In the new and trendy family district of Zeeburg, north-east of Amsterdam, an austere building from the early 20th century was transformed into a chic hotel, both a contemporary art gallery and a cozy café-restaurant. With its surprising rooms and wide open spaces on the docks, the Lloyd Hotel disrupts the expectations and demonstrates that you can mix beauty and family atmosphere.
The decor
The history of the place goes back to the 1920s, when Amsterdam played the role of a gateway for migrants between Eastern Europe and South America. Built to house entire families bound for the new continent, the imposing building that today houses the Lloyd Hotel has remained residential, with long corridors, sturdy materials and functional rooms. Under the guidance of architects and visionary artists, it reopened in 2004.
The location
About fifty prominent artists and designers worked on decoration and furniture. Each of the 117 rooms is unique, whether in the two-star category or a 4-star apartment. You’ll enjoy all the benefits of a classic hotel: such as the integrated bathroom like a self-contained block in the middle of the room, or oversize beds that can seat seven people in a wooden cottage room. You’ll love the sprawling chandelier in Richard Hutten’s dining room, and Ineke Hans’s ebony rocking horses.
For the kids
A spirit of openness and curiosity reigns everywhere. Here, the design is fun and interactive. Even the smallest objects can be touched and manipulated by the children, who enjoy their stay like the adults in the huge living room on the ground floor, bathed in the light of the Docks. In the mezzanine of the first floor, a DVD player, books, and toys await them, and they will find a trunk of costumes on each floor of the hotel. For an experience they will remember, a family night in the famous seven-seater bed may please them. For a more classic solution, book one of three apartments, with a kitchen or two interconnecting rooms.
Les Louves loves
This extraordinary place welcomes the best of Dutch design without taking itself seriously.
Practical information
Lloyd Hôtel
Oostelijke Handelskade 34
Amsterdam
Noord-Holland, Netherlands
+31 (0)20 561 36 77
Checklist : high chairs, free cot, children’s corner with toys and books, bathtub in some rooms, adjoining rooms, extra bed (35 euros), apartments with kitchen. Bicycle rental for adults at the reception.
Find it on Google Maps
Rates & reservations
Starting at 140 euros for a 3-star room, 185 euros for a 4-star room.
Breakfast included.
Reservations online, by telephone +31 20 561 3607, or by email: post@lloydhotel.com
Translation: Ashley Griffin
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