HadesNL

Thanks for the review,

And to toast with all these drinks, bottoms up!

Glad they provided the chef's taste for Inner Circle,
Good that in my absence they still remember, one does appreciate those touches as uniquely Kimpton.

Did you get a chance for the social hour?

nicolas75

I did not.
No time indeed for the social hour 😅

HadesNL

Haha:
With such a program of het Stedelijk, de Pee Cee, Nassau/Stadhouderskade, Bijenkorf, i would need a drink to keep hydrated
Glad you got good weather and enjoyed the city!

ukdoctor

Many thanks to everyone on the thread ..Had a 4 night stay at this hotel in mid March. I have mixed opinions about the hotel..Was very busy and could only post the review today..Apologies for the spelling and punctuation as I'm typing on my mobile :-)

I am a Diamond elite Ambassodor.

What I liked :
1.Location is good..Away from the major crowds but still in the centre of things ..Close to the Central station. I know that some people have posted about lack of supermarkets nearby . But there is a jumbo city ( similar to a tesco express in the UK ) 4 minutes walk away.

Turn left as soon as you exit the hotel and walk past the gay sauna and then its right and then a left ( can see it on Google maps ) . Prices here are slightly more than a normal Jumbo but it's the convenience factor and you get much better options than at the souvenir stores etc near the hotel.

2. Loved the social hour everyday.

3. Breakfast is good. All items on the menu were good quality..It is great if staying for a night or two. The eggs benedict I had for breakfast ( can select one item from an special menu as a diamond elite ) was really nice..

What I did not like

1. Wasn't upgraded as as diamond (got the chocolates / wine).I know its not guaranteed but still felt a bit left out.

2. Breakfast again.. While everything is nice it does get a bit repetitive after a few days due to limited items on the table.
Staff seemed very stressed on a few of the days due to shortage of staff.. But have to say that they were all very friendly . Also I found it a bit odd that while they ask you whether you want coffee or tea at the table , there is also a self serve coffee machine which doesn't have a tea option.. If you need tea you need to ask. While I eat pork and loved the bacon/ sausage / ham etc in the breakfast buffet which were quite good quality as well , there are many guests who don't.. So the options are limited for them . Also the eggs available in the buffet are only scrambled eggs. You can order an egg on toast etc from the menu ( as a diamond I could order one item). Those with a breakfast included rate should be okay as you can order multiple items from the menu afaik..

3. The room given ( King bed premium ) was quite dark even with all the lights on.. Even after adjusting the bedside lamps we still had to use the torch from the mobile to look for stuff in our suitcase. I suspect that it may be due to the layout of our room where the luggage etc can only be kept in a dark corner..But I've never had to do this in a similar type hotel..
I can see that it's okay in many other reviews on YouTube in other rooms so it might just be bad luck.

Overall I think the hotel is worth staying for maybe a night or two but not any longer.

HadesNL

Staying now live at the Kimpton de Witt Amsterdam......


First things first:
Viking River Cruises seems to have switched to this hotel as preferred partner pre / post river cruise..........
It feels very Florida : Boca Raton in crowd but at least my ailing mum seems to have made a lot of new friends
Word has it that Viking kinda dropped the Renaissance because it is old junk....

Il Primera:
Very enthousuastic pre-stay contact / email with Brandon d. B. the front office manager
Excellent welcome and explaination by trainee Floortje from reception, provide recognition as Inner Circle and delivered all benefits
Lovely touch from Sr, Duty Manager: Stefan L. (not his twin from IC AMS hotel now at Amsterdam Pillows hotel MauritsPark
As a surprise for me mum, our room will be fluffed up for the Eurovision songfestival tomorrow ...... all done while we are having lunch outside
(She is a fanatic and even has the bookies on her speeddial)

Ill Seccundo:
The hotel is reachable by taxi again,
one does not need to walk through the muddy marsh ...! Yay!

see:


The hotel can be reached again by taxi or car for drop off
Very easy and soon to be completely resurfaced



And third most important discovery...
And the permanent new tram stop is very conveniant diagonally in front of the hotel:

Easy accessible:

