A stylish boutique hotel sitting in an old school offering only poor value for money
A hotel that does a lot of things right on paper: historical substance, individual design and one of the best locations in Amsterdam. In reality, however, one thing above all remains of the great promise – a stay that feels much more expensive than it should be.
Review #123
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Content
Location
The College Hotel is located in the elegant Oud-Zuid district of Amsterdam, one of the quieter and more upscale areas of the city. The area is characterized by wide streets, classic buildings, many small cafés and boutiques.
The museum quarter with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Vondelpark is just a few minutes’ walk away. At the same time, the area is much more relaxed than the center around the canals, which is particularly noticeable in the evening.
The location is ideal for anyone who wants to discover Amsterdam in a relaxed way, but doesn’t want to miss out on good connections.
Arrival
The College Hotel is located in the south of Amsterdam and is easily accessible from Schiphol Airport (AMS ). Depending on traffic, you will need around 15 – 25 minutes by cab or Uber.
You can also get to the hotel easily by public transport: From the airport, take the train to Amsterdam Zuid or Amsterdam Centraal and then change to the streetcar. The tram stop is only a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, so it will take you around 30 – 40 minutes in total.
If you arrive by train, you can reach the hotel from Amsterdam Centraal station in around 20 minutes by streetcar or around 15 minutes by cab. There are also good connections from other stations such as Amsterdam Zuid. The hotel is as well easy to reach by long-distance bus. You can reach the stop in just a few minutes’ walk or in just three stops on the metro.
Of course, you can also arrive by car and park directly at the hotel for 60 euros per day.
Check-in
The first impression of The College Hotel Amsterdam is unfortunately mixed.
We were neither greeted nor helped with our suitcases as we entered the hotel. That’s always a bit of a shame at a 5-star hotel – the expectation is somehow different.
After passing the library, you will find yourself directly at the check-in counter. The atmosphere here is relaxed, almost homely, and you are asked to choose a fragrance for the turndown service. A nice idea – but one that won’t play a role later on. Once all the formalities had been sorted out, we were given some more information about the hotel and then had the key cards in our hands.
Nevertheless, we noticed that the service was not unfriendly, but inconsistent. During the late check-out, we saw that other guests were given a glass of champagne at check-in – but not us. This is a small thing that is not dramatic in itself, but of course still a shame.
Also, we were already able to choose a drink for the afternoon aperitif, which we received free of charge as guests of the Junior Suite.
The College Hotel Amsterdam at a glance
The College Hotel Amsterdam is located in a historic building from the late 19th century, which was originally used as a school. It is precisely these origins that still shape the character of the building today: high ceilings, large windows and classic architecture combined with modern design elements.
The hotel extends over 2 floors and has a total of 40 rooms and suites, which gives the hotel a rather boutique-like and personal character. The rooms are located on floors 1 to 2 and offer an individual room layout in line with the hotel’s motto: Each room is unique!
The lobby, reception, restaurant and bar are located on the first floor. The entrance area has an open design and flows seamlessly into the lounge and restaurant areas. The mixture of historic building and modern interior and clear lines is particularly striking here.
The focus is strongly on design, the location and a rather quiet, personal hotel experience. There are also smaller lounge areas and a terrace, which is particularly popular during the warmer months.
Overall, The College Hotel offers a stylish boutique hotel with history. The manageable size, clear structure and special architecture ensure that you can quickly find your bearings here and experience the hotel more like an individual city hotel than a large hotel chain.
Junior Suite
As always, we had booked the smallest room category at The College Hotel Amsterdam – a superior room. But a few days prior to our arrival, we were informed via the app that we had already been upgraded to a Junior Suite due to our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status.
So let’s take a look at Suite No. 117 together, which is actually located in a former physics classroom.
Welcome
A handwritten welcome card and a small box of chocolates were waiting for us on the living room table as we moved into our room. There was also a map showing how the rooms used to be laid out when the building still was a school.
Entrance
Behind the front door you will find yourself in a very narrow hallway with the bathroom to the right and two steps leading straight up to the living area.
Living room
The living area consists of a seating area with a round table, an armchair and somehow seems strangely empty and uncozy. There are no pictures on the wall and the furniture looks strangely as if it had simply been placed carelessly in the corner. Opposite the seating area is the large TV mounted on the wall.
Next to the seating area is a small cupboard in which the minibar is hidden. In the fridge you will find beer, sparkling wine, juice, soft drinks and water. On the shelf is a coffee machine with kettle and glasses, as well as everything you need to prepare coffee and tea. In the drawer you will find cups, cutlery and more glasses. The minibar is completely free of charge – a clear pro point.
Bedroom
The bedroom is located two steps down. Here the bed is placed quite close together with the large wardrobe.
