Max Brown Hotel Museum Square, part of Sircle Collection

The only thing I can say in the hotel’s favor is that the location is really good. That doesn’t make up for how badly the building is kept or for the lack of help from management. You could book a much better hotel in the same neighborhood for less or the same price. This place is ridiculously overpriced for what you get. I’m currently staying in Room 13, a “Triple Medium,” and I’m incredibly disappointed. The room looks completely different from what the hotel website advertises. It’s consistently dirty and never properly cleaned, and the whole place feels chronically dirty. The common areas are in very bad shape too, and the building needs urgent attention. My room needs a complete renovation. The bathroom is tiny and genuinely uncomfortable. The shower is extremely dirty, and the toilet is dirty and smelly. The toilet seat cover won’t stay up, so it touches you while you’re using it. There are no bedside tables, which makes the power outlets impossible to use. The sofa bed is far too narrow for an adult. The furniture is poor quality, made with cheap, badly cut wood, and the music facility promised for most rooms isn’t in room 13. I can hear plumbing noise day and night, so I can’t sleep. When I raised all this at reception today, the staff just said, “Oh, we were not aware. There is nothing I can do,” and offered no help or solution. The breakfast buffet is extremely small and absolutely not worth the price. The employees are generally kind, but that’s a standard level of service across Amsterdam and doesn’t make up for the facility’s failures. This is one of those reviews with 1 star because I can’t give zero.

The staff were easily the best part of the stay. They were genuinely lovely and attentive, and reception quickly brought us a plug-in heater when ours wasn’t working at first. The room had a nice boutique look, though the floor by the window and heater felt sticky, so the cleaning could have been better. Space is tight, especially for three people, as other reviews mention. The fold-out third bed was quite hard and probably fine for a short stay, but the main double was very comfortable. It was a good experience overall, with a great location and wonderful service. Just expect a compact room.

We were welcomed with smiles, and the staff were very helpful throughout. Our comfortable room even had a basketball and hoop. The hotel is just around the corner from the Rijks and Van Gogh Museums, with Leidseplein Square a short walk away. A tram at the bottom of the street takes you to the rail station, which was very handy. A lovely, friendly hotel in a great location, and we’d recommend it for a trip to Amsterdam.

The room-to-room soundproofing wasn’t great. We could hear people on the stairs and a few late arrivals at night, though it was generally much quieter than staying central. There’s a lift, but the stairs up to reception are very steep, so it may not suit anyone with mobility issues. Our “medium” room was compact. There was about 50cm of space on either side of the bed, and getting to the bathroom meant navigating around the TV and a chair. It wasn’t the smallest room I’ve seen, but space is at a premium in Amsterdam. The decor was eclectic and the front desk staff very welcoming. One odd moment: about five minutes after we checked in, the cleaner tried to enter, then five minutes later someone from reception reminded us checkout was at midday. I pointed out we’d only just arrived. The location is excellent, just a couple of minutes from the museums, and easy to reach by direct tram from Centraal station. Given Amsterdam prices, it was good value.