The hotel concept and location is for people spending a few hours in Amsterdam Airport (Schipol), but after reaching my destination I count the stay in Yotel as a pleasent and memorable. The booking is done through an automated machines (similar to ATMs), the room is a cubicle with everything available within hand reach. I stayed for 4 hours during which surfed the net (free wireless connection), took a hot bath (so pack some change clothes with you on the plane), wathced some TV, took a good nap and had my wake-up call from the recetion desk on time. the stay gave me a good jump start for my connection. Also everything is available within a few steps like McDonnald, Flower shop, gift shop, Sushi place,.......

So, if you have these few hours in Schipol go ahead and YOTEL.

Having stayed in the Yotel Gatwick before I was excited to see this concept coming to Holland, no more 3am wake-ups to catch early morning flights! Airport accommodation in the Schipol area is generally extortionately priced and with the exception of the Sheraton and new (and surprisingly reasonably priced) Citizen M a long way from the airport terminal.

The Yotel still had the smell of new plastic and freshly cut pine when I stayed there, its located next to the food court in Departures 2, i.e. the area for non-Schengen flights. With a boarding pass printed out at home via the internet, my passport and Yotel booking confirmation print-out I was able to get through passport control no problems the night before my flight and settle down straight away. When entering the non-Schengen area of Schipol there are no security checks (these are made at the gate), so its OK to bring in bottles of drink etc.

I opted for a standard cabin lower, this gave me a single bed in a bunk-style, with a television at the foot of my bed. Fold-away tables and chairs were available to hang my clothes on, next to that was a walk-in toilet/shower area. Although a bit cramped in the living area, the bathroom area was fine, the only problem being the horrendous slurping/gurgling noise any time went down the drain from the toilet or sink. The room was a bit hot at first, but the air-con seemed to work fine.

The only window was one in the door looking into the corridor, the blinds gave the option of completely open or completely closed. Despite the fact that I suffer from mild claustrophobia I was perfectly happy in the cabin and got a good nights sleep, with no disturbance from other guests at all, and I was wide awake for my early flight, for which I'd of course already checked in, so no early morning rush.

Soft/alcoholic drinks and snacks are available 24h from reception, who are ever so helpful, but there's no fridge in the room.

The price is an absolute bargain considering how much one can pay at other hotels nearby (a room at the Sheraton would cost 5-6 times as much) and for a good nights sleep they're worth their weight in gold.

Hopefully the Yotel empire will continue its march.