Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam

Grand Hotel Amrâth rises from its seat just off of the Amstel, its impressive visage harkening back to Amsterdam’s glory days when it was erected.

Once an enormous shipping house worthy of the name during the height of the Dutch trading industry, Amrâth’s halls and corridors, luxury rooms, and suites retain the imposing architecture and exquisite detail of a bygone era. This historic building’s richly carved woodwork and intricate glass windows remain intact all the while its purpose has been cleverly converted into the modern conveniences and fine trappings expected by Europe’s Grand Hotel patronage.

With its eclectically adapted unique design our suite made for a very memorable stay. A sprawling dining and sitting room spanned the corner overlooking the canal where it joins the river.

A spacious modern bath was fully encased in a glass housing within its room so as to perfectly preserve the original woodwork of the building.

The suite’s kitchenette was hidden in the wood-paneled walls and a generous office more than accommodated the needs of remote work and meetings.

For lovers of history and architecture, Grand Hotel Amrâth is its own draw. A stay at the Grand Hotel Amrâth provides an unmatched firsthand experience inside Amsterdam’s ever-intriguing past. The building where Grand Hotel Amrâth resides is one of the most infamous and intact examples of Amsterdam School architecture.

“Van der Meij draws inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement and gives it a distinctly Dutch twist. Expressive dynamism, lavish ornamentation, and colorful embellishments characterize this style, later known as the Amsterdam School. Van der Meij invites colleagues to work on the project, turning it into a 'Gesamtkunstwerk', or total work of art. The team of young artists applied maritime motifs liberally, even in the smallest details. Waves, sea creatures, and ships appear almost everywhere: not only in stained-glass windows, sculpture work, and marble but also in furniture and fittings such as carpets, chairs, and wallpaper. It took three years to complete the first phase of the Scheepvaarthuis (Dutch for ‘House of Shipping’).” For more about the building’s rich history you may visit their website.

An incredible glass ceiling spans the atrium over Amrâth's grand staircase. 

Grand Hotel Amrâth boasts some unusual spaces, with a tower suite where a wooden carved stair spirals from the sitting room to the bedroom and up one more level, where the bath is the top floor of the historic building’s iconic turret. A complete departure from the hotel’s aesthetic, a plush “Oriental Suite” with private rooftop access is a standalone novelty stay in a hotel with many surprises.

The High Tea at Grand Hotel Amrâth is a must. Natural light streams into the hotel’s lushly appointed, wood-paneled breakfast bar with generous windows gazing over canal views. Not to be left behind, the tea service is as delectable as the unmatched, quintessential Amsterdam setting.

One of the most enchanting memories of my stay was when evening approached and our rooms were drowned in golden, rose, and pink light as a spectacular sunset coated the city below. Amsterdam’s canals were cast in shadow as the windows of the quaint Dutch row-houses began to glow and it was difficult to decide whether to perch in the giant windows and watch the rooftops and waterways transition moment by moment in gilded specter or to luxuriate in the enormous full bath, and drink champagne as the room bathed itself in a vibrant changing of colors.

As Amsterdam’s nightlife wakened to a hum, it was time to keep our dinner reservation at the hotel’s restaurant Seven Seas, the moniker a throwback to the building’s legacy as a gateway to adventure. Seven Sea’s delectable dishes blend classic French style with world flavors, each harboring some delightful surprises but overall treading safe for all palates.

Red bass paired with succotash and Jamaican beans in a red bell pepper sauce with passionfruit pearls.

Rigatoni, in bimi and oregano sauce with burrata walnuts and asparagus.

After dinner, it is all to easy to stay in and slide back a few quality cocktails at Amrâth’s plush bar and lounge. A worthy beginning to a promising night in Amsterdam.