After returning from Paris for one night before flying back to the USA with no room reserved we stumbled into this hotel. I WILL BE BACK. What a great oasis, beautiful, great staff, location location location. Take your special some one here and score major points.

First, it must be emphasised that my review of this hotel needs to be put in perspective. Of course, the hotel falls within the luxury category; of course, you will not find dirty linen and neither will you be mistreated by the staff. However, it certainly does not deserve to be one of the "Leading Hotels of the World" - something which I have grown accustomed to regard more as a sacred text rather than a mere hotel directory.

The exterior is mostly unimpressive; indeed, the spectacular night shot splattered all over promotional materials is, at the very least, deceiving. The lobby is equally uncharacteristic - more appropriate in a good 4-star hotels than in a deluxe 5-star property. No specific complaints about the rooms: everything was there and everything functioned appropriately, but this sort of hotels should offer that indescribable additional factor which, in my opinion, was lacking here. Another thing that struck me as belonging to a lesser-standard establishment was the corridors: a mixture of conservative classicism and awful 70s door frames - very uncool.

On a more positive note, the restaurant "Excelsior" is pretty decent and more than reasonably priced.

That said, I must acknowledge that I managed to find the rooms at a discounted rate (around €250 at lhw.com) and, accordingly, these complaints do appear to have a somewhat pedantic tone. However, if you were to pay the rack rate for the rooms, which orbits around €400 for doubles, my criticism would be more than justified.

If you want to go to a true deluxe hotel in Amsterdam, I suggest you head, as pointed out by an earlier review, to the Amstel: a proper establishment, whose restaurant, "la Rive", is also superb, though considerably pricier than "the Excelsior". If you scout the web well, you may be able to find a room for around €300, which is more than fair given the standards - surprisingly high for an Inter-Continental.

Also, if you are looking for a design/boutique address, and are willing to fork out at least €400 a night, then the Dylan is the place for you: by far the most stylish hotel in town, its restaurant is also worthy of mention.

We just returned from a two-night stay at this hotel, and I have to say that the service was fantastic. I have no complaints. We stay in many five-star hotels, and I would rank this in my top five.
We booked a deluxe double with a river view, and that is what we received. We were offered an upgrade to a junior-suite, but it would have been without a river view so we declined. Our room-rate included one dinner for two in the hotel's restaurant (Excelsior), and the dinner surpassed my expectations. The meal was multi-course with a different wine with each course. The food was excellent and well thought out, we were not rushed at all, and the service was top-notch and very friendly. As a matter of fact, "friendly" would be an accurate description for the overall service at this hotel. Every person we came in contact with - reception, waiters, bartender, maid, doorman - was friendly and provided attentive service.
The location right next to the canal is just superb. You can easily walk to many of the sights because of the hotel's central location. Or, you can take the tram which stops right across the canal (about a 30 second walk).
We will definitely stay here again soon.

I was interested to read the review of March 25, because I stayed at the hotel from the 18th to the 21st of March, 2005 while visiting relatives in Amsterdam. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay: the room was large and comfortable, the service excellent and hospitable in every way. Although I was on the front of the hotel, in fact, just above the front door, the room was quiet and peaceful.

Because this was a family reunion, I made dinner reservations for the 18th at the Excelsior (the hotel restaurant) for myself and my family. The meal was excellent and beautifully served.

I would have to agree, however, that the bathroom needs remodeling. The colors were dark and old-fashioned and the bathtub so high and so narrow that it was difficult to negociate.

All said, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the hotel and thought the location unbeatable.