Aaron S.
Yelp
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Amsterdam - NDSM Wharf is one of the more reasonably priced Hilton-branded properties in the dutch capital, It generally works out 100€ a night cheaper to stay here, compared to the Doubletree at Central Station alone, which is right across the river. Room rates regularly seem to average out at around 140€ at this specific location, but it is easy to get a cheaper deal with flexible dates.
The location is great to save some money, but you're reliant on a free ferry taking you to Central Station, the ferry only takes 12 minutes but at non-peak times (during the week), they can run at frequencies of one per half hour, which is annoying if you miss one, or have to run back and get something.
It is quite a small hotel, so capacity is limited, and they do not have suites, there is a selection of Deluxe and Superior rooms though, so I didn't have a problem getting an upgrade as a Hilton Diamond Member.
The lobby and check-in area are very cool, with chilled hipster vibes, you can sit down in a comfortable armchair while speaking to the staff at reception, which was particularly comfortable to me, checking in after midnight due to the late arrival of my Eurostar.
Due to arriving late a night, I was unable to request an extra bed for my guest, and the staff member at the front desk was not very accommodating, granted it was late in the evening and he appeared to be working alone, but I'm not sure why he would knowingly let her sleep on the floor.
The following day, I was told we would have to change rooms anyway, meaning we had to pack and unpack, so it would have been better to have been put in the new room straight away.
All other staff members in the hotel were excellent and couldn't do more to help and make my stay as much as possible, dealing with any request that they would be able to.
I preferred my first room - it had the same vibes as the lobby, it might have been small but it seemed different to any hotel room I had stayed in with the Amsterdam art theme, the only flaw would be how small the room was and the lack of storage space - there was a small desk and other no tables in the room, the only bedside table was built into the headboard, so not the best space to store a glass of milk!
That being said, I did appreciate the extra storage space, bedside tables and sofa, in the upgraded room and it was rather comfortable, but it just felt a bit annoying how they took so much effort into designing the other rooms to make them different and stand out from the crowd, and it felt like this one got left behind.
PRO TIP: Housekeeping and Maintenance are not 24-7, and generally seem to leave between 4 and 5 pm, so if there's a problem, you need to get it fixed early on, or you'll need to wait until the following day.
This was particularly troublesome for me as I did have issues with the safe not working, flickering light and on one occasion maintenance forgot to turn up, so I had to last another night in a dark room.
My second room was much larger, but in terms of appearance, it felt boring and plain, even though a Superior room would be ranked higher than a Deluxe room, I also didn't like the blinds that make the bathroom and bed area an open space, it brings in a lack of privacy with bathroom noise - not what you want when sharing the room with someone!
Housekeeping also can be slow, as they only work on one floor at once, this meant despite being told my new room would be ready for 3 pm, I was waiting in the lobby for my new room for half an hour and had to end up leaving to come back later, and I had a carton of milk that went off in the meantime.
Facilities in the room were the bare minimum, yet basic, there were no sachets of hot chocolate or coffee, only a Nespresso coffee machine, yet bizarrely they did not have Nespresso branded pods and they were a cheaper alternative, that tasted awful.
Other minor issues included the sink not being very practical due to being a dip, and the blue light coming from the light switches, which meant they would be very bright when trying to sleep, there was also exterior/interior noise, but nothing too bad compared to other hotels.
There were many things I liked though - Breakfast was not only excellent in terms of quality and selection on the buffet and requestable extras (eggs, omelettes, iced tea, fresh hash browns) but it was served until 11 am.
3* - A cheaper alternative when staying in Amsterdam, far from terrible, but there were just so many minor issues and they add up. I probably wouldn't stay here again, but I'd 100% return for the breakfast, and all but one staff member here went above and beyond to deliver the best experience they could.
