GOING : Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, Netherlands, LEAVING SPG 1 Apr 2015 [Master Thread]
 

So disappointing to read this. We loved this hotel and were looking forward to returning.

Any updates as to when the new Amsterdam W be available for booking? Hoping for mid-October.

The opening of the W Amsterdam is still scheduled for September 1, 2015. Bookings should be possible as of April 2015.

Kurt Renold
Area Manager Benelux
Starwood Hotels & Resorts

I thought that I'd give the Pulitzer a try before the hotel left the Starwood programme. My view is that it's an ok hotel, but they failed in the basics of letting me get a good sleep which is pretty much the first requirement of a hotel.

The hotel is in a gorgeous location on Prinsengracht and is a lovely concept of multiple townhouses built together. The maze of rooms is charming, though the interiors are a bit dated and 1980s. I would have expected more of an effort to make the interiors period Dutch - they were pretty much generic.

As a Starwood Platinum member I got upgraded to an Executive Room in the back row of houses, although it didn't have any "unique features" as boasted on the website. Looking at the floorplan it appeared to be the smallest room in the area, but it was large enough and actually not too much smaller than a Junior Suite at the Amsterdam Hilton. I asked for and got a 2pm checkout.

Being a Friday night in Amsterdam I went out pretty late (until nearly 6am, I think) and when I got back there was no "do not disturb" sign to be found which ended up being a major problem. I was sleeping pretty deeply and didn't hear housekeeping's knock at 9am and they actually came in before I asked them to leave again and to come back at 2pm. This time I put the deadlock on the door so that when they tried to get in again at 10:30am they couldn't. Nor could the guy refilling the minibar at around 11am. At 12:20 I got a call from reception asking if I was checking out that day and when.

In the end I got about 5 hours sleep, but no more than 3 hours at a time thanks to the hotel continually waking me up. I got a cheap rate using cash & points, but even for €100 I expected to be able to rest.

Hotel will operate under the 'Preferred Hotels' soft brand starting in April. According to the website, it is 'A Collection of independant Hotels & Experiences'

It is scheduled for a major renovation incl. the bathrooms (which are still fine, at least in my book) IIRC, they renovated the bathrooms at the turn of the century, but we saw frequent upgrades later on as well, i.e. shower heads.

Will be interesting to see how it works out for them.

I am not a big fan of being independant and not among the top one or two hotels in town, at least if you operate a luxury hotel. The competition did not sleep and many new competitors are scheduled to open soon.

Not that FT represents any significant chunk of traffic, but I guess most people simply jump ship and stay at the W or the new Hyatt Regency. For the months in between, NS will experience more guests on the runs to and from Schiphol.

Great stay
 

Just came back from a 5-night stay on points at the Pulitzer. Applied SNA's to the reservation, which cleared five days prior to arrival ^. Check-in was fast, friendly and efficient. I asked about the hotel leaving the Starwood system at the end of the month, and they confirmed that they would be joining the Preferred Hotels Group after renovations to make the hotel more "luxury".
I was then shown to my room, a junior suite overlooking the Prinsengracht canal. I was told that most people loved that room since it was one of the very few rooms with a balcony (which became apparent when I walked outside the following day - I didn't see any other balconies on that side of the hotel).
The room was spacious with ceiling-to-floor windows along the whole wall, giving great views of the canal. A hallway containing two armoire closets lead to the bathroom (dual sinks, separate bathtub and shower with 3 jets, and heated marble floors -really liked this feature-). The bed was a bit soft, but very comfortable. Slept great every night.
Plat breakfast at Keizersgracht 238 included the full buffet, with a nice spread.
I also liked the chocolates they delivered in a dutch house-shaped box during turndown service.

Overall, a great stay, in a great location. I'm glad I checked out this hotel prior to its departure from the SPG system.

Small update on the leaving of the Pulitzer, the hotel has joined the Preferred Hotel & Resorts Collection see link: https://preferredhotels.com/destinat...am?from=search

I just noticed this hotel left Starwood. I have a reservation at this property (for this summer) which I booked through SPG.com.

Is it correct to assume that I will not receive any stay credit and/or points if I go though with this stay?

Hi FederalFlyer,

For any enquiries regarding your reservation at this hotel, you may contact the Executive Customer Service team via email: [email protected].

Best Regards,

Christina Zhou
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Good bye, Pulitzer! Loved the Ocean's 11 suite!

We stayed here for our honeymoon last summer and it was wonderful. We really loved it. Does this mean there is now no luxury SPG property in Amsterdam?

Bye bye property. Actually not sad to see this one go! :)
(and probably the only one on Earth to have that feeling)

Yep

Very sad to see this go. Now there is no downtown AMS property until the W opens in September.