A 5 minute walk from Rai Station, Hotel Novotel Amsterdam City as the hotel is officially known as one of the many hotels in Amsterdam, I visited here in the summer looking to grab some breakfast, after a bad experience having breakfast at the Doubletree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal, where I was staying (where nearly everything went great apart from breakfast), so this review is only based on a breakfast experience at the hotel as I didn't spend the night, and based on an experience which I can only call the breakfast from hell in a hotel in a poor location (20 minutes from RAI to Central Station at least - not the best hotel if you want to be in the centre of the Dutch capital).
Upon arriving, I had an issue using my card which was down to the systems the hotel used to take payment being really outdated, I normally use a special bank account when I'm away, this time it was Starling Bank to process my transactions as it avoids paying cash and converts currency at a better rate than any dealer without paying a fee. This was inconvenient, after spending a few minutes trying I had to go to a cash machine into the hotel to withdraw cash, at extra cost and inconvenience to pay. Novotel is an international hotel brand, and hotels have guests from all around the world so, alongside an airport, this is the last place you'd find to have a problem using a MasterCard debit.
After finally settling this, I thought at least I can get down to business and finally enjoy my breakfast that's until the next bombshell dropped - breakfast would only be served until 10 am, giving only minutes to get whatever I needed - despite knowing breakfast would be ending soon, much earlier than any other hotel in Amsterdam which had breakfast ending at 10:30 to 11 am, I was still charged full price as a walk-in guest and not told about this - If I would have known about breakfast ending earlier, I wouldn't have gone through all the messing about to get cash (which shouldn't have been a problem) and then paying a high price, as I recall it was around 17 euros each for a breakfast which turned out to be a totally bizarre breakfast experience.
I then thought it couldn't get any worse until I was told they'd struggle to cater for allergies on anything on the buffet or with extras, despite providing gluten-free items such as cereals and bread, when I asked for gluten-free bread it was served in a small packet which has 2 or 3 slices, I knew it was gluten-free because of the Schar branding but it was untoasted.
The breakfast buffet had a restrictive selection which disappointed, the eggs just were bland and low-quality.
Good points:
1. The freshly squeezed orange juice machine - I liked this as not many other hotel breakfasts at hotels not just in Amsterdam but throughout Europe I have visited, have it but once again this comes with its flaws - staff were constantly queuing to fill up large water bottles with customers waitings and queues getting out of hand because there was only one machine, also confusing and stupid policy for a hotel that size. I also feel it is disrespectful the staff were filling up so much with waiting for customers (the glasses provided were much smaller), they're well within their right to get a drink but the customer should always come first, especially with limited time left on the buffet and the fact the machine constantly kept breaking, during the 15 minutes or so (probably even less) I was there, I saw it break down a good 2 or 3 times, and in a breakfast service which lasts a couple of hours, I'd hate to imagine how many times it breaks down on a daily basis.
2. The omelette station with the chef freshly preparing it was a nice touch and the omelettes were probably the only good thing about it, which was why I was upset that just before 10 when breakfast closed he has gone, refusing to make another omelette (the only thing on the buffet which was edible), the depleted buffet was also not being stocked up anymore which also was a shame, disappointing customers.
The way I was treated by the staff, just used for my money who had no care about how it would be paid, nor allowing me enough time and information to have a breakfast and the fact that when I did complain it went un-noticed, once again proving they didn't care in the hotel or at head office too, means I'm struggling to say a nice thing about this place with the only two positives overall also carrying huge negatives.
When in Amsterdam and want a central hotel this is not for you yet one could argue this also applies for the Holiday Inn which is next store, if you're staying in Amsterdam and want a hotel with a good breakfast this is not for you, if you want staff who care rather than just looking at you and seeing money and not a person, this hotel is not for you. A waste of time and money on breakfast, making me breathe a sigh of relief I was staying in the Doubletree.
Avoid at all costs and a one-star rating, to sum up 5000 characters. read more