Hotel Review: Movenpick, Amsterdam
Posted on 03 September 2010 with no comments from readers
Swiss hotel group Movenpick in which Prince Alwaleed holds a large stake is on an expansion track in Dubai this year with one new property almost open and another three in the pipeline, including two on the Palm Jumeirah. It therefore seemed a good idea to check out its hotel in Amsterdam where Emirates Airline has just started a daily service.
The location of this 408-room, modern, high-rise hotel is better than it first appears. You are 10 minutes walk from the Central Station but the hotel is actually a part of the cruise liner terminal in the docklands on the main waterway. The views back from the hotel are superb with an ever changing panorama of ships, boats and ferries and the city of Amsterdam.
Quiet location
This means you feel in the city without having it noisily on your doorstep, and Amsterdam can be quite a loud place. Its nightlife is justly notorious and relatively safe if you take care where to go.
There is only one Movenpick in Amsterdam so there is no chance of confusing the taxi drivers. Dubai will soon have five of these Swiss-run hotels. Indeed, there are a lot of Movenpicks scattered around the Middle East. From the one at mouth of the main site in Petra to cruise ships on the Nile.
The accent is on cleanliness and efficiency rather than personal service. The breakfast in Amsterdam, for example, is entirely self-service, with even the coffee left in a pot on the table. It gets a little cold after a while, and a fresh pot would be appreciated.
Good facilities
Small niggles like that aside your accommodation is modern with complimentary WiFi and tea and coffee making facilities as well as a safe. The bathroom contains a large and powerful shower, although a vanity kit would be appreciated by some guests. Try the 19th and 20th executive floors for a club lounge.
This is a popular hotel for business as well as leisure with good meeting and conference rooms. Often there is a massive ocean line parked outside your window, a distraction or attraction according to your taste.
It will be interesting to see how Moevenpick chooses to woo the more service-orientated clients of Dubai where the competition among the bigger chains is fierce at the moment. Perhaps it is unfair to be too hard on the Amsterdam hotel which is only a four star, and is serving a mainly European client base.
