[Ed. Note: Our Scandinavian correspondent Coulter returns again for the complete review of the first-ever CitizenM Hotel. Enjoy.]
Even from the outside there seems to be something a bit different about the CitizenM at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Unassuming from a distance, as you follow the embedded lights in the sidewalk, you'll start to notice that there is something a bit different about this hotel.
It looks like a stack of a few hundred individually made concrete cubicles with wall-to-wall windows.
The reason, because that's exactly what it is, CitizenM's prefab hotel units are at the very core of what this hotel strives to be. The same hotel experience no matter where you go, with each room identical to the room next to it.
Their tag line is “Affordable Luxury,” a modern design hotel at budget prices and it's these pre-made cubicles that allow them to deliver at least partially on that promise.
[Ed. Note: Our Scandinavian correspondent Coulter was on the scene for the opening party of the first-ever CitizenM Hotel. Enjoy.]
Last week CitizenM opened it's first hotel at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. This location is one of 20 new hotels CitizenM plans to roll out through Europe in the coming months and years.
This being the hotel's first major event, CitizenM did their best to impress and after a few hours of non-stop drinking, I found myself fairly well-impressed.
For Rattan Chadha, founding partner and CEO Michael Levie, this event was all about branding and from the multiple speeches to the increasingly drunk PR people walking around, you couldn't escape the words "affordable luxury."
With the idea of CitizenM being a modern design hotel at budget prices, you must be wondering--did the hotel meet their tag line? You'll have to read the hotel review tomorrow for that answer, but the party itself did a good job of showing off the hotels finer points.
It must be nice to be Jennifer Aniston or John Mayer, whose days end inside a $1015-a-night Netherlands hotel room replete with the finest relaxation-enhancers Amsterdam has to offer...such as a view of the Amstel river, of course.
Splash news reports the two were bunking together at the ultra-posh Intercontinental Amstel last night. The historic hotel boasts mega-luxurious digs and unbelievable views (and lots of privacy) -- perfect for the undercover couple to unwind.
John is in Manchester today for his next gig. No word on whether or not Jen is gonna be in tow, but the paps are probably on the scene right now; we hope Mayer brought along some "relaxation assistance" from Amsterdam to help with the stress.
It seems like just yesterday (actually it was September 2007) that we were examining CitizenM Hotels, the "affordable luxury hotel," and its planned outpost at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
Though the chain's first property hasn't opened yet, you can make reservations for its June 26 debut. Here's what you can expect from the funky budget-friendly chain, all things that have us intrigued, for better or for worse.
Though one expects to have one's expectations challenged while transitioning to a foreign continent, I did not sufficiently recalibrate my concept of the 'hotel' to prepare myself for the Chic & Basic.
With rooms "the size of an average refrigerator box" and all-white modern minimalist furnishings and décor (reminiscent of an Apple store), the Chic & Basic should possibly be renamed, the Chic & Peculiar.
Starting with the arrival, as most rooms are up a very narrow, steep winding staircase (and no elevator). OK for this oh-so-young-and-fit traveler, but any one with mobility problems would find it challenging if not impossible.
Second oddity: the lighting. The only light source in the room is a large backlit picture of an attractive couple. So your options are either all light, or no light. So much for reading in bed.
Competition is heating up at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where every hotel chain seems to want to open a hotel. The Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has been hanging out there for a while, but it's about to get a heap of company.
For one, the Yotel chain of airport capsule hotels plans to open a 56-room Yotel in Schiphol by the end of the year. It will be after passport control so transfer passengers can stay there without immigration problems, and passengers departing from Amsterdam with early morning flights will be able to check-in and go through passport control the night before.
Not so close to the departure gate but still near the airport, the Marriott chain will open a 318-room hotel under the Renaissance brand in 2009. Marriott considers Amsterdam one of Europe's most important hubs for air travel and wants to get a slice of the market for both air passengers and people doing business near the airport. There will be a shuttle bus from the new hotel into the city center, a journey of about 15 minutes.
You might guess that a hotel with a name like the A-Train Hotel might be near the train station, and you'd be right. In Amsterdam, the A-Train is right across from Centraal Station, which gets it a high score on the convenience scale. But not only is it near the train, it also has a train theme, and is also proud to say that "no two rooms are alike".
In the reception and lounge areas, all the seats look like they were taken directly out of trains, and some even have luggage racks above them. In the rooms, thankfully, they have left beds (rather than turning them into sleeping cars from trains), and you can choose from a single room all the way through to a five-bed apartment suite.
Room rates for a double start from 89 Euros ($121) in low season and rise as high as 169 Euros ($230) in the peak season; a 5-bed apartment goes for as much as 300 Euros ($410) in high season. While the rooms look reasonably small, the location is excellent both for arriving in Amsterdam and for getting around when you're sightseeing. And it's perfectly themed to suit your big Eurail train trip.
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K goes to Amsterdam in her mind. Enjoy.
I caught a travel show segment on TV this week promoting Amsterdam as an interesting destination (and not just for the gals or the drugs!). No, there's also canal tours, cool museums like the Anne Frank House, and (at the right time of year) tulips everywhere!
A couple of years ago I was there for just two days and I'd love to get back there: and now there's a new 5-star hotel just waiting for me. The Grand Hotel Amrath opened in early June and is located inside a 1913 shipping office, only 500 meters from Amsterdam's Central Station.
What I love even more than the location or the building is the quaint English on the website (I thought the Dutch were better linguists than this):
Most welcome in the newest five star deluxe hotel in Amsterdam, situated in the city centre, the Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam with 163 spacious and high hotel rooms and large suites provided with all up to date comfort. You will expose yourself in A World of Luxury and Art. We composed a very attractive opening offer for you.
They have opening rates of €235 per night in July and August (but busy September is already being billed at €330), so I guess I should get there fast so I can expose myself in the Grand Hotel Amrath's luxury world.
