Grand Hotel Downtown

Our expensive camera disappeared from locked room 107, and there were no signs of forced entry. The staff blamed us, offered no apology, and didn't investigate. They refused to show us CCTV footage or the room key-card logs, and the police did nothing. One receptionist in particular was rude, arrogant, and passive-aggressive. When we insisted the camera had been stolen, he used the racist card against us. Cameras don't cover every room.

I'm appalled by what happened during our stay. A €1000 camera was stolen from our room, even though we had left a “Do Not Disturb” sign and specifically asked for no housekeeping. The staff claimed nobody had entered and accused us of taking it ourselves. We hadn't even taken the camera out with us for four days because it doesn't work well in cold weather. When we asked, the hotel refused to provide CCTV footage or login keys and denied responsibility. Staff were arrogant, dismissive, and rude, treating us like liars instead of guests whose property had been stolen. This felt utterly unprofessional and criminally negligent. If you care about your belongings, safety, or basic human decency, avoid this hotel.

I grew up nearby, so I'm delighted to see this place here and would likely come back. I booked at the last minute through Expedia and had no trouble getting a room. They looked after my bags three hours early, and the friendly staff had my room ready an hour ahead of time without me asking. It was clean, comfortable, good value, and easy to get around from. The 17 tram is a block away, runs before 7am on weekdays, and goes straight to Centraal Station past all the downtown spots, really convenient. The area has great coffee places, and Pastis across the street, the snackbar Constantijn down the street, and the Dutch neighborhood eatery Cafe Kompleet are just perfection. There's also a grocery store and Black Bike rental down the block.

The hotel was clean and pleasant, with a good reception and a convenient location in Amsterdam. One thing I hadn't looked into beforehand: if you're arriving by car and need parking, stop at reception first so they can let you in. I had trouble communicating at the entrance gate.