The InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel, commonly referred to as the Amstel Hotel, is a hotel in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, capital city of the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, on the east bank of the river
Amstel
The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam, to which the rive ...
.
In 2007, it was the only hotel in the Netherlands on the list of ''World's Best Hotels'', and was ranked in 90th place.
The Amstel Hotel is part of the
InterContinental Hotels chain. In 2006 the building was sold to
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...
. In 2011 the Lebanese businessman
Toufic Aboukhater bought the hotel. In 2014 the hotel was acquired by Qatar-based
Katara Hospitality, but is still operated by the
InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts, is a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. It ...
Amenities
Restaurant
La Rive had earned one or two
Michelin star
The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...
s in the period 1993–2016.
History
Samuel Sarphati, a physician and
city planner
An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning.
An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...
, took the initiative to build the hotel, although he died in June 1866 before the hotel opened. The architect was Cornelis Outshoorn. Originally it was planned to build the front of the hotel facing the present
Sarphatistraat. Due to financial problems, only the wing along the Amstel was built.
Renovation
In late September 1992, the Amstel Hotel was reopened after a two-year renovation. During the closure, craftsmen, artisans and engineers restored the entire hotel, at a cost of over
ƒ70 million. The former 111 rooms were changed in 55 luxury rooms and 24 suites.
In 2017–2018, there was a major renovation of the facade and roof. Beside technical and safety improvements, it was also used to reconstruct the historical looks of the hotel. Both the original colour scheme and the once disappeared lions are now (2018) present again.
In October 2004 a test revealed the presence of
legionella
''Legionella'' is a genus of gram-negative bacteria, gram-negative bacteria that can be seen using a silver stain or grown in a special media that contains cysteine, an amino acid. It is known to cause legionellosis (all illnesses caused by ''Legi ...
in the water system. As a precaution the hotel was evacuated and the guests transferred to other hotels. Several measures were undertaken to prevent a repeat of the incident, including the installation of special filters.
References
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Hotels in Amsterdam
Rijksmonuments in Amsterdam
Hotels established in 1867
InterContinental hotels
Renaissance Revival architecture in the Netherlands