Choose your own adventure at this quirky, storied hotel
Wes Anderson-esque vibe in 100-year-old building a highlight of Amsterdam
AMSTERDAM— When you walk in to the Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy, the first thing you see is a giant chandelier that looks like a pirate ship. You could be forgiven for thinking about the Grand Budapest Hotel — there is a Wes Anderson-cool vibe to the 100-year-old building near Amsterdam’s docklands.
Guests can choose from one- to five-star rooms. You can have a bed that sleeps eight, a room that has a swing hanging from the ceiling, or one complete with a grand piano. You can visit a “cooker station” in the hall for tea or coffee, wander through art installations or take a book off the shelves in the library that overlooks the restaurant.
You can also wander the staircases to read about the building’s long and sometimes difficult history. Royal Dutch Lloyd opened the building in 1921 as a hotel for migrants using their ships. After the shipping company went bankrupt in 1935, the building became a refugee centre. The Nazis used it as a prison, and after the war it was a youth detention centre. Then the artists moved in. They’ve never left. More than 50 artists and designers developed the space, including an immense skylight to “let the dark history escape and let the light in.” Jennifer Allford stayed as a guest of Amsterdam Marketing, which didn’t approve or review this story.