jamesteroh

I was there in July 2014 during July 4 and was preupgraded to Sky Suite, one of the best upgrades I've had as a diamond.

I wasn't impressed with the lounge though. They gave all gold's access and there was never a place to sit and soda only available during happy hour. I complained at checkout and trip advisor about it (and also stated that was the only complaint I had with the stay) and was told at checkout they were either going to give gold's another option and no lounge access or give diamonds a full breakfast to help solve that problem and it sounds like diamonds are no getting a full breakfast for the benefit.

I agree with the location. And I like that they have bottled water available 24/7 at the front desk and I love the Apple TV's in the room.

2035

Staying at this hotel now.

As a gold I was given a number of benefits at checkin;

Choice of breakfast in restaurant or points
Coupon for drink and snack in bar
Free pressing of one item each day

These are all standard gold benefits, per a flyer I was given.

I was emailed an invitation to manager's reception in skybar a few days before my stay - together with any guests I want

I was also upgraded to executive room at checkin. Lounge seems fine to me - open 24/7 with free soft drinks and snacks.

This is the first hotel (apart from Conrad Maldives..) I have ever been invited to a manager's reception. it is also the first hotel outside of Asia that I have been offered free presssing of garnments, which is extremely useful to me.

Room is very nice and modern, with great TV/Apple PC. Nice view of canal.

Overall very impressed with hotel, one of my favourite in Europe - and I have stayed at many Hiltons accross UK, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland etc etc.

fb175091

This is new. I haven't been in the hotel since late 2015; now staying for two nights. The Lobby Bar now has "sweets & snacks" (very similar to the sweets & snacks that were in the Executive Lounge before) that are on offer for EUR 7.50. As a Diamond, I received two Diamond Vouchers for "complimentary sweets & snacks assortment with a drink". I do not know whether snacks have disappeared from the EL now (the sweets are still there).

TravellerFrequently

I visited the hotel today as my usual hotel, the Crowne Plaza City Centre is closing at the end of October for quite a while as they re brand it to Kimpton.

While I did not like the fact that the Executive Lounge is quite public and really should have been located on the top floor, (loved the great views) I did like the overall feel and the suites look good from the website.

I will book my next AMS visit at the hotel and see how it compares. Diamond status will of course help.

whimsey21

I'll be in Amsterdam for a couple of nights next week. I'll be taking the train to/from meetings and sightseeing in my spare time, so want to be near Centraal station. I had booked the doubletree as it was within my budget, but just saw that rooms at the Renaissance have suddenly opened up for a similar price (it was showing sold out a few days ago). Has anyone stayed at both, and if so which would you recommend? I'm HH Diamond and Marriott Gold, so I'll have lounge access/breakfast in both. Thanks!

eddibabyyeah

I have stayed at both with exactly the same status as yourself. Personally I prefer the Renaissance. But there isn't much in it really. I guess it comes down to which room they allocate at the time. Had no view at the Renaissance, but a great view from the Doubletree. I think the location is similar with the renaissance slightly edging ahead. The Exec lounge was better in the Renaissance. Both properties allowed breakfast in the main restaurant for award room bookings. If the price is similar I would choose the renaissance, but I do prefer Marriott properties to Hilton.

whimsey21

Thanks very much for the feedback. I'm somewhat of a light sleeper- did you notice any difference in room noise levels between the Ren and the Doubletree?

Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant

Was thinking of a quick pop in to AMS with my kids (teens), but looking at the rooms on TA, I can't seem to find photos of any bed configs that would be suitable for a cheap family sneak stay (i.e. Embassy Suites style "You guys sleep on the hideabed couch, Mom and Dad will take the bed...").

The "couches" even look like little hard loveseat style. Anyone been here that can attest to what family room situations are like there, any better room to book, etc.?

I've stayed at the Wharf DT, but never the Centraal one - with limited time, I figured I didn't want to waste hours ferrying. Not to mention it's sold out. Which is a shame, they have a great breakfast and vibe there at the Wharf.



TDM

whimsey21

So I ended up staying here for a couple of nights, as I wasn't able to get my colleague to switch to the Renaissance in time for our trip. Overall it was a decent stay- quite convenient from the train station as others have mentioned- I wheeled a suitcase without much problem and it took about 5 minutes. As one might expect, there's certainly no ambiance around the hotel (train tracks behind, canal in front) and I did occasionally wish I had chosen the Ren to be in more of a "neighborhood." Check-in was straightforward, though I asked about an upgrade (the app was showing a number of upgraded rooms as available for my entire stay) and the desk agent told me they were all booked up, but they had "upgraded me" to the same room type I had booked. My profile also specifies a room away from the elevators-- my room turned out to be almost as close as possible to the elevators. That said, my room was spacious and functional. Despite being larger than the base rooms, it had the same furniture (I compared with my colleague's room, which was the lowest level twin), so there was a lot of empty space- not at all a problem, but it seemed a bit funny that they didn't add a couch or table or something. The room was reasonably quiet from external noise (I didn't hear anything from the bars or street), though I could hear doors opening/closing in the hallway and the elevator floor announcements, which were unnecessarily loud. The A/C worked well, there was a very small window that opened a bit for fresh air, and I was provided with all of the usual amenities.

