Radisson Blu Amsterdam
A Dutch treat
Radisson Blu Amsterdam has recently added five new specially designed rooms to its hotel as part of a trial of an ambitious new room concept for the Radisson Blu chain
The Radisson Blu Hotel Amsterdam offers 247 elegant rooms, complete with all the amenities one would expect of a firstclass business hotel. The hotel has been in business for 20 years and has been formed from a number of historic buildings. As its clientele consists of 65 per cent business customers, and 35 per cent leisure, the Radisson Blu offers a number of business amenities, including meeting rooms and free WiFi in each of the rooms, while its location in the heart of the historic city centre makes it a highly attractive option for holidaymakers. The hotel also provides premium services, including as free high-speed internet, a concierge and an indoor car park with video surveillance, as well as a hotel gift shop with postcards, souvenirs and other items.
Catering for all guests, the hotel’s restaurant and bar offer a wide variety of food and drinks and an unbeatable service. In addition to serving perfectly prepared international cuisine and drinks, the reputed De Palmboom restaurant and Pastorie Bar add to the architectural uniqueness of the Radisson Blu Hotel. Offering a delightful Amsterdam dining experience, De Palmboom occupies a building that dates back to 1742. It was originally a Bible shop and later a famous grocery store. The Pastorie Bar previously served as a 19th century vicarage and as a result offers a charming Old Dutch setting.
The hotel’s desirable location offers guests easy access to the city’s noteworthy cultural and historical attractions, as well as fashionable shopping areas and major business centres. Leisure travellers can devote days to sightseeing in Amsterdam – nearby attractions include the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, Dam Square and the city’s beautiful flower market. As Michael Kuhn, the hotel’s sales director explains, the hotel’s location is one of its key selling points: “We are located in the historic city centre, so not only are there a number of museums nearby, but many of the city’s old churches are situated near the hotel. As we are located along a little side street, we enjoy a quiet location while still being in the heart of the city.”
The hotel’s 247 rooms offer a spacious and comfortable accommodation to guests. Michael describes the Radisson’s unique approach to the style of its rooms: “We feel the décor and ambience of our rooms are crucial to ensuring our guests enjoy an unforgettable stay with us. To achieve this atmosphere, we ensure that our rooms are in keeping with the style of the rest of the building and its layout. This means that all the rooms have their own character and we receive a lot of compliments from our customers.”
To further develop the elegant atmosphere of the Radisson Blu chain, the Amsterdam hotel is participating in the trial of a new room concept. Michael explains: “Radisson Blu is looking to introduce five different room styles, across its worldwide chain. The different styles have been named, New York Mansion, And Relax, Urban, Ocean, and Natural Cool. The vital aspect to this concept is that these styles will need to fit in with their hotel, so a historic hotel like ours would never offer one of the modern styles as we know it would completely destroy the atmosphere for our guests. On 1st January 2010 we built five additional rooms in the Natural Cool style, which blends into our hotel’s style very well. It’s a very bright, lively room type, but it is still relaxing and calming, using natural materials, such as wood and leather, as the name suggests.
“We are now in the process of gathering feedback through surveys completed by the guests staying in those rooms. This will tell us not just their overall opinions on the new style, but specifically what we need to improve to extend the style across more rooms. We are now in the process of getting final approval and planning permission for this work, but this is quite tricky in the centre of a busy city like Amsterdam. Not much can happen at the moment as we’re currently experiencing one of the busiest times of the year, but ultimately the plan is to implement more of these new room types into the hotel.”
When it comes to the future, the hotel has a clear plan for the upgrading and improvements it intends to make and the wider Radisson Blu chain has strong ambitions for its future growth. Michael expands on this: “We have our own vision when it comes to this particular property. These improvements will further support the expansion of the chain, which is the fastest growing hotel management company in the world, and is already one of the biggest chains in Europe. We are constantly developing the 300 hotels and properties in the chain, and there are still opportunities for further expansion. The chain is growing fast, and we’re very happy to be part of its development. The Radisson Blu story is one of great success and we intend to continue that progress long into the future.”