seat1C

Any idea if the Exec Lounge is open yet? I'm staying there next week but might look elsewhere if it isn't.

MrHilton

We had a stay there last weekend.
it is open from 7 am - 8 pm.
During the day it’s a joke, they do not even offer soft drinks anymore. Only water tea and coffee. They said when I complained about this, that it is a new corporate standard. That’s a lie off course. When showing them pictures and information regarding other lounges in Europe they told me that they would look into it.

Happy hour 5-7 PM
Heineken and Moretti beers
Gin, vodka, rum.
The usual wine selection and Prosecco.
Food was a cheese plate and soup.
And some small sandwiches.

Nothing special.

Only from 5 - 7 pm they serve soft drinks.

I personally did not like the hotel or their attitude when you inform them about issues. There was hair in the room on the carpet and when I told them they just didn’t seem to care.

The breakfast is still good.

I have a feeling that , even when still officially a 5 star hotel it’s lacking that since Roberto Payer left.

hugolover

This is a corporate managed hotel. There's a chance they might be right about the coffee and tea. It's also the case in Madrid. There will be massive cost cutting this year!

MrHilton

Yes indeed it’s corporate managed so maybe that could be the reason why they are extremely strict with enforcing the rules. Same with the bottles of water in the room. Only two per stay.

I sincerely hope that they lose a lot of business with all of their cost cutting.

Madrid also has this stupid rule; that’s true. But I have not experienced any other Hilton executive lounge that doesn’t serve soft drinks during the day.

I have decided that this was my last stay at this hotel, way to much cost cutting and given the price not worth it anymore.

Isn’t Hilton Rotterdam also a corporate managed hotel? They still serve soft drinks during the entire day.

I sincerely hope that they lose a lot of business with all of their cost cutting.

TTL

The poor location far from public transport is the weak point of this otherwise exemplary venue. I have always enjoyed the service as diamond member (which the "corporate" seems to appreciate). Only getting there and to places in Amsterdam is a pain in the neck.

Sisosig

Did they offer 25% off at the bar and restaurant for Golds and Diamonds (10% for Blue and Silver), like Rotterdam and DoubleTree Soestduinen do? (Requires a 20 euro tab min.)

MrHilton

I knew about the promotion so they applied it when I informed them about it. But there were no signs or any other mention of it.

The hard product still looks good, but they are stingy now with their lounge.

Other guests were also complaining to the staff regarding the lounge offerings.

I remembered it to be a lot better, but my last stay was in 2014. Since then I always stayed in more central hotels.

HadesNL

Learned something new!

We were staying at Hilton Rotterdam on the 24th up 25th Dec :
The softdrinks were still there & the soft drinks fridge is still chilled.
Easy access at all times when the lounge is open.
(fortunate! read why: Hilton Rotterdam {NLD} )

And soft drinks are officially mentioned on the signpost outside the executive lounge:
"10 am - 3 pm: coffee, tea, soft drinks and fruit
3 pm - 6 pm: peanuts and crisps
6 pm - 8 pm: alcoholic beverages and light snacks"

SPLP007

any recent stays?

Sisosig

Why? Do you want to know what yesterday's weather was like?


I'll replace this message with a more thorough review, as soon as possible.

Sisosig

This year, I'm planning to stay in as many different Hilton Honors hotels as possible. Because Hilton Amsterdam had a somewhat lower price than usual for a few days (exceptionally), I booked a night there. Despite the seemingly low occupancy, I did not receive a "You have been upgraded" email in the days leading up to my stay. That lack of upgrades is precisely the reason why I haven't been here for a very long time; I have never had a noteworthy upgrade. In the past I also found the rooms to give an outdated 1980s luxury hotel impression. Then there's the fitness center, which is externally operated and has limited opening hours. But I decided to give it another chance.

At the online check-in, fortunately, they had assigned a room on the eighth floor with a canal view this time. I checked in, partly with the idea that maybe I would get the digital key early in the morning – something that occasionally happens at Marriott. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case; throughout the day the app kept saying I had to check in at the reception.

Some general impressions upon arrival: in the lounge, there's pleasant 1950s jazzy music playing, fitting well with the hotel's atmosphere. The check-in took a bit long (I've already checked in online, haven't I?), but fortunately, I didn't have to pull out my credit card again. The elevator surprisingly quickly took me to the eighth floor, and there it smelled pleasant. Not of anything specific, but just like a 'hotel that's only been open for half a year' would smell.

The room had been renovated since my last visit and had a very retro-modern contemporary look. As is customary for a room with a view, the curtains were left open. Strategically placed mirrors made the room appear even larger. I found it to be very tastefully decorated and efficiently designed, thus creating a spacious feeling. Unfortunately, this impression doesn't quite come across well in the photo.


