The Hoxton, Amsterdam

The Hoxton, Amsterdam, a Michelin Key Selected property, offers a stylish and vibrant stay in the heart of Amsterdam. It's praised for its design-conscious atmosphere, excellent location, and generally friendly service, making it a popular choice for both tourists and business travelers.

1. Overall Rating & Sentiment

The Hoxton, Amsterdam generally receives very positive feedback, with overall guest scores often ranging from "Very good" to "Superb" (e.g., 8.2 on Booking.com and Kayak, with many 9.0 and 10.0 ratings). The sentiment is largely enthusiastic, highlighting the hotel's trendy vibe, prime location, and appealing communal spaces.

2. Key Highlights

Guests consistently laud The Hoxton for several key aspects:

• Design & Vibe: The hotel boasts a vintage-hipster, eclectic, and sophisticated design, set within five historic canal houses. It creates an "open house" concept, blending international guests with local cool crowds in its buzzing public spaces.
• Location: Its central position on the Herengracht canal, within the "Nine Streets" shopping area, is a major draw, providing easy access to attractions, shops, and restaurants.
• Social Spaces: The lobby, lounge bar, and Lotti's restaurant are highly popular, fostering a social and bustling atmosphere, often with a DJ playing on weekends.
• Service: Many guests commend the super friendly, warm, and helpful staff.

3. Room Quality

The 111 rooms at The Hoxton, Amsterdam, while varying in size, are described as trendy, sophisticated, and comfortable.

• Design: Rooms feature dark-wood parquet floors, light gray walls, suspended leather headboards, brass light fixtures, and hexagonal mirrors, creating a "vintage-hipster" feel. Thoughtful details like handpicked vintage books and analog clocks add a personal touch.
• Comfort & Amenities: All rooms include high-end comforts such as rain showers, mini-fridges, digital music players, free Wi-Fi, and "exquisitely comfortable" beds. Welcome amenities also include free toiletries, a hairdryer, and tea/coffee makers.
• Room Categories: The hotel offers various room sizes:
  • Shoebox and Cosy: These are acknowledged as small but cleverly laid out and well-equipped.
  • Roomy and Biggy: These categories are genuinely spacious.
• Views: Some rooms offer picturesque canal views, while others overlook a quieter central courtyard.

4. Dining Experience

The hotel's main dining hub is Lotti's, a brasserie-style restaurant that is popular with both guests and locals throughout the day and night.

• Cuisine: Lotti's serves internationally-inspired brasserie dishes with locally sourced ingredients, including options like avocado toast and steak and fries. There's also a lounge bar known for its cocktails, including the "Soho Mule," and Dutch genever-based drinks.
• Breakfast: Guests receive a complimentary "breakfast bag" delivered to their room daily, which typically includes orange juice, a banana, granola, and yogurt. A full, à la carte breakfast is available at Lotti's for an additional charge, featuring options like pancakes and eggs.
• Atmosphere: Lotti's has an open-plan layout that blends with the lobby, creating a vibrant and social dining environment. It features a retractable glass roof that opens in warmer weather.

5. Service & Staff

The staff at The Hoxton, Amsterdam are frequently described as super friendly, helpful, and welcoming. They contribute to the hotel's laid-back and casual "open house" concept. While generally attentive, some guests note a casualness in the approach to service.

6. Location & Accessibility

The Hoxton, Amsterdam boasts an "unbeatable" and "great central" location.

• Neighborhood: It's situated directly on the Herengracht, one of Amsterdam's most picturesque canals, and is nestled within the famous "Nine Streets" (Negen Straatjes) shopping quarter. This area is known for its independent boutiques, cafes, and restaurants.
• Attractions: Key attractions like Dam Square and Anne Frank House are within easy walking distance (around 10 minutes to Dam Square).
• Transport: The hotel is well-connected to public transportation, with easy access to tram systems, and Amsterdam Centraal Station is approximately a 20-minute walk or short tram ride away.

7. Value & Pricing

The Hoxton, Amsterdam is considered a stylish hotel that offers good value, especially given its prime location and design. However, some guest reviews mention it can be on the "pricier side" and have raised concerns about the overall value for money. Prices can vary, with rooms starting from around $191 nightly, excluding taxes and fees.

8. Common Complaints

While largely positive, some recurring issues and criticisms include:

• Room Size: The "Shoebox" and "Cosy" rooms are indeed small, which can be a concern for some guests, although they are cleverly designed.
• Noise: As the hotel occupies historic canal houses, some rooms may have single-glazed windows, potentially leading to some street noise, especially for canal-facing rooms.
• Breakfast Options: While a free breakfast bag is provided, some guests find the full breakfast at Lotti's to be "over elaborate" with large portions, leading to food waste, or simply not to their taste. Filtered coffee is free with breakfast, but other coffee types like cappuccino incur an extra charge.
• Lobby Atmosphere: The bustling, open-plan lobby, while a highlight for many, can sometimes feel like an office due to people working on laptops, potentially detracting from a relaxing ambiance.
• Bar Service: A few guests have reported slow service at the bar, despite the friendly staff.

Sources

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