Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam - City Hall by IHG

We enjoyed our seven-day stay, and breakfast was really good. It ran nearly until noon, around 11:55, and had hot food like scrambled and boiled eggs, pancakes and beans, plus cold options including yogurts, cereal, pastries, breads, cold cuts, cheeses, preserves, jams, honey, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers. The automated coffee machine also made different coffees, tea and cocoa. The room came with shampoo, body wash, a hair dryer, iron and board, TV, kettle, cups, tea, instant coffee, creamer and sugar. If we needed anything extra, we could ask the desk and get it free, such as ice in a cup, more coffee or tea, tissues or cotton, or to put something in the guest fridge for the next day. The Express rooms are small on storage: just little hanging cabinets, no drawers for medicine, underwear or sleepwear, and no fridge or microwave. There are also fewer room amenities and supplies, so you'll be living out of your suitcase. For a stay of one or two days it's a great hotel, but for longer stays I'd choose the Standard Holiday Inn for its bigger rooms and better amenities. It's centrally located, a short walk from metro, tram, shopping and restaurants. A metro or tram ride of about 10 minutes gets you to the main shopping areas, squares, and Amsterdam Central station.

We had a basement room on floor -1, with no view, so we kept the curtains closed for privacy. The room itself was fine and clean, and no mini fridge was okay for us. The front desk staff were kind and helpful, and breakfast was better than we expected. You have to book a breakfast time slot at reception ahead of time. There were a couple of small issues with cleaning. The room wasn't ready when we checked in, and later the cleaner insisted we use the 'no need to clean' sign. We also had a language barrier. The hotel is a bit out from the city center, but it's walkable. There are two supermarkets nearby, one of them Albert Heijn.

The location, view from the room and staff were all very good, and we stayed one night. The bedding was below standard for a budget hotel run by Holiday Inn. The pillows were well past their best, and the towels were tiny, thin and rough.

The rooms are on the small side, but comfortable, and the staff were friendly and helpful. It's well placed for getting around the old city and the red light district. Trams are just a few minutes' walk away for trips to the museums, canal boat tours and places to eat.