The bed is comfortable, but seems a little short. On the right-hand side of the two bedside tables you will find everything you need. This includes the telephone, a pen with pad, a lamp and the remote control. The bedside table on the left is more of a display cabinet with school supplies on display and a drawer underneath.
The wardrobe here at The College Hotel is not a built-in wardrobe, but a separate piece of furniture inside which you will find plenty of space to hang your clothes. There’s also an ironing board and iron, a safe, slippers and bathrobes. It was just a little strange that this was located directly opposite the bed and not somewhere else in the suite. We would have expected to find the TV here.
Turndown
In the evening, the hotel offers its guests a turndown service. The room was prepared by closing the curtains, switching on the bedside lights, providing water with glasses and a bedtime card – however, the air conditioning has apparently been deactivated. Unfortunately, when we returned to the Suite in the evening after dinner, it was uncomfortably warm. Strangely enough, we couldn’t get the air conditioning to work on our own and so the situation could only be rectified after a complaint at reception. The previously selected scent from check-in? Unfortunately didn’t make it into our Suite.
Bathroom
The surprisingly small bathroom is functional and compact. Straight ahead is the washstand with one basin next to soap and body lotion. To the left of the room is a walk-in rain shower with hand shower that offers care products from a local brand, which unfortunately neither look particularly high quality nor were really convincing. Additional amenities, as you would expect in this category, are unfortunately completely absent. The toilet is located on the right-hand side of the room.
View
The view from the window? Unfortunately not worth mentioning. A large building site significantly restricts the view and you can only see the square in front of the hotel through a net on the scaffolding, although at least they don’t disturb you acoustically.
Restaurants
The Dean
The restaurant with international dishes offers a cozy, almost greenhouse-like interior and a large terrace, which is certainly a great place to spend time in summer.
The College Bar & Lounge
The bar and lounge at The College Hotel Amsterdam is located on the first floor right next to reception and is spread over several smaller, interconnected areas. You can sit here in a cozy and rather intimate atmosphere.
This bar also features an inner courtyard with its own bar.
The Library
This area is mainly used for guests who are still waiting for their rooms to be ready. In addition to comfortable seating, you can also help yourself to water and coffee here or browse through the books provided.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served exclusively Ă la carte. Which is an approach that we really appreciate – also in terms of sustainability. We were convinced by the quality of the food, and there is little to criticize in terms of taste.
What is noticeable, however, are the waiting times. The time between ordering and being served was much longer than we had expected. So if you arrive very hungry for breakfast, you will definitely need patience and strong nerves.
Service
The service is probably the aspect that has the greatest impact on your stay – and at the same time raises the most questions. Here at The College Hotel Amsterdam, you will encounter consistently friendly staff, but you will quickly realize that processes do not always run smoothly. Things are forgotten, take longer or are simply not implemented consistently. Unfortunately, this was the case throughout our stay, from check-in to breakfast.
Check-out
The check-out was again well prepared and uncomplicated, but here too the same picture emerges: the entire process takes place without any special attention or real farewell moments and is therefore not really (positively) memorable.
Costs
For this one night at The College Hotel Amsterdam in April 2026, we paid a good 505 euros – for the smallest room category, mind you. The upgrade to the Junior Suite and the included breakfast were made possible due to the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status.
Departure and onward journey
From here, we went straight back to the airport and home.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, The College Hotel Amsterdam is another hotel that leaves us rather disappointed. The question quickly arises as to whether the term “Suite” really fits here. The layout is unusual, but seems more angled than spacious. Instead of a clearly defined living and sleeping area, it feels more like a slightly larger double room.
The hotel scores with character, history and a really strong location – but at the same time it is also a hotel that does not fulfill its own expectations.
Yes, you can spend the night here. And yes, the concept is exciting. But 505 euros per night is disproportionate to what you are offered. Too few facilities, too many small service weaknesses and a room that looks more like a larger standard room than a suite. Especially in direct comparison with other hotels in this price range, this one falls well short.
You can definitely consider staying at the hotel – but only if the price is significantly lower than what we paid here. The hotel is less suitable for families. For couples or those interested in design, it can work – as long as you adjust your expectations accordingly.
On our EVRYWHE internal scale, we place the hotel in the Lifestyle segment.
Rating
For this one night at The College Hotel Amsterdam, we award the hotel a weak 7 out of 10 possible points.
We deduct one point each for the really disproportionate price-performance ratio, for the slow and generally inconsistent service, especially at breakfast, and a final point for the Suite, which in the end is not really a Suite at all.
Go there?
Yes – but only if the price is right.
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YouTube Review
If you would like to find out more about The College Hotel Amsterdam, I highly recommend our YouTube review. Enjoy it!
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