Like any bustling capital city, Amsterdam is filled with hotels. But for many travellers, the prospect of staying in an impersonal, generic accommodation block during long business trips is distinctly unappealing. Park Hotel, our Best Business Hotel, Netherlands, 2013 provides a tempting alternative.
The homely feel of Park Hotel amsterdam begins as you step inside
A canal-side boutique in the centre of Amsterdam’s cultural district, Park Hotel perches proudly on the edge of Museum Square, home to the city’s most famous artistic and intellectual offerings. The recently reopened Rijksmuseum is a direct neighbour, while the popular PC Hooftstraat, site of numerous international fashion stores, is a short walk away. When evening comes, further entertainment is easy to find, with the Leidse Square in close proximity.
A home away
But Park Hotel knows location isn’t everything. Its mission is to create a hotel that provides a real welcome, offering all the home comforts one usually misses on the road. “What we are hearing from our meetings and events and corporate clients is that they love the hotel because it has all these elements that you would find in a smaller boutique hotel,” tells Bram van der Hoek, the hotel’s General Manager. “Business people these days would like to experience emotion rather than staying in, let’s say, the mainstream hotels next door.”
The homely feel of Park Hotel begins as soon as you step inside. The Living Room is a specially designed space quite unlike a traditional hotel lobby. A stunning feature fireplace tempts guests in, creating a relaxed area in which to peruse the hotel’s extensive book collection. “It’s designed to feel like you are at home,” says van der Hoek.
Adding to the Living Room is the new Jewelry Bar. During the day it’s a traditional European coffee house, serving deliciously blended hot drinks alongside fine chocolates and pastries. At night it becomes a bar, and the lively main hub of the hotel.
But the Jewelry Bar is not the only venue of conviviality that Park Hotel has to offer. The centrepiece of the hotel, open to guests and locals alike, is the MOMO restaurant. Offering pan-Asian cuisine, the restaurant blends eastern and western influences to present diners with a sophisticated, international culinary experience. During the design process, it was decided the restaurant should have an identity distinct from the rest of the hotel, encouraging non-visitors to treat it as just another local
eatery. Now, a combination of Amsterdam residents and foreign guests mingle together in the restaurant’s bar and lounge, enhancing the immersive local experience that Park Hotel aims to create.
Business bonus
A bonus for the business crowd, Park Hotel has stylish conference facilities and regularly hosts corporate events. “We actually have nine meeting and event rooms,” says van der Hoek. “We named them after destinations: we have rooms called New York, London, Berlin, Sydney and Tokyo. In total we have 750sq m of space. The hotel is actually one of the market leaders in that segment here in the city centre.”
The general guest amenities, for leisure and business travellers alike are also extensive. Those hoping to keep fit during trips can utilise the hotel’s gym, equipped with personal trainer. There are also a range of shops and boutiques selling gifts and souvenirs. Understandably for such a centrally located hotel, Park Hotel is easily accessible. Amsterdam benefits from a modern hub airport, Schiphol, which can be reached by train or car in around 15 minutes. The hotel’s car park holds 50 cars – a rare capacity for such a centrally located hotel.
The unique style that Park Hotel has gone for is clearly its biggest asset. Both the hotel and MOMO have earned a number of industry awards in the last few years. Van der Hoek says that it is both the boutique styling and location – which he describes as “triple A” – that have garnered the hotel’s unparalleled popularity.
Further information
www.parkhotel.nl
www.momo-amsterdam.com
