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Hotel Des Indes The Hague
I like to report About my stay at Hotel des Indes The Hague. The hotel used to be member of Starwood Luxury Collection (before it was Le Meridien when the brand had still some nice hotels) but left it last year after the merger with Marriott. Now itīs member of the Leading Hotels of the world, but no member of Virtuoso or FHR.
The hotel is quite a legend with many famous guests. It has definitively history. I was often shortly before booking it but always decided to do somethimg else. When I checked in August prices had fallen compared to last year. While a Junior Suite was in 2019 between 400 and 500 per night, it now 262 with breakfast full flexible. I thought about booking the Presidential Suite (which is with 80 sqm the only "real" Suite in the house), but itīs not really spectacular judging from pictures. It would had been over 1000 per night so I decided to go with a Junior Suite for our 2 nights. 2 times before our arrival we got E-Mail with "deals" like reserving a parking space at 40 per night, getting a dinner at 45 per Person (normal Price) or Booking breakfast for 30 instead of 60 (great deal if already included in your rate). After this E-Mail I really thought about canceling my stay .. When we arrived we were greated by a doormen who told us we could park at the parking lot opposite but it would cost 40 per day. I couldnīt resist to say I would have been surprised if itīs for free. For my 40 I parked under a linden tree which meant my car was covered with a sticky mass after the 2 days. Not the Hotels fault and my local car wash was happy after my return. From outside itīs a nice yellow building. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c47a474f97.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3772acd2d4.jpg The location is right in the heart of the city with the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis within a (slow) 5 minutes walk. Quite perfect. Check-In were very fast, after a minute we had our keys without further explanations. I must say the lobby and the public spaces are nice and show the hotels history. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2c82983ba3.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0c3504ce7.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0c47444a4f.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c381d8d7db.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...86900be846.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...84510b67d3.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...62fdba8476.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...04ea67840d.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...43b70983b4.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a23c9311e8.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9cf5e59234.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...41c25fdec0.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d29a1df650.jpg They have 2 elevators, 1 is now for the way up and 1 for the way down. The hallways are quite nice. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ef11b190e7.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0cff5543fd.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fe490dc5e5.jpg Did you mention the cup on one picture? Yes, such things are a must on every hotel floor so for this reason this nice decoration remained for nearly a whole day: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...69e28fa1f8.jpg Our Junior Suite 305 was on the corner of the floor and very Junior. More a room than a Suite. I only thought: If this is a Junior Suite please please never let me stay in the normal rooms. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aee403b3b3.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b5527ca4e5.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f3d33696f1.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d85b51a9c9.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...84dbdef261.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...49d83ebf52.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8ae6c85892.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...50510b7af4.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...959324a21d.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...db20266c8b.jpg You can like the furniture or not, judge yourself. While I have sympathies for the style it was not always very practical. Therefore the bed was OK. During the 2 days bath aminities were not filled up but you can also shower with shampoo..... I really looked forward to the breakfast. Due to Corona it was a la carte but thatīs not a real problem. We got this breakfast menu: https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...daf831deda.jpg Well, this was in addition to the "products served", which meant bread and butter. When we asked if it would be possible to get some pancakes the waitress looked irritated and told us we could only get whatīs on the menu. Thatīs the luxurious breakfast of our first morning: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dfba82fd6e.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...18b9387981.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7e62e76032.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...17bbe0c5ca.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...992a9b2867.jpg The scrambled eggs tasted like a conveniance product, the bread was of low quality. But there is always a second morning. This time we had an especially nice rose on our table: https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...11f6ba2804.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ef3cc7ee86.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea422a2eb2.jpg Nothing says more than a beautiful flower..... Therefore they serve 2 different kinds of chees this day (Luxury!!!!!!) They also have a pool but I didnīt use as it was by reservation only and didnīt look spectacular. We also had one dinner at the restaurant. I really like a well preserved table and they even did some stains for me on the tablecloth. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7b9e73c07.jpg The window was quite dirty (as in the "suite") but likes to watch out in such a room? https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...48efbdfe2e.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...90f0a093d1.jpg The food was quite good, service below average. It all lasted very long (many guests were not the reason) and when they offered me majonaise neither the waiter or any majonaise were seen later, therefore we could hear the staff chatting obout wedding cards. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3088e51e75.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...08ebd9f463.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dafb600358.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fb24707902.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a8acfe09f0.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a16b6dca8b.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1f614fbf6.jpg Did I like my stay? Not really. I understand they have hard times at the moment but such a performance is pitiful. I also donīt believe itīs only a Corona problem, as many Things could be easy fixed with a caring management. They have pictures of their famous guests everywhere (even over the toilet) but thatīs not everything. Our guide from Binnenhof told us she were dreaming about a night in this hotel but I canīt really say she would be impressed. |
No pancakes in the Netherlands is a travesty. I think travesty is the best word for this hotel too.
