Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel, Amsterdam

We paid top rate to stay at this beautiful hotel, booking through Holland America after a cruise with them. While reservations had to be made well in advance of our arrival and the hotel had more than sufficient time to prepare, they were totally unprepared and woefully understaffed for our check-in. Passengers (a number of whom were elderly or handicapped) who asked about porters to help bring luggage from the bus were told to bring it inside themselves and help would be available in the lobby. It was not. After standing in line in the very crowded lobby (lovely but not functional for a crowd), moving our luggage along with us, we were all told to see the concierge for help--which meant another wait to try to get that poor, very busy man's attention. Of course, because the concierge was drowning in luggage, there was no one available to help with info about tours, etc. As a result we lost out on opportunities for most of the longer tours we might have liked to book (that other cruisers we ran into who had booked themselves into lower priced lodging nearby were able to get assistance from their hotels in arranging). Hotel restaurants were closed on Sunday. After finding a place for lunch, then being able to check in to a room and waiting an hour, I wound up bringing up our luggage myself because things were still somewhat of a mess downstairs. The hotel itself was beautiful, if pricey, and the location was wonderful. The assistance that was to be provided by Holland America was neither evident to us during check in nor were the hotel staff we talked to aware of its availability. I am a frequent Marriott customer and am used to getting much better service, even in less lofty surroundings. It seemed to me this place emphasized profit over service.

This is my second time visiting Amsterdam, the 1st time was 2/04, and the 2nd was 3/05. This was however my 1st, but certainly not last time I will stay at the Rennaissance. The staff was so friendly, everything was so clean, the service was remarkable, and the chocolates at the front desk are phenominal.

The Renaissance Hotel in Amsterdam is clean, conveniently located, and staffed with professionals. However, it lacked the amenities commonly found in hotels with the same star rating. The Hotel is in a reasonably quiet part of the town amd withing walking distance to Amsterdam's Centraal Station. The Hotel's convention center is in an old Church, and its metallic dome is a well-known city landmark on the Singel. The staff are multi-lingual and quite professional. Our room was clean and quiet, but it felt like we were walking forever from the elevator to get to our room. Items in the mini-bar were reasonably priced compared to other Hotels, however. The only disappointing aspect was the lack of amenities commonly associated with a hotel of this star rating. It lacked a swimming pool, and the sauna/spa/exercise facilities were available for use at an extra charge. I think they should have been included in the basic room rate. I would recommend staying at the Renaissance, but don;t expect features commonly found in ither 5 Star hotels. Bill H.