Exec lounge is on the first floor next to the lobby bar- when the hotel is full (which it was on the second night of our stay) you have to fight your way through to the door. The good thing about the lounge is that it was open 24 hours with juice, water, soft drinks, and a large selection of candy/chocolates/cookies. The selection during breakfast and evening cocktail hour was ok, but nothing special; they have beer and wine in the evenings, though the beer tap was not functioning one of the nights I was there, and the staff made no effort to fix it. The lounge was reasonably full but there were always tables available- my colleague who is HH Gold didn't get access, so they're no longer providing it to all elites; both he and I received one coupon for a drink and snacks at the lobby bar (for what it is worth, the coupon only allows beer or wine as your choice of drink). While the lounge was reasonable, I wasn't encouraged to spend much time there- the lounge offerings weren't kept stocked and the lounge had a real problem with fruit flies (to the point where I had to throw out my drink because I couldn't keep the flies out of it). Due to the fly issue, I took breakfast in the restaurant, and it was quite nice. Lots of variety and very good quality, with the usual continental offerings as well as several hot dishes (including very tasty waffles) and an Asian selection. Still a few fruit flies near the food, but nothing like in the lounge. It was of the better Hilton property breakfasts I've had outside of Asia.

The second day of my stay seemed to be the start of some sort of conference in the hotel- by dinner time the property was mobbed with people, and there were long lines for the elevators and mobs in front of the check-in desks and at the lobby bar. This definitely gave the hotel a very different feel, as the place became very noisy and crowded; in the future, if I'm considering staying here, I think I'll check to see if they are running any events during my stay and avoid the property if they are.

travellingcari

Just completed a three-night stay here. Rate was amazing even before the winter sale and didn't relish idea of luggage on tram so liked idea of it being adjacent to Centraal Station. Easy walk to Dam Square and any of the Centraal Station tram lines, so good location for Amsterdam stay.

Upgraded to a canal view room and as it rained almost non stop each night, rain on the canal was lovely white noise. I'd really prefer an extra water over the brand standard chocolate chip cookies, or a choice between the two. Apple TV/working iMacs in the rooms are a nice touch.

The (included) breakfast buffet at CityCafe is fresh and diverse and staff is attentive. I had a drink and light meal at Skyview one evening and the food is good, although service was a little slow.

Would stay here again if in Amsterdam

SR12

Did they change their "procedure" at the DT Amsterdam Centraal? It has been 1.5 years that I stayed there, but back then i addition the the standard water bottles (and the cookie) at checkin, they had two big transparent plastic containers at the checkin section in the lobby filled with small water bottles and green apples, serve-yourself style for anybody to use.
Remember that my girlfriend and me always grabbed one bottle each on the way out each day.

travellingcari

There was a small water station near the door with small (8 oz?) cups for on the go, but no water bottles or fresh fruit. Latter may have just been out of season though.

qofmiwok

I am here now. Nice hotel. Here are the pros. Location is great. Right next to the train station, but in a newer area. Not touristy, in fact the streets on the weekdays were full of business people, and now that it's the weekend the streets are fairly cleaned out. We got an executive king suite with separate bedroom. We have huge windows on multiple sides, for great views of boats, canals, bikers, walkers. Even a spare half bath in the living room I wasn't expecting. The room is new, everything is clean and maintained. The executive lounge was great. The best omelettes I've ever had, plus really good yogurt and toppings. The first couple nights we were so jet lagged we just ate some snacks at happy hour and skipped dinner. The views from the skylounge on the roof are even better than from the room.

Cons: There isn't a real lobby to speak of. Probably not good if you are waiting for friends often. The restaurant is overpriced and not that great. The executive lounge makes this hotel work. If you don't get access, I probably wouldn't stay here. We do hear the train now and then, but not often. Hasn't been a problem at all. The rooms are spartan. No place to put your clothes, room to hang just a couple things and new drawers. We have our packing cubes spread all over the floor of the living room hallway. Living room sofa is designed as an extra bed and not comfortable as a regular sofa. Need to know how to use Apple TV to watch tv. The blackout curtains don't close all the way (over a foot short in a friends' room.) Bathroom is very small without much place for toiletries. Basically it could be a much nicer hotel if they thought about what travelers really need. Like some shelves and closets for your clothes. Lastly, like most in Europe, the bed was quite hard.

Adam1222

Staying here now as part of operation burn Honors points, and what a disappointment. Hotel is full, so was advised no upgrade. On "Honors Floor" which is meaningless when your room faces the interior courtyard. Indeed, because of the shape of the building my room is about 10m from the room across the way, so i can see right into it and vice versa. Unfortunately, if you close the curtains, there is no source of light whatsoever. Room is also perhaps one of the barest and least welcoming I've stayed in, with bare white walls. As others noted, no real tv, just an iMac on the desk, because you want to watch tv on a 19" computer screen when you're traveling.

As Gold, not given Executive Lounge access. Had to wait 15 minutes at check in to get to the desk. Plenty of other hotels in more charming locations near public transit. Should've stayed at the Hyatt Regency, new Kimpton, or a second night at the Park Plaza Victoria, where at least you get some style.

(No water bottles for me as referenced in earlier comments, just a cookie.)

Kacee

Sounds like you got the same room I did. I would never stay at this property again.