UKtravelbear

I've stayed at the de Witt for around a dozen times and never found it particularly noisy (the one time I did complain was due to a faulty air conditioning fan outside the room and they moved me) Even on the street side it's not noisy and even less than it was becaise in the last couple of years most non tram traffic has been diverted and the trams aren't noisy at all.

The Little House is more than a room. It's actually a proper house within the hotel.

CMK10

I'd agree that noise is not a concern at this hotel.

Atacama40

If you in the suites on 6 it's rather lovely .... trams and bells in the distance.

On 5 you are in good shape as well, front or back facing.

But stay in the large family rooms on the corner above the restaurant (e.g 235) and it's very loud. Any of those front rooms angled above the diner have always been very loud. You can not only hear but feel the larger trams thump across the corner rail joints. Indeed the window frame in the 235 row used to physically rattle.

Has always been the case in it's original CP days, CP facelift days and now in it's reborn clothes.

Sounds DYKWIA but I've stayed there literally thousands of times since the mid 90's and indeed has the dubious honor of being their longest staying guest.

Just avoid those rooms and you'll have a great stay. Ideally get yourself onto the left hand side of 6 and you can't really go wrong.

Atacama40

It's the old CP club lounge! :-) ..... too much of my adult life wasted there. Has an absolutely brilliant terrace mind. Was then and still is. There have done a nice job rebirthing it as the little house but I still see it as the club lounge with too many slightly wasted United cabin crew on 2 day lay over.

HadesNL

@Atacama40 - you are right that the Kimpton holds that association with the old CP club lounge full of people looking to lift their spirits

Might be useful for some, these are the pictures of a junior suite of last summer 2019 pre-covid.
I've also included the floorplan.
The welcome tray is what was presented then for Kimpton inner circle.

note: we had a minor snag then during our stay. Restaurant staff were clueless about the chef's taste for inner circle members. Fortunately mr. Fernando (the manager) came after dinner to explain and apologize for the insufficient training. It was resolved with mutual courtesy and understanding.

If i have business in the city centre i choose this hotel otherwise i stay at the IC Amsterdam Amstel


Junior suite - Kingbed

Junior suite - sitting area

Welcome tray for Kimpton Inner Circle members

Desk area

Complimentary water

Floorplan of level 5

Storage area / safe / minibar

Bathroom with big flask amenities

Items that are delivered upon request

Quiet room on the backside but no view, unless you count the couple on level 4 that likes to watch television in the nude !





Laundry list



View of the the front entrance of the hotel - the little house is on the left
EDIT: corrected by UKTravelbear - the little house is actually inside the hotel not visible from the outside

Atacama40

You sir know your hotels :-)

Yes exactly the same for me. Spent many happy years in that great city at the CP (it's still the CP to me despite the designer magic dust that has been sprinkled) and the Amstel. And way too many in that club lounge and seen a few tumble down that spiral staircase as well. Pretty sure I've been one of them!

Another great room to know about there (I forget the number) is on 5. The old GM used to pretty much keep it for himself and a few well chosen special people. Pleased to say I was one of them. If you are on the terrace RHS in the Little House and look over and down, you will see a hidden balcony and what seems a rather unassuming room but it is very nice indeed. That said I've not stopped in it since it became a K.

Not been there so much recent times (for obvious reasons) where it was every week for 20 odd years. Do you know what they did with the old bridal suite on 5 up those narrow stairs? That would have been prime for an upmarket refresh and I'm sure it much have been.

Edit: Actually Hades isn't that the old suite in the first couple photos you put up there? Looks like it have been cut in two? Is quite nice detailing and I remember discussing the refresh for years with them and how difficult it was trying to integrate the older parts of the hotel into something coherent.

HadesNL

Can't recall the lay out of the rooms when it was a crowne plaza. It all blurs away due to the many chocomel+Booze i had back then.
@Atacama40 - It seem to me that this junior suite was of a different m2 to accomodate the extra bed. But it might be that they altered the lay out and split the old suite into two. I looked at google earth and indeed this suite is located in the wing of the old "classic" building.

I do remember an upgrade to the bridal suite thanks to being spire. Like Atacama40 said, it was a steep staircase up with left of it facing the main street the bed and right of it the living area/bathroom.

The special staycation package might return this year and could be of interest to some:
https://staycation.amsterdam/?s=Kimpton&lang=nl

UKtravelbear

The Little House is not the one on the left in the external photo. That's a totally different house altogether and is home to the bar - now the Super Lyan Cocktail Bar

The Little House is enclosed in the courtyard and is accessible from the 1st floor of the hotel on the side accessible via the cafe area (that used to be the garden). When you get out of the lift on the 1st floor the room number directional signs point the way to the LIttle House.

The roof you can see in your courtyard photo is the roof of the Little House.

I wonder if the naked couple was the same one as I saw on the 2nd or 3rd floor doing slightly more energetic things than watching television.

HadesNL

@UKtravelbear : thanks for the clarification of the little house location! I guess my mind and memories were still effected by aforementioned couple. (And it seems to be happening most of times i've stayed there)

Atacama40

I know it's progress and little room for sentimentality but I'd prefer see the old Dorrius sign hanging at the top of the small door steps and loose the neon in the window. Was always a very reassuring old interior in Dorrius.

HadesNL

I've just received the welcome email of the hotel for my upcoming stay.