Tram stop: Nieuwe Zijdse Kolk
Behind it, the hotel entrance


The GVB public transport company has moved the tramstop diagonally in front of the hotel
Red X = marks the spot
Yellow X = marks Kimpton de Witt Parking Garage : reachable via Nieuwezijdse Armsteeg
(for visuals please see post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35242884-post106.html)



More info about public transport in Amsterdam: https://www.gvb.nl/en




All services at this tramstop of major interest to tourists:

Direct TRAM line 2 & 12 & 13 & 17 to stops:
- Dam : Royal Palace & Magna Plaza & Puccini Bonbons : https://puccinibomboni.com/bezoek

After this stop is branch / split of lines so:


Continue on direct TRAM line 13 & 17
- Westermarkt : Anne Frank's home & museum
- Rozengracht : Gateway to Jordaan & entertainment venues

or

Continue on direct TRAM line 2 & 12

- Paleisstraat : Japanese shop http://www.japansewinkeltje.nl TibetShop : https://tibetwinkel.nl/tibetwinkel-spuistraat/
- Spui : American Book Centre & Van Stapele Cookies https://vanstapele.com
- Leidseplein: Apple store & Hard Rock Hotel American Café
- Museumplein: Rijksmuseum/Stedelijk/VanGogh & Fancy shops at P.C. Hooftstraat


After this stop is branch / split of lines so:


Continue on direct TRAM line 2

- Cornelis Schuytstraat : Diamond studded rich of Amsterdam getting chocolates at https://spataro.nl
- Amstelveenseweg : Railway Museum https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_Amsterdam_Haarlemmermeer
RonBlauw's restaurant https://rongastrobar.nl/restaurants/ron-gastrobar
Across the street from it diagonally:
(Wave, if you see me out of my 5th floor window hanging out my bloomers to dry ....)


or


Continue on direct TRAM line 12
- Concertgebouw : Music hall https://www.concertgebouw.nl/en
- De Pijp : Albert Cuyp Market / residential area with much cheaper bars & restaurants & local shops https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/explor...rhoods/de-pijp


And for reference the map for TRAMS 2 & 12 & 13 & 17






Hope this is informative for everyone.....

I decided to do this write up because:
- me mum is less nimble for the bicycle / tandem.
- She won't get on the moped with my kids
- Taking the car is impossible
- She detests taking any underground transport
- Viking Cruise passengers staying at the Kimpton were doing the Amsterdam group walking tour en masse on the trams

So the tram is the only viable option to get somewhere in the light and for her to be amongst people to mix & mingle

HadesNL

Some news & observations:

- the signature Kimpton Social Hour is hosted by lovely restaurant hostess Martinaya (she recognised us from last stays...... even me .........even after i lost a lot of weight)

- it is currently supervised by F&B manager Vincent C. a very knowledgable gentleman whom is approachable for feedback, he has skills matching Sofitel Le Grand experience level

- the social hour alternates between Kimpton's venues to keep it fresh and new : so or the hotel lobby vs SuperLyan Bar vs Celia restaurant's front bar at Nieuwendijk

- Viking River Cruises hotel guests have complimentary access to the Social Hour and it is a jovial athmosphere of Katz's Deli x Golden Girls x Frasier


Ambient photo, so you know it is very laid back.....and a very welcoming -feel good Kimpton- atmosphere !



The venue today is at restaurant Celia:
As you see it is quite popular, mum has made a lot of new friends with a sociable glass of wine in hand ,




Lovely cheery Martinaya is hosting ,
non alcoholic waters and Heineken beer + Amstel beer (non alcoholic) are also available upon request




The red on offer is quite a fruity number





Trying the white tomorrow, if i don't have a hangover ..
By the reflection you can see my belly is less volumious thanks to my gastric bypass .....




The nibble of the day,
is the Dutch interpretation of the spring roll aka - Loempia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_roll





And from Celia's restaurant one has a good view of people watching : the Amsterdam Binnenstad is alive again
.... glad the pink mosquito look is back in vogue

Alawyer

Excellent review! Photos really capture the mood - glad your mom is enjoying herself!

Lumpias are Dutch-Indonesian spring rolls usually served with sweet chilli. Excellent with free flow wine! What time is the social hour?

