Who's Going
Cate Blanchett, Bill Clinton, Diane Kruger
Reason to Stay
Gourmet Eatery, Central Location, Luxury Spa
Hotel Type
Luxury Hotel
It’s Amsterdam’s most famous luxury hotel located in a majestic five-story red and white brick former bank building overlooking the Amstel River. True to form it’s still better for bankers than fashionistas with a lobby reception that buzzes with biz energy as deal-makers check-in and pass through Victorian-inspired lobby with pickled-white paneling, Grecian columns, ornate chandelier under plaster detailing and staff overdressed in navy suits and unfashionable hats. Furnishings seem more befit to Agatha Christie than Anna Wintour with too-formal arrangement of settees and Chippendales that are just no longer fashionable. Luckily a renovation is on the way set to wrap-up by end of 2010. <br /> <br />In recent years the hotel has waned in popularity and lux details, but is reveling in the recent unveiling of its neighboring all-suite annex houses in another former bank building as well as the addition of an in-house spa and upgraded gym. It continues to be home to two gourmet dining experiences including Excelsior and Le Relais restaurants with dishes ranging from modern French to Dutch traditional led by Chef Jean Jacques Menanteau. Additionally, Freddy’s Bar is a banker’s dream of pint and whiskey culture in an upscale setting of brown-framed windows facing the Amstel River named after Freddy Heineken of beer fortune and fame. <br />
The Room
Hotel de l’Europa comprises of two hotel buildings offering a wide palette of room offerings from drab and outdated to new and opulently exquisite. The Rondeel Building is the original hotel offering a meticulous renovation that will touch all spaces and common areas. Each room features a unique layout with a focus on business travelers offering stylish and comfortable working areas in addition to fashionable sleeping areas with canopy or sleigh-style beds in high-grade linens. The Dutch Masters Wing is exactly that, inspired by the Old Masters with portrait recreations and ornate details in standard suite and one-bedroom categories. Bathrooms feature slab marble details but with odd mosaic glass tiles that should result in a decorator being fired, but with Bulgari toiletries replenished twice daily that always look so much better back in your own guest bathroom at home.
Preferred Room
Old Masters Wing
Special Features
Luxury Spa, Business Hotel, Upscale Clientele
Amenities
Restaurant, Terrace Cafe, Bar, Lounge, Business Center
