Leonardo Royal Hotel Amsterdam

Victoria on the front desk team really stood out during my work visit last month. I wasn’t feeling well, and she was caring and very helpful. People who are this good with customers can have a big effect on the guest experience, and they’re not easy to find. She’s genuinely service minded and people oriented, and I hope the hotel recognizes her. They’re lucky to have her. The restaurant staff were also extremely nice and helpful, and the food was great. My room was small but had everything I needed. The hotel is conveniently placed for getting to the international airport.

The metro is right across the street, so getting to the city center is fast and easy. The common areas also make a good impression: the lobby, breakfast space, and bar are modern and nicely designed. Staff were very welcoming and friendly, with real conversation and plenty of smiles. In the room, though, the bed was much too soft for me and sank under me, so I slept badly throughout the stay. The room itself was very small and awkward. Once I opened my large suitcase, it had to stay in the middle of the floor and I had to step around it. Some basics were lacking too. There were no separate shampoo and conditioner, just a simple all-in-one product that felt like hand soap. There was no free water in the room, which I consider a must. We arrived during Christmas when nearby places were closed, so buying an overpriced bottle downstairs was our only option on the first night. The location and service made for a comfortable stay, but the rooms and amenities fell short of the expectations set by the public areas.

The rooms are modern and well maintained, though a large suitcase can make them feel tight. They’re still bigger than most downtown Amsterdam hotel rooms. The amenities are clean and modern, and the bar and restaurant downstairs serve very good food and drinks at typical Amsterdam prices. I stay at this Leonardo often for work and always have a lovely experience. The staff are incredibly friendly and happy to help with anything. Once, they even pulled together a big team dinner for me at the last minute, in just two hours. They really go above and beyond. The hotel is outside the main downtown area, but the metro station is right next door and gets you downtown in 15 minutes. It’s easy to use too, just tap and go. I highly recommend it if you don’t mind being a little outside the center.

The hotel is right in front of the metro station, which is handy, and the rooms are OK, though a bit cramped. There are no complimentary water bottles, just tap water from the bathroom basin. There’s a bicycle rental service outside, run by another company that the hotel tells you about. Please avoid it. We paid for bikes but couldn’t unlock any of them, and customer care said they’d refund us, but no refund came. Since the bikes are parked on the hotel premises, the hotel should take some responsibility, or at least not let a fraudulent company operate there.