citizenM Amsterdam South

The area south of Amsterdam has plenty going on, and the hotel was easy to enjoy. The lobby was a great place to sit, and both dinner and breakfast were really good, with lots of dinner choices. My room was tiny, but quiet and clean, and I appreciated having a desk.

I enjoyed my one-night stay, though I’d choose another Marriott brand if I come back to Amsterdam. The location worked well for the metro, tram, and airport, and the price was good. My room was ready in the morning after my red-eye, and it was quiet and very clean, with excellent soundproofing even against hallway noise. The bed was comfortable, too. There were some drawbacks. There’s no gym, and the room layout, while exactly as described, doesn’t leave much privacy or space when more than one person is staying. The iPad thermostat couldn’t adjust the temperature at all. As a Titanium member, I also found the Marriott status benefits limited. They explicitly wouldn’t let me use the included food and beverage credit toward breakfast.

I liked the bar and lounge, and the breakfast was good, though the buffet design was confusing. It mixed items covered by the buffet with things that cost extra. The rooms are really small, and some people might consider them good value given the location, but I didn’t. The hotel is so modern that I’ve never seen anything like it. As a 50-year-old man, I felt well outside my comfort zone. It reminded me of a 1960s sci-fi movie. Why put the toilet in the middle of the room? Check-in is self-service with staff guiding you, but it’s slow and doesn’t improve the guest experience. Everything in the room runs through an iPad, which is slow to start and doesn’t add anything for me. It feels like technology for technology’s sake. I also liked that cleaning is opt-in, though I wondered why you’d pay for something you don’t use.

Getting there from the airport was easy, and it was just as simple to reach town. What made the stay special was spending time at the hotel itself: the bar was great, the atmosphere lively, and the concept really cool. I loved the huge, comfortable bed and playing with the room’s light settings. In the morning, the alarm woke me gently with a great track of a city waking up. I’d love to have that tune! I’ve already recommended it to family visiting citizen m in December.