Renaissance vs. Marriott Hotel in Amsterdam?

[dcinmb]

The Marriott is near Leidseplein and the Renaissance is near Central Station. Which hotel would be preferable with regard to location (as a base for sightseeing), surrounding neighborhood, amenities, etc.?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

~Diana

[ddschur]

We had the same dilemma and decided upon the Marriot and don't regret it!

 

It was in a nice neighborhood and much of what we wanted to see (museums (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh), symphony concert, canal ride, etc.) was within very easy walking distance.

 

The rooms were typical Marriott rooms but certainly more than adequate.

 

The concierge was very helpful (we had a bit of a medical emergency and he helped tremendously).

 

It was very close to little minibus (free) pickup points to take us to the Anne Frank Huiz and when we required cab's they were both available and reasonably priced for where we wanted to go.

 

Anyway, my vote is for the Marriott!

[Ine]

Marriott is closer to the museums, Leidseplein (plenty of bars and restaurants) and the upscale-shoppingarea PC Hooftstraat.

Renaissance is closer to Anne Frankhuis, Centraal Station, canalboatcruises and the cruise-terminal.

Both have plenty of public transport near the hotel, although Amsterdam is very walkable.

Hotelwise I would prefer Renaissance, but the area of Marriott might be a little more actrive at night.

[dcinmb]

Thanks, ddschur and Ine! It sounds like we can't go wrong with either property but we've decided on the Renaissance. I generally prefer Renaissance hotels as they seem to be more boutiquey and less "generic" than Marriotts.

 

~dcinmb

[cruisingdelt]

We stayed at the Marriot. The location was great, the concierge was very helpful (especially in arranging transportation for 4 of us to the port), the Heineken museum is only a few blocks away and, most importantly, even though we arrived about 9:30 AM they had a room for us. That 3 hour nap made a world of difference after a long flight. I know availability in the morning is a crap shoot but it made a very nice start to an outstanding vacaton.

[Happy Clam]

Did anyone stay with Marriott points at either location. If so, were you charged additional Euros plus your points?