A great choice for my family

We have just returned from The Netherlands, where we ended our trip of the countryside with 2 nights at the Novotel Amsterdam.

We toured the city during the day, and when we were done we returned to the peaceful hotel away from the noise. Being on the outskirts of the city seemed like a bonus, not a disadvantage. A tram #4 station is a 3 minutes walk from the Novotel (go left from the main entrance in the direction of the Holiday Inn).

We booked our room directly from novotel. The great breakfast was included in the package. Try to go for a deal that includes the breakfast. It's a treat.

My children also enjoyed playing the soccer game on the Sony PS2 that was in the lobby (no other game available).

Comfortable and clean - no surprises

We stayed at the Novotel in July 2005 as a group of 4 , over from UK for a long weekend . The hotel is located between the airport & centre of city about 20/25 minutes to either . For the centre of Amsterdam the terminus for the number 4 tram is just outside the hotel and made travel so easy.

The hotel has had a facelift in terms of newly fitted rooms and these were very comfortable & clean . The beds were very good & the ability to open a window even on floor 10 was valuable, the air conditioning was also effective.

The bathroom was quite satisfactory.

Food was not special but adequate & reasonable value for money.

The staff were on the whole willing & friendly.

Checkin/checkout was a little slow though it was very busy at our time of use.

In summary this hotel is a safe bet , if not that interesting , I would doubt anyone would find major fault with it & it`s location is useful ( with tram & rail within a couple of minutes ).

If staying in Amsterdam I would use this hotel again .

Good Hotel

We stayed at the Novotel for three days in May, part of a package tour of Amsterdam. The hotel is on the edge of the city and it is a very concrete ,but safe and clean, area. The number 4 tram stops 2 minutes away fro the door and takes you direct to the city centre in approx 20mins, giving you a nice tour of Amsterdam. The hotel is clean and friendly and the desk staff will answer any questions you have with a smile. The room was a good size, very clean and modern with a gleaming bathroom. The toiletries and tea facilites were restocked everyday. The television has a good range of channels in several languages. The buffet breakfast came with the room and was fine, cereals, fruit, yougurt, eggs, sausages,juice and tea. The bar is a little pricey but nice. The main restaurant is pricey but looked nice, the cafe across the aisle was slightly cheaper but the food was good. The service in the restaurant was slow and both menu's were limited but after a long day travelling it was just fine. I would recomend the hotel but only as part of a tour or if you get a good price as the location is a bit far out. The city is great, very friendly, and easy to navigate.

Dirty hotel, poor food, location outside of the action

We were placed in the hotel by Grand Circle tours. The rooms had dirty stained carpet and spread. The hall had the same dirty dishes on the floor for 3 days. The lighting in the room is low and reading is a real challalnge.The elevators were unable to handle the morning traffic. I took the stairs down 6 flight and the stairways were filthy.The food was not hot, not identified and some of the meat was quite a mystery. Two coffee machines for a crowed dining room are inadequate. There is a tram near by but little else unless you have business at the convention center.

Loved it!!

I must say after reading the previous reviews I was afraid to stay at this hotel but was stuck with it because it was a package deal. My husband and I had a wonderful time staying here. Stayed for six nights. Nice clean rooms and wonderful service all throughout the hotel. The women that work the gift shop were especially helpful with info. You set your own combination on the safe in the room so I don't understand how 13 of them were broken in to?? We kept our valuables in the safe and had no problems what so ever. The breakfast buffet was decent but only eat there if it comes with your room. Check first. It is right next to the subway station so you have access to train, trams, and night buses with only a 2 minute walk to the hotel. It takes about 15 minutes to get to Central Station downtown, a nice tram ride that goes through mst of the tourist squares. Buy a one, two or threeday pass and you can ride anything all you want. We loved The Netherlands very much and hope to return annually, when we do we will stay here again.