HadesNL

Alawyer : thank you for your kind words,
My kids are doing some intensive studying for their exams at home,
and i thought it wise to attract their gran's Eurovision Songfestival fanaticism away from the household,
by hosting her for a week in the comfy location of the Kimpton.
(There is limited space in our attic home to host Live Eurovision Songfestival + Mathmetics + Biology mid terms


At the Kimpton she can enjoy,
In full stereo sound, accoustic violence for the senses,
in a multimedia audio video onslaught,
the non-stop parade of qualitative & quantitative singers "screechers" -gong show acts+
and keep a close eye on the data parameter of the bookmakers for the bets / result


But i digress,
Please find for your and everyone's infornation the current data sheet.

Per your question: the hosted Kimpton signature social hour is now daily between 16.00 - 17.00 H



Handy services sheet explaination




The good thing about this data sheet is
that it steers me mum in the right direction and sociable mood of " Just in time for Happy Hour "
as does the rest of the Viking River Cruises passengers bunch !

HadesNL

After helping out several Americans from the Viking River Cruise trying to withdraw cash from the ATM,
(they are in flock going to the Tulips at Keukenhof and windmills at Zaansche Schans by Viking shore excursions)
I think it's best to repeat myself here again....,


Opposite the hotel / restaurant Celia
at the junction of
Martelaarsgracht / Nieuwendijk / Nieuwe Zijdse Kolk
you will find this ATM plaza......


Flee !The place where tourists are being fleeced !




DO NOT USE THESE ...!!
These are operated by the "infamous" EuroNet ATM operators...,
These are NOT operated by the guild of National Dutch Banks ......


These infamous unoffical ATMs of EuroNet have a pretty despicable scam of charging extra bogus rates or the notorious DCC,
For more information i refer to John's piece on LL:
https://loyaltylobby.com/2020/02/12/...cy-conversion/
https://loyaltylobby.com/2021/01/20/...nversion-fees/

and even more info :
https://www.reddit.com/r/berlin/comm...so_widespread/
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/euronetworldwide.com

there is a lot of info floating about the interweb....!
you don't know wheter to laugh or cry ....

=======

Only trust the official " GeldMaat " ATMs operated by the guild of Dutch Banks

This is the official website showing their locations scattered around the country...
https://www.locatiewijzer.geldmaat.nl

In general, these can be found at all Albert Heijn / Jumbo supermarkets
AND are always complete Yellow bordered machines
Usually with an small insigna of ABN AMRO / ING / RABObank
https://www.geldmaat.nl/information-english
https://www.abnamro.nl/en/personal/p.../geldmaat.html

Heed my warning and stay safe!

HadesNL

For those Viking River Cruise passengers staying at the Kimpton pre/post cruise,

This is to inform you that:

1) there is a hospitality desk (wo)manned by a Viking representative
It is in the lobby next to the concierge desk



Viking Cruises hospitality desk


2) The Viking RiverCruises Tour Bus & Transfers
Because of the road surfacing / new tram tracks in front of the hotel,
Viking guests need to walk around the block towards Amsterdam Centraal Station front square to catch their bus and transport there.
This is because the large tourbus cannot make the U-turn at the street in front of the hotel to pick everyone up.
Just to let you know in case you need to schlepp large trunks suitcases!
The situation should improve after the summer ("hopefully")


3) Post cruise transport arrangements
Available for information purposes for those with onwards journeys booked via Viking.
One may find the updated daily sheet in the lobby



So no need to worry, Viking has got it covered,
The partnership with the hotel seems to be a smooth one.
Prepandemic Viking partnered with the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel,
However it has slided into being old junk and is currently getting a full refurb whilest still being open
Amsterdam Renaissance (Netherlands) [Master Thread]

4)
For more information about Viking Cruises and expectations
Please read up and be informed by my travel muse : Mrs. Sheila Simkin from Chicago on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@SheilaSimki...h?query=viking



5)
For Viking Cruises passengers that have made independent travel arrangements AND are less nimble / agile.
I observed Kimpton staff happily assisting the elderly with their luggage,
and walking them to the hotel's front entrance to the driveway where they were helped into the waiting taxis.




Kudos to the cheery Kimpton doorman (with authentic Amsterdam dry humor!) and Floortje from reception for helping Edna Mills from Seacaucus getting safely in the pouring rain to the taxi to the airport, hope to see you all next season at happy hour again when the tulips are out and with less rain!


