A budget hote that doesn't seem cheap (Ibis Hotel Amsterdam Airport)

Member Name: caralyn

Product:	Ibis Hotel Amsterdam Airport
Date:	21/08/02 (331 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: convenient for airport, fantastic value for money, friendly staff

Disadvantages: some lack of efficiency, no suitable meeting areas

I travel frequently to Amsterdam for business but rarely require accommodation. However, a morning meeting at the airport meant an overnight stay.
I found the Ibis on a general accommodation website (hotels.nl) with a good price offer.

The first thing I noticed was that when I contacted the hotel direct, they were reluctant to honour the offer until I pressed them to do so. However, after some faxed negotiation they agreed I could have the price, and all seemed well.

I was sent perfectly adequate information in advance as to where to catch the free shuttle bus from the airport, and felt confident that there would be no problems. My one fear was that for the low price and the fact it was part of the Accor Hotels group, known for basic, value hotels, it would end up being a mattress-and-lightbulb sort of place with no facilities.

On arrival via the efficient shuttle bus, I was amazed at how big it is. I think there are over 600 rooms, and it is used by coach parties as well as business people. This was unexpected, but given the small relative size and higher price of hotels in the centre, I suppose it makes sense for larger parties.

Checking in took a long time. There were several desks but only 2 were open, and at my arrival time (about 7pm) there had been many flights arriving so it was busy. They should really have opened the others to speed up the queue.

The size of the hotel means it is separated into about 5 wings on 3 or 4 floors, connected by a series of escalators. On reaching my room I was pleasantly surprised. I had booked a value single room, but it had a double bed, large ensuite bathroom, tv, magazines, and plenty of seating space and desk space to prepare for meetings.

Catering facilities are of a good standard - not overly fancy, but still with plenty of choice. You can choose between an American diner, an Italian restaurant, a French restaurant, or a pub. A 3 course meal with wine in the Itali
an restaurant cost me only about 30 Euro, and the choice and quality of the menu was far, far above the Pizza Hut end of the market. Breakfast is a buffet as in many European hotels, and again, there was plenty of choice.

The staff throughout the hotel, including the restaurant staff, were friendly and helpful, although some at times were a bit over-friendly!

Checking out was faster than checking in, although the fact that the shuttle runs only every 15-20 minutes may mean you would wish to take an earlier one if you have a flight to catch.

Overall, this hotel is perfect if you just need somewhere convenient to stay near the airport. The other options (Hilton, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza) are at least double the price, and being actually at the airport, suffer more from noise pollution than the Ibis which is about 2 miles away. I would also recommend it to anyone needing to be in the city, as long as time is not an issue, since you won't get anything as good for the price. Since the shuttle bus is free, and trains from the airport to Centraal station are only a couple of Euro, it may well be considered worth the effort.

It would not be a suitable venue for meeting clients / holding breakfast meetings etc due to the fact that the lobby has little seating and is full of people coming and going at all times.

Please note also, at the time of writing (August 2002) I was offered a rate of 99 Euro initially. The standard rate is only 87 Euro, as you would find out upon arrival, and cheaper deals are available if you shop around then confront the hotel with your findings!

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