Got the opportunity to go to Schiphol's citizenM for test-sleeping before the 'grand opening' in June. We've been to many hotels with practically any numbers of stars, but the heart almost never pumped any faster. Now it did, five minutes after arriving by train at Schiphol when receiving our first Mobile Martini cocktail. Then, an unwanted gap between the first and second was necessary, because we had to be able to criticise our stay. Ok, self-check-in; smooth and fast, dinner; (only) prepackaged food and beverages, good quality and fresh, but we like a real kitchen more, room; wow!, very small and very nice, this is the secret why the hotel offers 250 rooms in such relatively small building, it works perfect, living-rooms; each has its own typical design, some we liked, some not, great were the hundreds of (fashion, design and reading) books that completed the living-rooms, bar; friendly staff, worked their pants off because of the triangle 'test-sleeping-for free-Dutch'...
The price? Well, if you book early, 35 euro's per person (room occupied by two) is almost a 12-bed-hostel-room price these days. Food and beverages are not especially cheap, but if it is too much for you, walk 2 minutes, take the train to the centre of Amsterdam for 7 minutes, take a tram for 10 minutes a little off the centre and you can eat a little more per euro.
Enough said, good luck at citizenM and enjoy Amsterdam





