms are more tile than marble with soaking tubs in larger rooms and simple stall showers with drab linens in standard accommodations.
Preferred Room
Duplex Suite
Special Features
Hip Clientele, Lobby Hotpsot, Single Travelers
Amenities
Restaurant, Lounge, Garden, Bar
