The Business Travellers Guide to Amsterdam Hotels
As the gateway to Europe and with a population that largely speaks fluent English, Amsterdam is an effortless city for business travellers. It’s compact and navigable by bike (even CEOs cycle here) and hardly anything is more than a 15-minute ride away. If you’re visiting for business, here are the best places for you to stay while in town. By Michelle Margherita.
Luxury: Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Herengracht 542-556, Amsterdam
In the heart of the city’s World Heritage-listed canal ring, the five-star Waldorf Astoria is old-world luxury at its finest. The 93-room hotel comprises six 17th-century canal houses (one was the headquarters of
a private bank you’d imagine
in a Bond film) and is a triumph
of understated opulence with marble floors, stuccowork and a magnificent 18th-century carved timber staircase. Impeccable service, spacious guestrooms and a central location make this the quintessential business stay.
Business facilities All rooms have
a desk but Peacock Alley lounge
is a cosier place to take your laptop. There are seven function rooms.
Wi-fi Fast and complimentary.
Food and drink Goldfinch Brasserie’s one-hour business lunch is perfect for quick meetings, while two-Michelin-starred Librije’s Zusje Amsterdam is one of the city’s best fine-diners. Have a cocktail at Vault Bar in the old bank vault.
Fitness and wellbeing There’s a small, well-equipped gym (24/7) and the awarded Guerlain Spa.
Run route For a five-kilometre loop, head north-west on Herengracht, turn left at Brouwersgracht, left at Keizersgracht then left at Reguliersgracht.
Coffee nearby Klaver 4 café (Utrechtsestraat 69) is open from 8am (10am on Sunday).
Historic: Conservatorium
Van Baerlestraat 27, Amsterdam
Formerly a bank then a music academy, this majestic 19th-century Neo-Gothic building was given an overhaul by The Set hotel group, emerging in 2011 as the 129-room Conservatorium,
a five-star design hotel. Restored features such as tiled walls and mosaic floors punctuate every level but the modern, open, light-filled glass lobby is the star attraction. Standard rooms are minimalist yet cosy, while many suites offer fun mezzanine sleeping decks. The hotel is located between Museumplein, Vondelpark and the city’s canals and chic shopping district.
Business facilities Six meeting rooms are housed in a giant glass box above the lobby. The business corner has a computer and printer.
Wi-fi Fast and complimentary.
Food and wine Taiko is a fine-dining restaurant (dinner only) serving a fresh, contemporary Asian menu of inventive sushi and dim sum and hearty fare such as entrecôte Wagyu beef. The Brasserie & Lounge is brilliant for breakfast, all-day dining and casual drinks, while Tunes Bar is one of the coolest in Amsterdam, offering almost 40 different gins and a refuge for smokers inside a sealed mezzanine-level glass cube above the bar.
Fitness and wellbeing Akasha spa has the city’s largest indoor hotel pool and a hammam. The complimentary gym (6.30am to 10pm) is like a normal gym with pumping music and outside guests.
Run route For a 4.5-kilometre run around Vondelpark, turn right onto Van Baerlestraat then left at Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat. Enter the park and do a loop of its perimeter. Cut through the centre to exit at Jacob Obrechtstraat and return to the hotel via Van Eeghenstraat.
Coffee nearby Brandmeester’s (Van Baerlestraat 13) serves rich coffee from its own small-batch roastery. It’s open from 8.30am on weekdays, 9am on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Contemporary: W Amsterdam
Spuistraat 175, Amsterdam hotel.qantas.com.au/wamsterdam
Like the city, this five-star hotel is progressive, hip and fun, with a distinct historic side. It’s split between a former bank with stained-glass features and elegant timber accents and
an industrial 1920s telephone exchange with concrete floors and brass piping – the best of both worlds. The Exchange building has 172 slick, minimalist rooms, a trendy lobby-cum-bar overlooking the Royal Palace and a buzzy atmosphere; the Bank building is more refined with its grand entrance, palatial restaurant The Duchess and 66 luxurious rooms. Dam Square and the trendy 9 Streets district are right on the doorstep.
Business facilities The Great Room is a conference space for 430; it can be split into three meeting rooms.
Wi-fi Fast and complimentary.
Food and drink In the Exchange building, the rooftop Mr Porter restaurant is achingly cool; nowhere else will you get an indoor fire pit, DJ booth, cosy banquettes and panoramic city views with your steak. In the Bank building, the spectacular stained-glass atrium gives The Duchess restaurant a sophistication matched only by its French-Italian fusion menu.
Fitness and wellbeing Work out in the Fit gym (24/7) then relax in the Away Spa’s steam room. Alternatively, try the icy plunge pool.
Run route For a five-kilometre run, cross the Raadhuisstraat, head north along Singel then turn left at Haarlemmerstraat. Continue until you cross the Willemsbrug and enter Westerpark. Do a loop of the lake then return via the same route.
Coffee nearby Screaming Beans (Singel 276) serves slightly bitter brews from its own roastery.
Quirky: Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
Prinsengracht 587, Amsterdam
Local creative Marcel Wanders is the powerhouse behind the design details in this 122-room five-star hotel, from the giant bell lights over the greeting desks
to the trade-route carpets and red tulip-inspired armchairs. The playfully luxurious guestrooms feature fish-spoon wallpaper and freestanding bathtubs and offer a free minibar (excluding alcohol).
Business facilities There are six event spaces; book the Delft Blue room for a meeting with panache.
Wi-fi Fast and complimentary.
Food and drink Bluespoon Bar is a speakeasy-like cocktail nook with a marble communal bar table at its centre. Casual yet slick, Bluespoon Restaurant offers a farm-to-table menu that pops with international flavours; try the steak tartare with cured egg yolk, pickles and caviar.
Fitness and wellbeing The small gym is bright and airy and overlooks the hotel’s Alice in Wonderland-themed Secret Garden.
Run route For a 5.5-kilometre loop, head north on Prinsengracht, past the Anne Frank House, turn right at Brouwersgracht, right at Keizersgracht then right at Reguliersgracht to return to Prinsengracht.
Coffee nearby Café de Pels does great coffee and a Dutch breakfast of fresh bread with chocolate sprinkles.
SEE ALSO: The Business Travellers Guide to Amsterdam Hotels
