Andaz Amsterdam seemed like a hotel that would be enjoyable for days. We barely scratched the surface of the hotel books available in the room and public spaces to see around the hotel. The former public library is mirrored in many of the hotel details.
This is not my primary review of the Andaz Amsterdam hotel. It is 3:30am on a Saturday morning and we have to get ready to leave Europe today. As I think about Andaz Amsterdam, pictures tell a story for this Prinsengracht canal hotel location.
Here are some pieces of Andaz Amsterdam.
Books like The History of Amstel Brewery since 1870 kept me awake at night while drinking my Amstel 1870 beer purchased at the Albert Heijn market down the street.
Andaz Amsterdam is on the same Prinsengracht canal side street as The Pulitzer, Starwood’s Luxury Collection hotel a few blocks to the north. The Pulitzer is closer to Anne Frank House and Westerkerk, also on Prinsengracht. Andaz Amsterdam is closer to Leidseplein food and shopping locations.
Lines for the Anne Frank House were some of the longest lines we recall seeing in the many times we visited Amsterdam. We did the tour over a decade ago and once was enough. There was not a lot to see. The most striking memory for me was listening to the Westerkerk bells chime and thinking what a drag that must have been to hear time tick away one church bell tune at a time every 15 minutes.
All around the Andaz Amsterdam lobby and guest floor hallways were figures, seating space, video monitors on the wall with short films and words to read.
Andaz Amsterdam atrium
The atrium above reception is a five-story mural seen from the glass door elevators. The ground floor elevator offers a photo view of books on a shelf, reminiscent of the former library occupying the building. Then, the imagery changes as you travel between floors.
The receptionist described the atrium mural as an ascent from hell to heaven between floors 1 to 5. That did not bode well for the location of our Floor 1 room.
Mirrors and lights provide an appearance larger than life.
There is far more imagery than one can process in short elevator rides. Standing in the hallways for three or four minutes watching a video is a contrast in time management. The elevator ride is fast and one wishes it would slow down, while the guest floor hallway walk should be fast, but one finds it slower when stopping to watch images on TV screens in the hall.
There are plenty of words to read and images to view in Andaz Amsterdam. It can be a bit overwhelming and make you just want to hide away in the toilet for awhile to block out all the stimuli and catch up on some reading you missed earlier in the day.
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