Far away

The hotel is at the end of a tram line, it is about 25 - 30 mins on the tram in to the centre of Amsterdam. This meant that we had to travel back to the hotel to get changed to go out in the evening and then travel all the way back in to town. Taxi's were about €14 after public transport had stopped. The hotel itself is OK, not the best in the world and certainly not the worst. It is OK to stay here if you don't mind the jouney in to town, want something cheap, don't want to stay in a palace and don't mind a concrete view.

Just okay...

This hotel was pre-selected as part of a 5 country Europe tour I went on. I had no choice in the matter and I would not choose this hotel if I were to visit Amsterdam on my own. I would prefer a hotel close to the city centre. Two out of the three staff was not helpful except for one lady. She was younger and I appreciated her assistance in helping me use the pay phone. I did not know that there is a charge of 20 cent Euros even for a toll free call! The continental breakfast that was part of the tour package was standard. I don't know if it's available to regular guests not part of a tour. The breakfast included cold cuts, croissants, cereal, and fruit. I liked the coffee/hot chocolate machine. The beds were uncomfortable and we were given 1 queen bed so I had to sleep on the couch. The bath towels had a bad odor to it and I don't know if it is because of the laundry detergent used or not but I would not stay here again.

Thieves on the 13th floor

wasnt very impressed stayed as a party of 36 all of us on floor 13 got our safes broken into only cash taken and one camera no forced entry ,passports and credit card and mobile phones werent taken,were told it wasnt the first time had to stay in after that and were told we wouldnt be charged for the mini bars or taxis to the airport but were made to pay by credit card before we would be let out of the hotel not happy !

Novotel - average

i bought KLM package (return airtickets + 3-nights hotel accommodation). At first they gave me Eden Hotel then said that it was fully booked, then gave me Terdam...after i paid...told me that Terdam was full too! finally they gave me Novotel claiming that it is a 4 star hotel (my price goes to 3 star hotel only) i really don't agree that Novotel is a 4-star hotel, though the room is very clean. Nice to have hairdryer. Reception is very helpful! The district is very quiet. But it is not a good location to those who love night lifes or who needs to go to Central Station every day. Tram 4 is fine. RAI railway station is nearby. Is that what u want?

Novotel Amsterdam

It's hard to beat the Winter airfares to Amsterdam...a friend and I flew there for less than $425 roundtrip (including all of the new taxes for security), so it made it cheaper for me to fly to Amsterdam than Boston! We stayed at the Novotel Amsterdam, a supposed 4-star hotel on the southern fringes of the city. While the rate was good ($75/night), breakfast was supposed to be included. I discovered that it was NOT at check-out time and had to fork over an additional $200 ($100 apiece for six days) just for the privilege of eating their uninspired buffet! The rooms were pretty small and the "normal" rates are $150 - $190 Euros--which I would NEVER pay for this hotel!!! The Novotel is centrally located at RAI Station, however, and Tram #4 takes you directly to Centraal Station, the heart of Amsterdam. I bought a five-day pass for only about $16 (Euros)---and THAT was the deal of the week! That allowed us to travel everywhere from the Van Gogh museum to West of the city with ease. There are even Electronic Boards which tell you what stop you are at (on the new train/trams), so it is very easy to get around! The cabs are very expensive (think NYC rates), so it is in your best interests to learn the tram system. ANY information you need can be attained in a white building directly ACROSS from Centraal Station---and that's where you can buy you 3, 3, or 7 day tram passes as well. The folks are VERY nice and helpful there and will answer any of your travel questions with a smile! Considering some of the deals for airfares have been extended thru the end of June, make Amsterdam one of your destinations. Even in the winter it is a beautiful city...so when the Spring tulips arrive, it must be gorgeous! If you can get a good rate for hotel, the Novotel is fine because even though it is not near City Center, it takes only 15 minutes by tram from RAI (two minute walk from Novotel) to Centraal Station. Chance are, you won't be in your hotel much anyway, so go out and enjoy this beautiful city!!