Hilton Redefines the Airport Hotel: Modern Luxury Meets Airport Convenience
Sarah C. Thomas February 26, 2016
Imagine after a long, weary international flight, you glide over a covered walkway, elegantly known as The Traverse, to the shimmering, Cubist, architectural wonder that houses your accommodation for the night. You dine in a hip cocktail lounge and slip into the cocoon of a full-service spa before falling asleep in your “Serenity Bed.”
This is an airport hotel?
If Hilton has anything to say about it, your expectations of “an airport hotel” are about to change.
Big time.
The Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has become the benchmark for a new concept in airport area hotels. According to a research paper sponsored by Hilton and dramatically entitled “The Rise of the Airport Hotel,” 5,500 international travelers polled considered airport hotels to be “outdated, expensive, boring, and crowded.”
Hilton proudly considers itself to be, historically, the leader in airport hoteliers. Conrad Hilton was the first to design and open an airport hotel in San Francisco, with a sister property opening in New Orleans not long after.
Future properties may follow in the footsteps of Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, with unique offerings that specifically address the needs of fatigued travelers, like the convenience of “day rooms” from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., high-quality cuisine, airy ballrooms and soundproof windows.
Look for state-of-the-art ideas like the 433-room hotel’s enlivening use of natural light in a massive atrium, which provides quite a contrast from what some may consider the obnoxious quality of fluorescent airport lighting or the sallow lights within the cabin of an airplane. Other refreshing offerings include a rotating exhibit of fine artwork, making the hotel a destination within itself.
The Dutch architecture firm behind Hilton’s trailblazing luxury airport hotel concept describes the feel of the hotel as not only aesthetically dynamic, but an important part of the identity of the city, offering, “This is not an airport hotel, but the gate to The Netherlands.”
[Photo: Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]
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Thanks for the advertorial. Sound-proof windows, an atrium, day-rates? None of these are 'new' features for airport hotels, but have been around for decades. Case in point: the Hilton London Heathrow just across the channel, which has been around since the 90s has a large atrium. It does sound like this hotel has a good design aesthetic, but otherwise, none of the features mentioned in this 'article' sound particularly unique or new.
interesting and surprised they didn't have accommodation's rates for us poor slobs climbing off a long haul flight !! Will try this next trip.
As long as you want to pay for all that. This hotel is getting reviews that emphasize how nickel-and-diming it is. The fees for early check-in are not just for 7 AM, they're for as little as an HOUR early. Similarly, there are fees for even modest late checkouts, even for members with high elite status.
Stayed at this hotel and it is amazing. The staff was friendly at check-in and the room was awesome. My only complaints would be the $40EUR fee for early check-in. They look at you like you're crazy for wanting to check in at 7 AM when you just deplaned a transatlantic flight and want a shower. The shower in the room I stayed in had a glass wall that while had some privacy features still didn't leave much to the imagination if you looked closely.. since I was travelling with a co-worker this made showering awkward. They advertised a Jacuzzi but it wasn't really clear if it was included with the stay or if you had to get some sort of spa package to use it and since it was one night and I spent the whole day in the city I was too tired to ask. Otherwise the design is amazing (an instagrammers delight), they have a nice gym, bar in the lobby and as I said the staff was super pleasant and nice.