Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam by IHG

We recommend the Kimpton De Witt to business travellers who want character rather than a standard business hotel, and to thirty-to-forty-something couples sensitive to design without affectation. Families appreciate the interconnecting rooms and flexible children’s policy (baby cot, high chair on request). The clientele mixes Americans familiar with the Kimpton brand, Europeans on city breaks, a few MICE groups during the week.

The main building, a listed historic monument, dates from 1652 and served as a warehouse for the Dutch East India Company. Concrete has preserved the gabled façades, oak beams, 17th-century brick walls, while inserting contemporary steel and glass volumes. The two other buildings (late 19th century and 1980s) have been harmonised with common materials: terrazzo, brass, smoked oak. The ensemble totals 274 rooms spread over six floors, with lifts and glazed interior walkways.

The Wyers Bar & Restaurant occupies the ground floor, open from 7am to midnight, contemporary Dutch cuisine by chef Dennis Huwaë (local produce, Asian influences). The continental buffet breakfast is generous, you’ll find marinated herring, farm cheeses, breads from Bakkerij Hartog. The bar serves signature cocktails (Dutch gin, genever) and offers a daily social hour from 5pm to 6pm with complimentary wine and beer, a Kimpton tradition. Room service available until 11pm, reduced but effective menu.

The Kimpton De Witt stands on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, artery parallel to Damrak, between central station (3 min on foot) and Dam Square (5 min). The Red Light District starts 200 metres away, Jordaan ten minutes off, museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh) twenty minutes by tram. Tram lines 4/14/24 stop in front of the hotel, Schiphol 25 minutes by direct train from Centraal. The neighbourhood buzzes day and night, noisy on the street side at weekends, but double glazing filters well.