The College Hotel of Amsterdam

Sitting on the border of Amsterdam's main museum and stylish shopping area, The College Hotel is aptly named, and not simply because the hotel is set in a spectacular 19th century school building. What makes this place different is the fact that it really is a college.

It is owned by the ROC Amsterdam, managed by the Stein Group, founded as a training hotel for the exceptional students of the Amsterdam Hotel Management School, Bakery and Tourism.

This small, elegant, luxury hotel is actually run by students under the supervision of world-class professionals. A team of young professional managers with an extensive background in the hotel industry guide these exceptional students in the daily operations of the hotel.

When you decide to stay at The College Hotel or to eat at its charming restaurant or enjoy a drink at the beautiful lounge bar, do not forget you will be surrounded by students who are there to learn how to give you the best service. Sometimes they can be a little bit shy as most of them are really young.

The Hotel Manager, Isabelle Van Ouwerkerk, gave us a very warm welcome at The College. During the Hotel tour she was showing her passion for this beautiful building giving us interesting information about its history. It was originally built in 1895 as a school and today it is listed on the official register of the historical buildings of Amsterdam.

There are a lot of architectural similarities between it and the famous Rijksmuseum, built in the same period and every new detail is brought into balance with the original features of the building. The College Hotel reflects its historic scholastic past: from the high ceilings to the huge fireplaces to the sweeping staircases, the building leaves plenty of evidence of its fascinating history.

We visited one of the 40 rooms of the Hotel, a deluxe double room: all rooms are characterized by the harmony between black, brown and sandy shades, but each distinctively designed with its own individual identity. The beautiful mosaic bathroom we saw had stylish details, such as high ceilings and specially designed washbasin furniture in black French polish with brown marble and chrome legs. 

Isabelle was telling us that most of the furniture of the hotel has been designed especially for The College Hotel and hand-crafted in Italy. The materials used for the specially designed furniture are mostly black French polish in combination with bronze and glass. She said that the black colour was chosen because it is the perfect colour for a hotel school: you can see the dust very easily and this is the best way to push students to pay more attention to details.

The College has 'the most photographed toilet of The Netherlands': the largest of the seven chandeliers of the public areas is in the ladies restroom and features diamond crystals. The wardrobe has a very high design and expensive table completely covered with a sting ray skin. In the lobby and corridors, soft lighting glances off red brick arches to atmospheric effect, while the couch-strewn bar attracts a trendy crowd.

I was not surprised to hear that, within months of opening, The College Hotel won the Prix-Villegiature Paris award for 'Best Interior Design of a Hotel in Europe'. The College Hotel is a must for design-lovers.

After the 'toilet tour' we moved to the busy lounge bar which is at the moment one of the Amsterdam's hotspots. In front of a Cosmopolitan and a 'canape' (shrimps croquettens, raw meat and ham with Piccadilly sauce) we had a long chat with Isabelle who told us how proud she is about the 'students' concept', but how difficult it can be. The students are all very sweet and helpful, but odd mistakes are to expect. That is why she decided to create a small card explaining the concept of The College: every table has one card to inform the guests about it in order to avoid any misunderstandings and to encourage patience. Moreover on the back you can nominate a student for the award 'student of the month'.

Before dinner we visited the meeting facilities. The P.C. Hooft Salon is a wonderful setting for product presentations (theatre style max. 60 guests), board meetings and corporate lunches or dinners (up to 36 guests at one table). Close to the biggest meeting room, the Vondel Salon can hold up to 16 guests. Both rooms are easily connected by large doors and a unique bigger room can be then set up.

 

 

Isabelle then took us to the restaurant where we met the chef Schilo van Coevorden and the restaurant manager Monique de Jong. The restaurant is in the old school gym: a light open-plan symphony of green, with armchairs and velour banquets and blue-and-white crockery reminiscent of Delftware. The chefs and his black-capped brigade of students cook behind a slightly lowered mirrored area along one side of the room.

 

 

 

Schilo van Coevorden and his team pay tribute to the Golden age of Dutch cuisine by honouring classics from the past from a contemporary perspective. We began our dinner with a first starter: a Dutch platter of little mouthfuls (a shot glass of verdant apple infusion with corn wine and one with cheese fondue, a golden croquette filled with shrimps and a bite of raw meat with mustard jelly). Then a second starter: for me warm smoked eel with radish and apple syrup and for Ana-Maria 'Seared Scallop' (celeriac cream and black pudding).

Then we had a delicious soup of baked potato with Zeeland Mussels. Our main course was the 'Sea Foam': lemon sole with carrot cream and potato foam. What a great dish! At the end we had two desserts: a miniature Dutch apple pie drenched in a perfect custard and the 'Treacle Wafer Souffle', a delicious souffle with advocaat ice cream. A cup of tea was served with hand-made chocolates and cookies daily sculpted by students.

The 'school concept' of The College management is a daring choice: delivering high-level service with students poses some unique challenges, but be sure that these students will do everything to fulfil your requests!

The College Hotel has its own parking space.

For more information:   www.steinhotels.com/college