There are indeed kiosks for LH (shared by bmi, and notorious for swallowing the the Diamond Club cards that featured the translucent 'swoosh').
The queue for Schengen central security can be quite sizeable at peak hours, but do look for the élite access line - it may well be masked by the normal queues.
If the OP has 20k Starwood miles then the Schiphol Sheraton is a very good hotel to use 10k miles up in if you wanted to be at the airport the night before. The Pulitzer in town is also excellent and in a great location but at 12-16k per night not sure you'd be able to stretch to that on points! You might however be able to get one night on points and double your budget for the second night?
Traveling LH as *Gold I wouldn't worry too much about checkin. You can certainly check in the evening before, and most chain hotels have a place you can print boarding passes. If that doesn't work for some reason, I've never waited more than 2-3 minutes in the LH elite line at AMS. The larger problem could well be security - if there is an elite line I've never found it.
One compensation is that if you wind up being early the LH lounge is perfectly fine and always quiet when I've been there in the morning.
Looks like I am going in shortly:-) Some other possibilities that came up:
I see the Pulitzer for 4,800 points plus $90 per night (or 12,000 Starwood points). This is supposed to be in the Leading hotels of the Starwood chain but it just does not look that big of a deal to me. Is it worth it? Location?
I can always get a Holiday Inn at the airport for 15,000 Priority Club points for my 2nd night and then just roll out of bed and get on the shuttle so I would not mind splurging a bit on my first night in town for the Pulitzer. My gut feeling is that the Pulitzer is not worth the money/*wood points...
Any thoughts? If I am guessing correctly I will bid one night for a 5* in the city centre and likely get one of the NH hotels for not much over $100 per night and then get an airport hotel on points to just make sure I get some sleep and get to my flight on time....I know, I know, I have plenty of time...but things happen, I don't want to risk it.
Hilton at 35,000 points for the airport hotel seems excessive....or is it?
Looks like I am going in shortly:-) Some other possibilities that came up:
I see the Pulitzer for 4,800 points plus $90 per night (or 12,000 Starwood points). This is supposed to be in the Leading hotels of the Starwood chain but it just does not look that big of a deal to me. Is it worth it? Location?
I can always get a Holiday Inn at the airport for 15,000 Priority Club points for my 2nd night and then just roll out of bed and get on the shuttle so I would not mind splurging a bit on my first night in town for the Pulitzer. My gut feeling is that the Pulitzer is not worth the money/*wood points...
Any thoughts? If I am guessing correctly I will bid one night for a 5* in the city centre and likely get one of the NH hotels for not much over $100 per night and then get an airport hotel on points to just make sure I get some sleep and get to my flight on time....I know, I know, I have plenty of time...but things happen, I don't want to risk it.
Hilton at 35,000 points for the airport hotel seems excessive....or is it?
4800 points and $90 is a steal for the Pulitzer - I'd take it like a flash. The Pulitzer is in a fantastic location and has great character. Ask for a room on the Keizergracht side of the hotel and you'll not be disappointed (you probably won't get a canal view for that though). Have a look in the SPG forum for the dedicated Pulitzer thread for more info.
I booked the Pulitzer for my first night for 4,800 Starwood points and $90 cash. I took your word for it ant_west, fellow FTers usually are right on!
I may take my time now for my 2nd night before my 10.30 am flight out of AMS. I am having 2nd thoughts on spending 15,000 PC points for an airport Holiday Inn as two nights earlier I would be staying at another HI in ATH for just 5,000 points (Pointbreaks rate). I will study the two Priceline bidding sites for the AMS airport bids before I pull the trigger as the prices on the 2nd night are much higher...it must be people coming to Amsterdam for New Year celebrations??
I will hunt down that thread on the Pulitzer in the Starwood forum, you got me excited!
Location: Chapel Hill, NC - United 1K, HHonors Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,875
Quote:
Originally Posted by gpapadop
I booked the Pulitzer for my first night for 4,800 Starwood points and $90 cash. I took your word for it ant_west, fellow FTers usually are right on!
I will hunt down that thread on the Pulitzer in the Starwood forum, you got me excited!
And as you'll discover, folks seem to either love or hate the Pulitzer. It's not for everyone. The location is great, but it's a bit...quirky. I stayed there three nights back when I was SPG plat and got a huge room, but others have reported less than stellar experiences.
Do search out the thread in the Starwood forum. Lots of opinions.
I'll probably be booking the airport Sheraton. No checked baggage. As the LH itinerary will be AMS-FRA-IAH, can I check-in online ahead of time for a US bound trip?
I'm a leisure traveler, albeit it *G anyway, but I focus my earnings on miles and not hotel points. So no SPG points to burn right now.