6)
For those Viking Cruise passengers that have booked a pre cruise stay and the Viking transfer package from Amsterdam Schiphol airport to the Kimpton hotel, please observe that a Viking Cruise Welcome Hostess will be waiting at the curbside of the hotel front entrance to complete checkin formalities







A big word of admiration for the impressive strength of the Kimpton doorman below : some cruise ship passengers take everything on their travel as it seems there is safetly in the amount of suitcases one can surround oneself with




Reception could get a bit busy during the processing of Viking Cruise passengers,- lots of seating available to the right of reception in the lobby for those that need a rest.


See below:


Every day this tourist season with new arrivals :
a fresh can of Viking Cruisers has just been opened

Anyway,
above are
Viking Cruise passengers completing hotel checkin formalities AND Viking Cruises registrations
while comfortable sitting in the hotellobby ....


7)
Optional excursions and add ons for Viking Cruises passengers à la minute
These can be managed at the hotel at the Viking Cruises hostess desk.

Viking Cruises hostess is available daily from 8 till 12 H
and from 13 - 17 H
and has real time access for optionals and add ons and other Viking Cruises related formalities.
She has an updated guest list / state room allocation list etc......


8)
Luggage storage at the hotel
For those guests wishing to dump their suitcases at the hotel:
- because the room is not ready and they want to hit the town
- need to check out but their flight/transport is at a later time

You can safely store it at the hotel

Safe luggage storage in a seperate locked room only accesed by Kimpton staff by encoded keycard,
Approach reception or any of the doormen



9)
And for those, that maybe are really worried about their luggage making it between transfers, hotel, the ship and back again. The hostess is tagging all passengers check luggage with the signature "Red" Viking tags and names / state rooms.





And this is how it looks, to give you piece of mind:
Your luggage is tagged via QR-code and booking reference and room number / state room allocation.




Piece of mind as the Viking Cruise hostess tags these for you,
So less chance of anything getting lost, or you wind up with someone else 's suitcase...
....
and with underwear that's not your size or gender.....
....
weird yet true, i had it once on a Celebrity Cruise .....




Luggage ready for collection from the room,
Via Kimpton's doormen,
Directly transported to your waiting Viking Cruise vessel and put in your allocated stateroom

Luggage will be picked up


All good in theory but how does it look in real life ?

......
,.....
,......

Behold:


The amount of luggage people take on a cruise - if packed to prepare to be stranded on a remote tropical island :

good thing the doormen are strong! Kudos!

......

All these Vikings with Viking...
Hmm, i got influenced and booked a Viking Egypt Cruise package
Judging by observation of the way things are handled, i do feel this might be the best choice ...

HadesNL

As you might have read in between the lines,
Me mum is quite the Eurovision Songfestival fan,
Besides every year watching it with the whole family with volume blasting on 100%,
Fried snacks, lots of discussion about outfits that make the fashion police blush,
A bit of a gambling bet here and there in a family poule and our local pub.....
Which act is crowned king of the villeage idiots...
Switching between BBC's Graham Norton VS NPO Jan Smit with running commentary,
Deciding which act is worth of having the honour of the bathroom break,
Which songs are the keepers and my kids are going to download later in mp3,
Hitting the checklist game of the amount of French that needs to be spoken by the presentators as per sponsor contract of France
Heated arguments between S/O and his mother-in-law about which country should get NOT the 12 - "douze" - points

All usual fun except that now my kids are in deep study for their midterm exams,

https://nos.nl/artikel/2474641-zorge...het-niet-halen
(but some say it is a piece of cake : if i see my kids studying actually more akin causing a lot of panic & despair )

So best to avoid distractions for them to move the source to a neutral place such as the Kimpton hotel.

I'd emailed the hotel in advance that i'd be staying for this occassion at the hotel to watch this year's Eurovision Songfestival.
......
Surprising the reply was that there was no special event planned this year....
...
Yet,
When me mum and I arrived after a soaking wet afternoon family lunch back at the hotel,
.....

We were greated with this:


Pretty amazing!

Who ever did all the blowing up : thank you ! What an amazing surprise.....
Most humbly with gratitude, mesmerized!



