Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam Review
Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. Previously I had stayed at the Andaz and Hyatt Regency; both of which are fantastic hotels. This time I had an IHG Chase free night certificate. It was good for a night at 40,000 point property. The Kimpton De Witt was 45,000 for my night so I was able to pay the additional 5,000 points for a stay. Typical rates are over €300/night in the summer.
Location
The Kimpton De Witt is located a 5-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station.
If coming from the airport, the best option is to take a train in (€5.40 if you don’t have a transit card). They run constantly and it will end up taking you less time than a taxi.
As you exit the station, walk across the canal and take a right; then a left on the next main street and the hotel is on the left. It is incredibly easy even with luggage.
There are a lot of restaurants and shopping nearby. A pedestrian street with tons of shopping runs parallel to Damrak just behind the hotel.
The neighborhood itself isn’t much (the hotel is not on a canal); but you can easily walk to all the main sites in the city or hop on one of the trams if going longer distances.
Check In
I arrived at 2:40pm; just slightly before the 3pm check in. My room was ready. I also mentioned the social media secret password. I believe the agent helping me was new and she had heard about the secret password but didn’t know what it meant. Another staff member thanked me for following IHG and said that I would receive complimentary breakfast (which wasn’t already included).
I was not offered a Raid the Bar credit as a Platinum; not sure if that was simple oversight or if the hotel doesn’t participate in offering a welcome amenity.
The lobby seems small at first but sprawls out behind the front desk. There is a “social area” where the wine hour from 4-5pm is held each night.
The hotel building is new (compared to the neighborhood). Built in 1987, the hotel was previously a Crowne Plaza, renovated and rebranded in 2017 to the Kimpton brand. It is actually built around two old houses (one now houses a bar and the other a suite that you can stay in). Here you can see the smaller house in the courtyard with the hotel built around it.
Room
I was assigned room 507, I believe it was a King Bed Premium though their room categories are a bit difficult to differentiate. Overall the room is on the smaller side; but that is pretty common for hotels in Amsterdam.
As you enter, the bathroom is on the left and storage is on the right.
The closet has the coffee set up as well as a mini fridge (empty other than one water bottle).
An open closet sits next to the standard closet.
A nightstand with outlet is on either side of the bed. A small chair sits in the corner under the slanted roof.
The bed faces a desk and TV.
The two windows are angled with the roof and can only be partially opened. A set of blinds can be closed but they allow in light around the edges. The view is of the roofs of other buildings in the city.
Bathroom
The bathroom door is glass with the bottom portion distorted for privacy but the top panes are standard glass. If sharing the room, note that there is a lack of privacy.
A single sink and toilet are straight ahead while the glass enclosed shower is to the left.
The shower has both an overhead shower and a hand held wand.
The bath products are all refillable bottles. One bar of soap is provided.
Gym
The large gym is located in the basement. One thing to note is that additional bottles of water are available in the gym if you want to pick up an extra or two.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in Celia on the ground floor. If you have breakfast included; you get the buffet plus you can order one menu item (eggs to order, pancakes, or Eggs Benedict). I believe if your breakfast is not included, each item is individually priced.
The buffet was smaller than some but good quality. The hot items were scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. There was standard buffet fruit (pineapple and melon), yogurt and baked goods.
I ordered the pancakes which were prepared to order (but cooked ahead of time and kept heated).
At the wine hour (4-5pm) they had the option of a red or white along with a small meatball bite.
Overall
It is hard to find fault in the De Witt. I always have enjoyed Kimpton properties and the De Witt did not disappoint. While the neighborhood doesn’t have much character, the location is perfect for exploring Amsterdam. The rooms are small but nicely appointed.
