The new Hilton hotel at Amsterdam Schiphol airport opened in December 2015, replacing the old Hilton hotel at the airport which opened its doors in 1972. To avoid confusion the new hotel is usually referred to as “New Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol airport” on booking sites. However there is no risk of heading to the wrong Hilton as the old one closed the day before the new one opened.
Where is it?
New Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Hotel is located on the grounds of Schiphol airport, within walking distance from the airport terminal and the railway station. Upon arrival at the airport, follow the signs towards the railway station located on the arrivals level. Once there, look for the signs leading towards the Hilton and Sheraton hotels. After an escalator a long corridor leads to the two hotels, with Hilton located at the far end. It takes about five minutes to walk.
The arrival experience
My stay took place in December, just two days after the opening of the hotel, so I was obviously very excited to see what the hotel would look like. Finding it was somewhat tricky as not all signs in the terminal building had been updated yet. Eventually I had to ask at the information desk to get directions, with an enthusiastic woman answering “oh you’re looking for the new hotel”, obviously a big happening also for them. Once I had found the escalator and the hotel corridor it was easy to find my way.
When arriving from the terminal and railway station you enter the hotel on the second floor and then take an escalator or a lift down to the lobby and reception desk.
The reception consists of three desks with cool artistic maps of downtown Amsterdam with its famous canals behind. Two women were working and I was immediately checked in. The process was quick and friendly. As a gold card holder of Hilton HHonors I was upgraded to a deluxe room on one of the top floors, unfortunately not to an executive room.
The lobby gives an excellent first impression, especially at night with the huge atrium lit up. The atrium is 42 metres high covered by a huge glass roof. The hotel has been designed by Dutch architect Mecanoo together with British design firm The Gallery HBA.
An interesting aspect of the lobby is that at night it looks like there is fact a mirror up there as you can easily see the reflections of the lobby, including the lounge bar and the lamps in the different seating areas. But it is just a normal glass roof.
The room
The hotel has 433 rooms in total including 12 suites. There are also 96 executive rooms which also give access to the executive lounge.
Thanks to my gold card I was upgraded from a standard room to a deluxe room located on the eighth floor at the end of a long corridor.
The main advantage of a deluxe room is the airport view, rather than an atrium room. There are also deluxe corner rooms, which are larger and which also feature a large sofa.
The room gave a good first impression with its rather unusual design and especially the rather odd windows. It felt hip, fun and modern.
The room had a king size bed, a work desk, an armchair, a 40-inch HDTV and a mirror.
The bathroom had a large walk-in shower, toilet, a large mirror and of course the standard Hilton toiletries. On the whole it was rather basic in its design however I did like the very spacious shower.
The room had an excellent airport view overlooking the western apron and one of the western runway named 18C/36C (C for center) and also overlooking the taxiway leading to the infamous “Polderbaan” runway, a significant distance from the terminal. Although it was somewhat difficult to get good views at night the view was perfect and completely unobstructed during daylight with many aircrafts approaching from the north and touching down right in front of the window.
Food and drinks
The hotel has a lobby bar specialising in gins and jenevers (a type of Dutch gin). I made an evening visit to have a beer before going to bed and the staff were friendly, taking orders at the tables and later passing to ask if I wanted a refill. It was rather quiet this evening.
Apart from the reception area and the bar the rest of the lobby is decorated as a living room with sofas, armchairs, decoration lamps and TVs. Different types of walls and dividers help creating different sections and keeping the noise level down.
There is also a restaurant in the hotel, also located on the ground floor next to the lobby, called The Bowery. They serve authentic grill and Asian dishes and specialise in using fresh ingredients from local suppliers and farmers. There is also a private dining area called The Vine Room with seating for up to 20 guests.
Other facilities
The lounge has a spa called Eforea Spa located on the first floor, right above the reception. There is also a fitness centre open 24 hours. I made a visit to the spa in the evening, open until 10 pm. The spa features a small swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna. All facilities are mixed. The atmosphere was very relaxed with dimmed lights and candles creating a stress-free feeling. Just what I needed after a long and sweaty day of travelling. Different treatments such as massage are available at a charge.
Service
The staff in the new hotel are the same as in the old one, which is good news as they are experienced and know the normal Hilton rules and policies. However as the new hotel is significantly larger there are obviously also a few new members in the workforce.
The staff were very friendly throughout the stay and as a frequent Hilton guest they were very interested to head what I thought of the new hotel, especially at check-out.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served in The Bowery restaurant on the ground floor with very friendly and enthusiastic staff working in the morning, even taking their time for some small talk.
The breakfast is buffet style. The food was very fresh, everything was there but with nothing out of the ordinary. In fact the selection was somewhat limited compared to some other Hilton hotels. However a big plus for the presentation, both cool and innovative.
Final impression
A pretty cool airport hotel, especially with the huge lobby atrium and the funky room design, which certainly stood out a bit. Friendly staff throughout the hotel, nothing whatsoever to complain about. This was made easier by what appeared to be a rather low occupancy rate just two days after the opening. All in all this is one of the nicer airport hotels I have stayed in.
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