High floor Deluxe (=standard) Room

The facade had new window frames, and the glass was crystal clear and spotlessly clean. Regular street sounds and airplane noise were not audible. There were two tilt windows left and right, but they were locked, probably to discourage a certain habit. Upon inquiry, it turned out it was possible to have them unlocked. I didn't do it this time, but I think I will next time, even though that would mean dealing with the noises of a big city. The tranquility in the room was enhanced by the air conditioning, which seemed completely silent; you could only hear it make a soft noise when adjusting the temperature. It also didn't cause a strong air current over you, as in certain hotels. You could set it to degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.

The minibar was stocked, and there was space for up to 10 personal items.


Because Holland's most famous beer is celebrating its 150th anniversary, this year, the labels carry popular nicknames of the beer on the bottles. So, that bottle of "Goudgele Rakker" (Golden Fellow) as seen in the photo is not some local craft beer.


The trouser press – which I still believe is mandatory for the highest category hotels – was well-hidden in a cabinet. I think it used to be mounted on the wall.

There was an impressive Nespresso machine in the room, using (I had to look up the name) Nespresso Professional pads. According to the reception desk, such a machine is now in every room, though I couldn't verify this through an independent second source, but it would be a great improvement compared to the instant coffee even in an executive room, as seen in NLDogbert's 2021 review earlier on. As a diamond member, I also receive a welcome card with no less than five midi-stroopwafels and bottles of still and sparkling water.



There was a total of 6 pads: 2x ristretto, 2x espresso, and 2x decaffeinated.

The bedroom had a better-than-usual alarm clock, and enough power outlets but nothing like a decent chair to work on. If you really needed to work behind a laptop without zoom/teams, the lounge could be an option.

The conditions in the Executive Lounge remain as previously described. There is a happy hour between 5 pm and 7 pm. Only during this time, there are individual bottles of soda (not a fridge); so during the day, there is only coffee, tea, and water available.


The same wines, beers, and spirits as described in an earlier review.

There were two hot items, breaded mozzarella sticks, and a type of cheese-filled 'bitterballen'. They didn't taste great (to put it mildly) and were not hot but rather lukewarm (at 5:15h). The small bread also looked to be leftovers from breakfast. However, the other food items (mini-sandwiches, cheese, grapes, nuts, etcetera) were of good quality, and the view over the city was also fine.


At night, in the dark, the side of the World Trade Center with all its lights is a bit more impressive to look at.

Later, I went to the Half Moon Lounge (which looks the same as in previous photos), where it was very quiet. The service was good, there was a fireplace, and like every other night of the week, there was live music from a jazz pianist at some point. I ordered a 'Redefine burger,' (plant-based) but, in my opinion, they might want to redefine the bun around it as well.

Some short impressions of breakfast


Where it says 'been ham' is where it might raise a 'What???' in the NL.


Waffles 10 euros.

At this Hilton, just like the one in The Hague, and many other hotels these days, they have shrunk the size of the plates. I'm not a big fan of it, I like to fill up my plate once, eat everything and only get up for a second cup of coffee, when I'm at 2/3 of my plate.

In previous reviews of the terrace and garden, you often see boats (sloops) in the water. They were quite prominently present, giving you the feeling that you were a guest on the terrace of a neighbouring boatyard. Hilton terminated the contract with the marina operator, there were even legal disputes about it. As a result, the view from the garden to the water is no longer obstructed by those increasingly larger sloops. Kudos to Hilton for choosing in favor of the guests rather than the additional revenue from renting out the harbour.


With the boatyard gone, as a guest of the hotel, you are able to see the water again.

HadesNL

Really enjoyed your report!
Thanks for informing us ....

I do find the executive lounge use of decanter flasks an "inovation of cheekyness" for the gin ....
Hilton AMS must have forgotten that it can't play random gin games ....
We do know and sense the differences in taste
Some gins are not as equal as other gins ....

Or maybe it is intentional to swap the flasks of gin & vodka .....
They do have both the clear liquid filling

worldiswide

Had a 2 night stay in November. Much shorter review than previous poster.

room was typical hilton. On the small side. We were upgraded to canal view. Breakfast buffet was on the average side and the restaurant was quite busy. The neighborhood the hotel is on is very nice with restaurants, bakeries, nice shops and boutiques and nice residences. It's not far from museums a little farther to center of town.

This was part of a three city European trip and we were treated much better in London and Berlin at hiltons there.

hugolover

I wonder what they think they're achieving putting bottom shelf spirits into decanters and at the same time charging 16 EUR for a bit of ham and eggs on a bit of bread. For The Stay 🥴.

KKD

Hi worldiswide,
Just curious what are those hiltons you enjoyed in London and Berlin ;P
Wanna plan a trip there soon.
Thanks