A good Business Hotel

July-30 to Aug 3 2005: 4 nights

Rate: We paid EUR75+5% through Holiday Inn site.

Room: reasonable big, about 12sqm + big toilet, enough for 2 queens

Breakfast: Expensive, EUR20(adult) EUR10(child)

Transport: Train From Airport, 2 stops away, 15 minutes, EUR2.3(adult) EUR1.4(child), turn right and walk 200m (opp Novotel)

Transport to central: Tram line 4, 15 minutes,buy a "stripp" ticket from reception, EUR6.5(A) for 5 one way trip, EUR4.2(C), take that into your rate consideration.

Vicinity: Nothing, no supermarket, no restaurant, buy some food at the airport if you arrive late.

Restaurant in hotel: Expensive but reasonable, and food is good.

Minibar: electronicly charged, so kids don't play with them. The storage space for personal use is about the size of a 2l orange juice.

Internet: EUR22 per 24 hours. Dial up: 0800 (EUR2.5 per comnnection). This is quite the same in Paris(EUR23) and London(GBP22)

Staff: Helpful.

This is the most inexpensive 4 stars hotel we could find, even beat priceline. If you are thinking of partying after midnight, then do not stay here since the taxi fare is EUR15-20.

Overall, this is a very quiet place and you recover fast. Also priority club member gets a free newspaper...perks

Great service, clean hotel, reasonably priced

We stayed at the Holiday Inn for New Year's weekend, 12/30 - 1/1/05. When checking in, we were immediately upgraded to the Executive floor without asking (they may have been out of non-smoking rooms). The room was clean and spacious, with a nice view, and the king sized bed was very comfortable (such a relief after the tiny, lumpy bed at our hotel in Rome). It's a few miles from the city center, but it's a very short walk to the tram, which will take you to town in about 4 minutes. The trams shut down before 12am, so on NYE, we took a taxi back to the hotel for around 16 Euros. The staff went out of their way to give us directions, recommendations, and were altogether very helpful. We had a great experience at the Holiday Inn, and look forward to staying there again next time we visit Amsterdam.

Friendly service

I have been regularly using this hotel for the last 3 years now for business purposes as we have an office close by.

On the whole, I have always found the staff to be extremely friendly and amenable contrary to some of the bad experiences other reviewers seem to have. Plus, the rooms are clean, the beds are very comfortable, check in is efficient, the bar is pleasant and the restaurant food is generally good. These last 2 points make it a better choice than the Novotel across the road.

On the negative side:

Firstly, the heating in the rooms has broken down for a few days on 2 recent occasions (in Nov & Dec 2004). This might only be a temporary problem as it never used to happen.

Secondly, the walls are quite thin and a normal-volume conversation will carry into the next room. So if your neighbour likes to watch TV when you like to sleep, you might have a few problems.

Lastly, if you are a tourist expecting to have Amsterdam on your doorstep you will be disappointed. This hotel is in the Rai area which is essentially a business and residential district. And taxis are expensive in Amsterdam (about double what they cost here in Paris), a taxi back from the central districts will cost at least 25 Euros, but will take only 10-15 minutes in light traffic (but much, much longer in rush hour).

However, public transport is very good. A tram (line 4) will take you to Rembrantsplein in about 30 minutes, and they run every 15 minutes. A mainline train will take you to Centraal Station in about 10 minutes. Both cost less than 2 euros. The train will also take you to direct to the airport in 10 minutes (much faster than a cab), for just 1,20 Euros. Both tram and train stations are just round the corner from the hotel.

Appalling Service

This Hotel is NOT FIVE STAR*.

Firstly, we were not told that breakfast was not included in our deal until arrival.

Secondly, we were charged for extras from the mini bar for items which we had not consumed. So word of advice, check your bill thoroughly.

Thirdly, having frogotten out toothpaste, you would assume that a FIVE STAR HOTEL would provide such necessities, NO- you have to request each item -calling Room Service

Fourthly, gym facilities were available but with no drinking water!! Health and Safety issues need to be addressed.

I do not recommend this HOTEL. It may be near Rai Station, but note that you have to be back before midnight if you wish to use the tram or metro, otherwise taxis will cost you within the regions of fifteen to twenty pounds.

Grotty location

The hotel is situated some way from Amsterdam city centre. A taxi is not cheap.

However, there is a tram stop just outside the hotel.

The hotel looks ghastly from the outside and needs renovation. It is surrounded by a horrible building site. The rooms were ok - nothing to write home about.

The restaurant was good.

Disappointing Experience

Disappointing experience overall. This is not a five star hotel, despite the nice decor in the lobby and bar ... unless you consider the prices of the drinks in the mini-bar etc (3.95 E for a bottle of water)! The ONLY benefit is the proximity to the conference center. Even then, central Amsterdam is only a 15 minute commute by underground and is easily done. I relocated to the Marriott and was very pleased with my decision. Recommendation: stay at the Marriott!!!

Family visit to Amsterday

My family (2 kids plus 2 adults in room) and I visited Amsterday for a short weekend break. Stayed at the Holiday Inn in Amsterdam.

The rooms were well appointed and clean. The hotel was also nicely done. The location (near the RAI convention center) was a significant distance from the center of Amsterdam but the tram station was only a few hundred meters from the hotel.

My only complaint was the attrocious price for breakfast at the hotel restaurant (our plan did not include breakfast) and the size of the room (liveable very tight for 4 people, would not have wanted to stay for more than a few nights).

Good Hotel with easy access to trains and trams

A good hotel reasonably priced with a railroad and tram station just a block away for short easy trip into Amsterdam sites or to the airport.

Stayed on the executive floor which is quiet and nice with a great view. Food was on the expensive side. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The in room safes did not work on the 14th floor but there where laptop sized safety boxes available at the front desk. Felt safe in and around the hotel.

The best Holiday Inn I have ever spent the night in

I was having trouble finding a hotel in Amsterdam that was fairly nice and had a reasonable price. I decided to check out Holiday Inn's main website to see if they offered any resonable rates on a hotel in Amsterdam. I came across the Holiday Inn Amsterdam.

We arrived before check in time and the staff warmly welcomed us in English. They offered help with our luggage to our room, but we declined. I was amazed how nice the hotel was. It appeared that it has been refurbished within the past year or two.

The rooms were large and the room was very clean. The bathroom was large and it included a large shower, heated mirror, hairdryer, personal products, etc. Also, the room had an inroom minibar and a large TV with many channels to choose from.

The Holiday Inn Amsterdam was about a 15 minute metro ride from downtown, but it was right next to a metro stop. If you are looking for an American style hotel that offers everything, the Holiday Inn Amsterdam is for you. I would stay here again.

Good hotel

We spent one night at the hotel in August. We found the hotel staff to be extremely friendly and helpful. The hotel is conveniently located on a tram line that travels to downtown every few minutes, and next to a train station. It cost only 2 Euro to get to the airport from the hotel on the train - and it took only 9 minutes.

The rooms were clean, and breakfast very tasty and plentiful. We recommend it!