The Grand Amsterdam has barely been open a year since its ambitious renovation but already, it’s winning awards. Amongst them is the World Travel Awards’ for best hotel in the Netherlands. “This is an honour,” Robert-Jan Woltering, the hotel’s general manager, told me when we spoke, “but we will not rest on our laurels. We must now take on the challenge of being the best in Europe.” That means going head-to-head with the likes of London’s Dorchester, Cap d’Antibes’ Eden Roc and Berlin’s Adlon. It’s an ambitious target, especially for a hotel that until recently, didn’t grab many headline but after having stayed at the Grand for four wonderful nights, I believe it can be done.
Woltering, who is well versed in Middle Eastern idiosyncrasies having previously worked in Dubai and Yemen, made an interesting point during our conversation. He said that these days, when a hotel reaches the highest echelons of the industry, it actually becomes an attraction in its own right. You see, apparently we go to the George V and only end up in Paris as a consequence. That’s exactly the draw the Grand wants to become, a destination in its own right. From the numbers of Arab guests alone increasing eight-fold over the last 4 years, it’s likely Woltering’s on to something.
The Grand has been a hotel for over twenty years but remarkably, given its location and historical pedigree, it’s only recently that has it entered the top-tier. The revamped hotel is so good in fact, that its current owner, Sofitel, has reclassified it as one of its new Legend properties. A collection of hotels of superlative luxury in culturally significant or unique locales, amongst them the Metropole in Hanoi, the Santa Clara in Cartagena and the Old Cataract in Aswan, the Grand Amsterdam is the French hospitality chain’s only Legend in Europe.
The Grand occupies a building. Parts of which date back to 1411. Initially built as a convent, it doubled as a lodge for royal visitors and later became the Amsterdam Admiralty headquarters before serving as City Hall for nearly 200 years - during which time it gained the Art Deco extension in which Holland’s Queen Beatrix was married.
In 2008, this diamond-in-the-rough was given a much-needed polish. The comprehensive but respectful 50 million Euro (65 million USD) renovation works out at a slightly staggering 505,000 Euros per room, which further demonstrates the Grand’s importance within the Legends portfolio. French interior decorator Sybille de Margerie, famous for her work at Paris’ Hôtel de Crillon and the Cheval Blanc in Courchevel, softened the monumental interior with warm colours and witty design touches and lent the historic premises a contemporary vibe. The 177-room hotel was reconfigured to create more suites (33 in all) including three expansive Opera Suites and 16 apartment suites in adjoining canal houses.
Service was revamped and in this regard, the Grand excels. My wife and I booked a Junior Suite but what we didn’t know before arriving is that all suites include butler service. It’s old hat in the five star world and in our experience butler service is generally more bane than boon - yes, Setai Fifth Avenue (Issue 29) I’m talking about you - but we loved the Grand’s butlers, who undertake a year’s training at the Dutch Butler Academy before being allowed to serve. Well educated and well informed, they’re discreet and resourceful. From taking care of chores, to providing insights into the city, booking tables at restaurants and even packing our bags, their pursuit of our happiness was unstinting.
Whether you book a suite or not, the treatment is Grand. For example, my wife loved the Sofitel bed. Standard in every room, the SoBed (as it is known) is the stuff of which dreams are made; luxurious, cocoon-like and soft as clouds. It’s big too and given the extra thick mattress and box spring, it’s higher than many normal beds, making it easy to get in and out of.
That’s not all. Other commendable touches include Hermès Eau d’Orange Verte bathroom amenities, free internet access, flatscreen televisions, a Nespresso coffee machine and a BOSE sound system, all of which are standard in every room.
Some aspects of the Grand were a little less usual. Take the pillow menu. Pretty remarkable but when I tested it out by asking for a Tempur pillow, they didn’t have one. Even if they did, I wonder how many guests would make use of such a service? Then there was the bath service, where you call a butler to draw your bath, the kind of service you’d have to be disgracefully spoilt to ‘need’. Finally, as for the ubiquitous “Bonjour” with which every member of staff greets you, it‘s cute but let’s remember this is Holland, not la belle France. Goedendag, anyone? Still, some of the unusual touches are welcome. There is so much to do in Amsterdam and one of the best ways of getting around is on a bike. The Grand has a fleet of its own and they’ll gladly rent you one for a minimal daily fee.
But where the Grand truly blew us away was with its food. Its main restaurant, Bridges may seem to refer to the dozens of bridges spanning Amsterdam’s canals but actually, it’s a reference to chef Aurélien Poirot’s cuisine, Married to a Japanese woman and trained under the two legendary Alains - Dutournier and Ducasse – Poirot specialises in dishes that ‘bridge’ cultures. Deftly transforming ordinary ingredients into edible art, he amply deserves both of his Michelin stars.
Our six-course meal ranged from succulent sea bream and a melt-in-your-mouth octopus carpaccio, to exquisitely fresh shellfish, tantalising prawn ravioli, wonderful king crab and sumptuous wood pigeon before ending with in a flourish of mango crumble. Words can’t do Poirot’s majestic mastery of textures and flavours justice. We were bowled over. Bridges isn’t just a great restaurant, it’s easily one of the greatest restaurants in Europe. A judgement, dear reader, that may be extended to the Grand. As a hotel, it surpasses its city and its country. A combination of charm, talent, impeccable service and vaulting ambition, no wonder it has aspirations of global domination. Still, when it’s us pampered guests who benefit, who are we to argue with hegemony like that?