In it was a link to e-upgrade in advance.
The site gave me the choice:
- upgrade to street view (hmmm.... i've booked the only penthouse in the hotel)
- get late check out for a fee (i booked via IHG-app so they know i'm InnerCircle so late checkout till 16.00 should be included)
- upsell to the 1642 suite (does that even exist? Or is it just as it says 2 suites+2 rooms partitioned by 1 communal door from the hallway forming part of the two old fashioned houses at the front of the building)

here is the visual evidence:


The link in my welcome email




The website and its E-upgrade options

for reference i managed to book the penthouse for €460 p/n with breakfast for 2 persons inc. taxes. The price seemed very reasonable as the hotel just opened for business last week. The Waldorf Astoria managed to ask twice as much for a superior room!

HadesNL

A live update on my stay.



First of all this hotel brings back a lot of memories.



From staying when it was a CP at their bridal suite, subsequent stays in the new incarnation as Europe's first Kimpton and now seeing the hotel focus on domestic tourists.



The pricing has adapted to the domestic market accordingly, for example for July/August with the "stay longer & pay less" rate the Penthouse can be booked for €385 net inclusive of breakfast per night.



As this visit happened during the covid19 pandemic, the front desk patiently explained how the hotel and its restaurant operated. Food & beverage orders are available ordering online via the QR code found on the TV. Or just dial the old fashioned way. The guy taking our orders via the phone was most articulate and patient, he seemed to be well trained to this new service adaptation.




As for honoring InnerCircle benefits. The receptionist confirmed that :

• early checkin and late checkout is available.
• Chef's taste surprise can be served in the room
• Normally a cat+1 upgrade is possible (i booked the penthouse so this stay it was non applicable)
• 15eur credit on minibar is given but now it is also valid for all drinks ordered from the bar to be served to the room
• they have read my IHG-profile and preferences; they supplied a proper complete teaset and a welcome presentation of munchies, beers and waters

Most of the staff speak English as their native tongue which makes it hilarious to watch Dutch guests practice their "steenkolen" English on them. It is almost Dutch Teleac in stereo The atmosphere is jovial and not that high performance like the W Amsterdam

This is the service letter at present and the restaurant menu (more drinks options are available via the QR code)



Welcome letter

Welcome letter backside


Restaurant Celia's dinner menu

A selection of drinks from the bar SuperLyan

Unfortunately at our time of arrival our suite was still being cleaned. We were given a hospitality room to freshen up in the meantime. Interesting this room catagory was a deluxe king. Whilest we went shopping we received a prompt call after 1 hour that our suite was ready.

First impressions were good. It has access via double doors, implying something nice ahead. A foyer with a big closet and a seating area, handy for keeping those coats and tying your shoes. A well-lit black spiral staircase leading upstairs to a small corridor with a seperate toilet. Next to it, the entry into the livingroom with at the right handside the wetbar and a coatroom with safe. There's a minibar (empty but can be restocked) and a wine fridge. Coffee is provided by Nespresso capsules and there is also a kettle. A spacious dinig table, seating area, big screen TV, automated fireplace and a big southwest facing terrace make this an attractive space. You can hear some tram bells standing outside but with the balcony door closed it is fairly well insulated. With a flat roof this suite could get hot in the summer but i counted 4(!) AC control units.



The bedroom is seperated from the bathroom by two huge closets. There's a second safe fit for laptop. Unfortunately there are sliding doors inbetween the rooms so some light and noise can travel if one is using the bathroom while the other is still in bed.



Showerpressure is good on both handheld and rainshower and it is nice to have a freestanding soaktub. Big flasks of shampoo, showergel, conditioner and bodylotion of the Dutch brand Marie-Stella-Maris no73 poivre noir frais (fresh black pepper) are available.



For the feel, price and location i can definitely recommend this suite.



Here are my pictures of the hospitality room "deluxe king #616" on the 6th floor


Bedroom faces west


Limited view

Bathroom

Closet space - there is a Nespresso machine and minibar


And now on to the pièce! The penthouse De Witt (yes it was worth waiting for)



Living room with dining table already set for dinner.

Bedroom is seperated from livingroom by sliding doors

Seating area

Balcony access from both livingroom and bedroom

Bedroom with desk area (the desk has handy poweroutlets built in!)

Closet between bedroom and bathroom with signature yoga mat

Bathroom with seperate toilet, shower, bath and dual sinks

Extra coatroom next to wetbar, has a standard safe

Welcome amenity customised to my Inner Circle profile

Minibar and wine fridge

Doors on 6th floor to suite - (it had a clean seal sticker)

Entry foyer of suite on lower level

Facing spiral staircase going to upper level

Reading material

Extra seperate toilet

Well-lit staircase

Terrace looking north

Meal order via QR code

Ahh memories, real time airport timetable via the smart TV

Our tasty dinner - note the 4 smaller plates on the upper right hand side are the chef's taste for Inner Circle

View from the terrace towards the southwest

2nd closet between bedroom and bathroom has a second safe and another yoga mat, there is also an iron and ironing board

Looking straight down from the terrace

Final note: Amsterdam is heavenly without overtourism, although there are some crowding issues at certain shopping streets with the Dutch eager to shop now that some restrictions are lifted. The grow and smoke trade has also picked up again!

pazza2000

Nice review, and pleased to see the NL is opening up a little

HadesNL

@pazza2000 thanks for reading!

I can report that at checkout my bill was correct and the "raid the bar" voucher of €15 was correctly deducted of the dinner bill.

Glad to see that they were precise.

DonPedro

To me this hotel is a new favourite.

Great location. Superb staff. Rooms nicely updated since CP days (but with fond memories of misbehaviour in the old Club Lounge!).

Top points however, for how they’ve handled COVID restrictions and temporary hotel closures.

In every case I’ve been contacted well in advance and reaccomodated, and Kimpton staff have been available for any questions,

Their super high qualty customer service during a difficult year has put their more “prestigious” IHG property to shame.