Pestana Amsterdam Riverside

Had a wonderful time and experience at this beautiful hotel! The building itself is so grand. The staff is wonderful. The room is spacious, modern and very clean. We loved the breakfast buffet they offer too! Loved staying at this hotel. Although it is a little outside the heart of Amsterdam we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Pestana Riverside.

I stayed for 8 days solo in a studio and best description I can give is indifferent to their guests. My studio was essentially a Hampton Inn- great bed, shower, and blackout curtains, fridge and microwave, Nespresso, and dishware- no oven or cooktop in the kitchenette. I paid $2200 total for 8 days. The room, hotel, and spa were spotlessly clean for my entire stay. And that's where the good part ended. For Americans coming over on the redeye, they will not have your room ready before 4pm and don't really care if you're tired and requested early check in. Be prepared for that. While waiting for my room, I went to the grocery for fruit and water and got caught in a torrential rainstorm. The hotel had me wait soaking wet in the lobby for two hours literally dripping puddles on their marble floor and rather than get my room ready, they gave me a towel to sit on so I wouldn't get the furniture wet. I got a courtesy call from the manager after getting to my room and then never heard from anyone for the rest of my 8 day stay. Indifferent. The restaurant was open for breakfast but no other meals. The spa had no services available Mon Tues or Wed. The bar and the concierge are closed on Sunday- all services one would expect to be available at a self-rated 5 star hotel. The front desk staff was not knowledgeable about any of the neighborhood stores or restaurants- indifferent shrugs when asked for information. There was one staff member with a name similar to Apollo who was good. Not one other staff greeted me or looked me in the eye. The hotel is a 4 minute walk to the #4 tram and the Albert Heijn grocery. The neighborhood has a great feel and I felt safe. The Amstel train station, the subway and the #3 tram are also within walking distance, although farther than the #4. The thing that changed this review from 3.5 to a 3 though, was the bar. I had to flag down a server to sign my bill and there it was- the one and only time in the entire country of The Netherlands that anyone requested a tip. And my habit kicked in and I left one. Indifferent. Transactional. Note- I received a survey from the parent company two weeks ago and left a review duplicate to this. I waited to post here to see if they would respond. Nothing, so posting here since they didn't acknowledge.

What a brilliant find! Very attentive and friendly staff. A gorgeous period building but modernised beautifully. Lovely wee restaurant, bar and pool. Bike hire and tasty breakfast. But what makes the place for me are two things, the staff’s kindness and the location of De Pijp - a fabulous residential area. The hotel overlooks the Amstel. We will definitely be back. Thank you for a lovely stay.