Hotel Continental Amsterdam

There was barely room to move around in our awful room. It was an oddly shaped wedge, with only a small table and less than two feet between the bunk and the wall; the lockers were hard to reach and barely opened. There’s no elevator, either. The location is mixed. We were very close to the train station and could see the plaza and street, but noise from outside carried on day and night. When I expressed frustration, the staff seemed unfriendly and intimidating to me. It came across as possibly a cultural difference in behavior. I don’t think I’d come back or recommend it.

We arrived from the airport after booking online, but the receptionist couldn’t find our reservation. Instead of calmly checking the management system or trying to sort it out, he became rude and unprofessional, shouting at us and repeatedly saying he’d been doing the job for 10 years. He focused on that instead of finding our booking or offering a solution. After a long trip, it made what should have been a smooth check-in really stressful. The receptionist and staff were extremely rude.

The only reason I’m giving it one star is the location, in a great but very busy central area. The staff were rude, and we were put on the fourth floor with no elevator, so we had to climb all four floors. The cleaning service wasn’t good, either. The walls are so noisy you hear everything, including drunk people and people having sex. There’s no luggage lock service. I’ll never come back :)

This place needs a health and safety warning. I’m 79, and they put me on the top floor even though I’d booked well in advance. There’s no lift and no porter. I counted four stories, 66 steps, three glass doors, and staircases at about 70 degrees, like a gangway on a small boat. Parts of the handrail are missing and have handles instead. I was carrying 15kg in one hand and 5kg on my back. Amsterdam is known for steep stairs, but what really annoyed me was the desk’s offer of “help”: I could leave my luggage downstairs and carry it up one piece at a time. Booking.com charged me nearly three times the walk-in rate when I arrived.