Amsterdam: Which Marriott Property?

[NetworkGuy]

We are going to be staying in Amsterdam for a couple of nights before a river cruise. We plan on staying at a Marriot property since I have points. It looks like there are 3 choices:

• W Amsterdam
• Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel
• Amsterdam Marriott Hotel

 

I am thinking one of the first two since the last is outside the U.

 

What have been people's experiences at these hotels?

Edited April 24, 2023 by NetworkGuy

[caripoo]

Renaissance.......We also have stayed at the Marriott near the museums....it also has a lot of restaurants close by.

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Amsterdam doesn’t end at the U. The Marriott is in a very convenient location, especially if you want to visit the museums like Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. The wonderful Vondelpark is also close by and at the same time the Canal Zone is very close by. To give you some reference; it’s only a 20 minute walk from the W Amsterdam to the Marriott Hotel. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Dutch_Travelgirl

[NetworkGuy]

@Dutch_Travelgirl OK, but which hotel do you prefer to stay at?

[markeb]

The last time this topic came up there were reports of renovation at the Renaissance, so check that. I’ve not stayed at the W. I like the vibe of the Renaissance and the neighborhood location. I like the overall convenience of the Marriott and its proximity to the museums. The rooms are probably nicer at the Marriott, but I’m going prepandemic here…

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

9 hours ago, NetworkGuy said:

@Dutch_Travelgirl OK, but which hotel do you prefer to stay at?

I’m not sure how it’s relevant where I would stay, because I’m not you. What matters is what you look for in a hotel, what you plan to do while in Amsterdam etc etc 

[samandlibby]

We stayed at the Renaissance in April 2022 and found it in a very good location.  It was close to the Central train station and we just walked from station to hotel upon arrival (we fly carryon). We also went to Keukenhof and Haarlem one day by train, so again, the location was convenient to the train station.  The location was close to a tram stop so made it easy to get to museums like Riks and Van Gough.  We also embarked on a river cruise and wasn't quite sure where the longboat was ported so we did decide to take a taxi.  We feel like we got ripped off and would do something different next time.

The rooms and breakfast at hotel were great.  Concierge was awesome also.

[Guest CoolPapaC]

There's also the Element Amsterdam, which is a Mariott property. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/amsel-element-amsterdam/overview/

 

[janmcn]

Renaissance is our preference for location.

[NetworkGuy]

We ended up staying at the Renaissance. Even thought it was under renovations, they did everything to accommodate your stay.  Even to the extent of creating a temporary lounge area. I like the close proximity to the cruise ship terminal and other areas we wanted to see.

[bunzini]

We plan to stay at the Renaissance this August.  Did you arrange transport from airport to the hotel ahead of time?  And what about from the hotel to the port?  Thanks!

 

[NetworkGuy]

From the airport, I got a Business Taxi. https://schipholbusinesstaxi.nl/en/ (Booked in advance.) They have a private waiting room and come to get you when the cab is there (about 10 minutes.) Super nice and only a few Euro's more than a regular cab.

 

The hotel is about 15 minutes from the port. Make sure that you lookup where your ship is docked. (There are a number of spots.) I just had the concierge call us a cab.

 

You can board the ship in the morning, your room just will not be ready. We got there at 1:30 and our room was ready.

 

Have fun.

Edited June 18, 2023 by NetworkGuy

[NetworkGuy]

If you have extra days, you should do the following:

 

• Breakfast at the Pancake Bakery https://pancake.nl/en/menu
• By a day pass hop-on-off for a canal cruise. https://www.citysightseeingamsterdam.nl/

[bunzini]

Thank you NetworkGuy!  That is great information.  We will only have one extra day (we have been there before).  I didn't recall the HOHO then so maybe that is newer and will be perfect for what we want to do that day.  Also, great information on the taxi as well!

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

The HOHO can work well in other cities, but not in Amsterdam. The streets in the most beautiful part of Amsterdam, the historical city center, are way too narrow for the HOHO busses. The busses therefore have to circle around the city center rather than drive through it. The hoho canal boat leaves very infrequently, so it isn’t helpful either. The best way to explore Amsterdam is to walk through it, combined with a regular non-Hoho canal cruise. 

[NetworkGuy]

I agree walking is a great way to see PART of the city. The canal cruise lets you see the while city. The HOHO canal boats run every 30-40 minutes up until 6pm. We felt it was a great option.

[Bklynbill]

We stayed at the Marriott this June. Not overly impressed. If you have any status with Marriott that gets you lounge access, I was definitely not impressed with the lounge. The room itself lacked any sort of table or surface area to use to put things down (if that wording makes sense).