Thanks for taking one for the team. |
Originally Posted by Aventine
(Post 32680712)
No pancakes in the Netherlands is a travesty. I think travesty is the best word for this hotel too.
Thanks for taking one for the team. |
Originally Posted by offerendum
(Post 32680771)
To be fair poffertjes (the small pancakes) are not as easy to find these days as we thought. In Den Haag we had to ask a local were to find one after searching half the city
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Originally Posted by Aventine
(Post 32680861)
True but a luxury hotel should be making them happen. I thought you were asking for pannenkoek though.
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Sorry to hear about some of the lapses. I do like the Des Indes and feel it has a good sense of place and the location can't be beat. Some excellent restaurants nearby. Our breakfast (pre-Covid) there was very good. Some rooms are very small but this also has to do with the age of the building. For The Hague it's one of the better options.
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Originally Posted by erik123
(Post 32681949)
Sorry to hear about some of the lapses. I do like the Des Indes and feel it has a good sense of place and the location can't be beat. Some excellent restaurants nearby. Our breakfast (pre-Covid) there was very good. Some rooms are very small but this also has to do with the age of the building. For The Hague it's one of the better options.
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This review makes me sad, I stayed at this hotel many times when it was a part of Starwood. The breakfast pancakes were almost always the highlight of my visits, too! Haha, well almost. I always enjoyed my stays there, with my expectations managed about service levels.
A note about the Jr. Suite vs. standard room comment. NEVER stay in a standard room here. I made the mistake of electing to take a standard room that was available for early check-in (due to problems with my flights, I ended up arriving around 8am local time). It was one of the 2 rooms next to the staircase behind the check-in desk. In all my other stays at the property, I assumed those were coat closets. And I was semi-correct - they are the size of the coat closet! At least it was a fast exit of the property to head out for dinners... CLG |
This is so sad. I stayed here a number of times when it was part of Starwood's LC and generally enjoyed the experience, both as a destination (The Hague has some interesting museums and galleries, plus good food) and when I had an overnight connection at AMS with a late afternoon departure the next day--to me, it was more interesting and almost the same hassle as going into downtown Amsterdam for the night. The pictures look exactly as I remember, although I don't think I noticed windows as dirty (but not consistently sparkling clean).
In fact, I've stayed in "junior suite" 305 and some other junior suites that don't seem any different from their top regular room category, although there was never any consistency in room categories, including bathrooms. I've had dinner both in the bar and in the modern Dutch fine dining restaurant and always enjoyed the experience. My breakfast experiences were mixed. It was a large buffet, but I remember problems with food not being restocked toward the end of breakfast or when the dining room was busy. On what I believe was my last stay here, I was horrified to see a list of guest names and room numbers, with details of rate plans, for people to check off their own names (self service, but one could look at the list as long as desired or perhaps even take notes or photos of the information) at the entrance to breakfast before seating themselves. Not luxury at all, and IMO a serious security lapse. IIRC Hotel Des Indes was once a member of FHR.; I think I may have stayed here once under FHR, perhaps before they became part of LC. I wonder whether they were kicked out at some point for various problems or failure to consistently meet FHR standards. |
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