Whom ever did all the work to create/plan this moment of delight has succeeded 1000% !
And did a good background songfestival fact check




Thank you entire Team Kimpton de Witt !
I am very happy that you read my pre-stay emails and remembered it all!
Am actually pretty flabbergasted!
Me mum is also struck by the flabberitus!





And as the hotel seems to know,
i have to sit for 4 hours of musical bombardment with an over-excited roommate,
they were so kind enough to offer me a much needed panacea to get through the evening !


And now at 21.00 Amsterdam time , it commences .......


And we are now watching it in full Kimpton style!
Can you spot / recognise all previous champions ?
Anyway good luck to all contestants!


PS:
S/O mentions by whatsapp,
he thanks G-d that this year he is being spared his mother-in-law's running exitable commentary that makes Joan Rivers sound like a pious nun.

PS1:
As i have already had a beer by now at 21.42 ,
i can honestly say that some of the songfestival weird off-key acts & singing
and roommate up untill now,
were sure to have a disruptive effect on my kids' studies
and thank goodness i booked the Kimpton,
however fearing it would a plain TV-evening,
The entire Kimpton-team provided an unexpected true Songfestival atmosphere in the comfort of our room !

DonPedro

Fantastic Hades. Both your update and the hotel actions.

Wildly off topic but who does your mother tip for the contest

If I was that way inclined I would be making points bookings in…..Helsinki. While it’s still douze (mille) points per night. Cha Cha Cha.

HadesNL

DonPedro: you make me chuckle

Mum's honest opnion would get me blacklisted on FT or the friendly nod of mods to move it to OMNI......
Her G-rated answer:
This songfestival half-final...
Bombastic Yelling & Screaming ...... pfffff
A good thing our neighbours in the hotel are not complaining about the noise that a chicken is being butchered.....
Especially the YMCA act & Devil act :
no Alien invasion imminent if this is the World's music level, the Aliens have lost interest .....
Loreen is just a copy of Kate Bush complete with flapping arms

She routes always for Israel but this year also for France.
Helsinki has a very high likability of quirkyness and a "douze" 12 points magnet.

To return back on topic,
The Kimpton hotel TV is a quality built sturdy one because the anguished scream of mum at the announcement of those qualifying acts that go to the final has an earthquake magnitude of 8.5!

HadesNL

What's this.... you might think,

Hades experiencing a niggle, although minor .... !
Yes like any sane person on this planet my hotel stays are not all merry-go-rounds ...

Before bringing out the cannonade of compensation & controversy of clickbait....
And not to give Sebastian any ideas ....


All has been resolved quite easily ...

Yet the situation bordered on inviting yet amusing ...

After me mum & i came back to our room from the social hour mix&mingle,
Nothing was to obvious except there was a dry cleaning item wrapped in plastic with a signed order hanging on our coat rack....
What's this i thought.....

Mum exclaimed:
- since when have you started wearing women's clothes ? -
I gasped:
- although i've moved from being built as a house back to a blimp, this is still not my size ! -
Mum replied:
- i wouldn't be caught dressed in this tacky clown's outfit aka mum dresses usually between Joan Collins & Babs Streisand as glammy senior citizens do ...

Hmm, upon examining the order sheet,
Seems to be signed on 28 April 2023 under a Mrs. A.......... something or another exotic name .


So argument 1
at 28 April 2023 i was passed out in own bed at home because of King's day boozers before

So argument 2
records will show, i haven't even checked in the hotel by then
our room had to be registered under a different name by then

So argument 3
my last name is something Jewish : the last name on this laundry piece order sheet had a whim of something foreign exotic


With all these arguments presented to the front desk,
and showing in person to the reception desk the laundry piece in question + the order sheet...
AND stressing out the fact i am not one of those (of wearing women's clothes) and it being even not my size....

We mutually agreed there must be some laundry or other guest mix up....
The lovely Dutch girl from reception immeadiatly looked at my folio to see if the wrong invoice had been added,
and in my presence, erased it .... so thank you lovely Dutch reception lady for a prompt action !

(I know have again a funny story to tell my family at home this weekend)

HadesNL

Turn down service is back:

- used towels are removed and replenished with new ones
- Nespresso capsules are restocked
- curtains closed
- bedside lamp switched on
- on both sides of the bed on the nightstand, a container of Marie Stella Maris water is placed