Detailed Review
Sitting on the border of Amsterdam's main museum and stylish shopping area, The College Hotel provides an elegant and relaxing environment. Its private courtyard and 40 rooms and suites are located in a former school building. A sense of history is mirrored in the tall ceilings, comforting fireplaces and stretching staircases.
An excellent service will be provided by young professionals from the Amsterdam Hotelschool and the school for Tourism and Bakery. The elegant lounge hosts a bar committed to the creation of the exquisitely mixed cocktail; the gourmet restaurant, located in the former gymnasium, pays homage to the Golden Age of Dutch Cuisine. The College Hotel perfectly blends Amsterdam's aristrocratic style of times gone by with energy, design and glamour that marks this city as a youthful Mecca.
Press Quotes
"... long elegant corridors and generous arched entrances. It has a feeling of richness and permanence." Guardian 05
"A sleek 40-room property with down comforters, flat screen TV's and wireless internet service". New York Times 05
Independent Reviews
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"Aristocratic architecture and sleek modern furnishings in this student-run boutique hotel near the Vondelpark."
A good-looking hotel which, rather bravely, is run by young students from the nearby School of Tourism. It's overseen, of course, by pros, but that won't help you when you're trying to get a bunch of bewildered and giggling 18-year-olds to check you in, or serve you a sandwich in the restaurant, or answer the simplest of questions...
The College Hotel
By Miranda Haines
The College is the newest designer hotel in Amsterdam. Set in the Museum district, a short walk from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum and a smart shopping area, The College is modestly set back from the road. This building was originally a school and is hugely spacious and interesting.
Appropriately the hotel’s staff are mostly trainee students under the watchful eye of a small management team. In part, that is why this is a four-star, not a five-star, hotel. The service from the novice trainee staff was really charming and solicitous and quite often hopeless in the best possible way! That said, we did visit during the hotel’s ‘soft opening’ (before the official opening) and some teething issues were to be expected.
The cool, comfortable bar area would make a great party venue with its vaulted ceilings, black lacquer paintwork and sumptuous décor. The dining room is in the old school gym: a light open-plan symphony of green, with armchairs and velour banquets. The chefs cook behind a slightly lowered mirrored area along one side of the room, allowing the smells and atmosphere to waft over.
Food is Dutch with a ‘modern twist’ and the breakfast (yoghurt; fritters; blueberry pancakes; eggs and ham) and lunch (fishcakes; corn beef; cheesecake) we had there was fantastic with generous portions. Dinner is more adventurously gourmet, apparently but we didn’t check it out.
We stayed in an attic room on the 2nd floor that was spacious and very comfortable with a gorgeous bathroom (no bath - only shower) and very good bed. The shades of brown décor made the room quite dark but cosy and extremely quiet.
All in all the atmosphere was very relaxed, cool and comfortable and if you are looking for a spacious, fun but chic hotel, without the intricacy and cramped conditions of some the canal-side hotels, then look no further than The College.
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