This is a great hotel. Firstly it is very easy to find and a short 10 minute walk from the station. The hotel used to be an office building and as such it is unique in its layout. There isn't a main lobby as such and the reception is in a little side room. The rooms are not huge, but are beautifully decorated. The bathroom is a very decent size with lots of huge fluffy white towels, a super soaker shower and a very deep bath tub. There is a free mini bar which for us was always restocked every day. The wellness centre with pool, sauna and steam room was just wonderful with such helpful and friendly staff and no children which made it super relaxing.
This is a great place to use as a base to explore Amsterdam and a welcome place to return to after a day of sightseeing. The restaurant is quite expensive though and you're only a short walk away from some top class and much cheaper places. Don't book breakfast at the hotel as you're so close to the station.
TIP: If you are planning to go to Anne Frank's house and haven't booked on the Internet before coming to Amsterdam the reception staff will do it for you. It saves you waiting in the very long queue.

Only stayed for one night, however was so tempted to extend our stay once we arrived. Check in was really friendly and efficient. Escorted to our room (16) which was beautiful. Furnished and decorated to compliment the deco style of the hotel, this is no mass market dull room. This is a beautiful room that is a delight with all the mod cons; complimentary mini bar, nespresso machine, great bath and shower, huge plasma TV, an amazing comfy bed (yes the kings are 2 singles pushed together, but they are so comfy and sturdy that they put up with our bedroom olympics ;-)) All the staff were friendly, the breakfast buffet was very good and all the facilities top noch. This is money well spent.

We booked 3 rooms at this hotel to accommodate 2 families (with 4 adults and 4 kids). We got two adjoining rooms and one large suite. There was a problem at check-in with the adjoining rooms (they are not guaranteed), but they worked with us to resolve it.

The large suite had a separate sitting room and bedroom. It was beautifully decorated in dark wood paneling with huge windows overlooking the dam. While at the same time, it had modern features such as a large flat screen TV, free wireless internet access, and a modern bathroom with a large tub and separate shower.

The two adjoining rooms did not have the beautiful wood paneling, but it was well decorated and had the same modern features.

Coming from the US, you come to expect a 5 star hotel to have a grand spacious lobby. In Amsterdam, because the buildings are very narrower, the lobby/reception area is very small. Also, the hallways don't look spectacular and there are many doors to pass through to get to the elevator. These are not negative remarks about the hotel. It's just different and something to appreciate because it was once a Shipping House. The advantage of this Shipping House is that the walls are VERY well insulated. You won't hear your neighbor above, below or beside you.

Some final points about the hotel:
- Breakfast is 25 euros, but well worth it. They have a large selection of quality food - meats, cheeses, fruits, breads of different grains, hot and cold foods.
- Wellness center is well equipped with everything you would expect. You have thick robes and slippers in every room.
- Bathroom is spotless. The most spotless I have seen at any hotel. No signs of aging and not a trace of mold anywhere.
- They use 4-ply toilet paper! I have to mention this because I have never seen it at any 5-star hotel.

Stayed at the Amrath from the 15th-18th August. Although our room was not available until 4pm (the bar was open so it was not all bad)when we did check in we were offered a free upgrade to a superior deluxe room. The room we had was fantastic, best hotel room I have ever stayed in. Loved the way that they kept as many of the original features (tiles, doors, windows etc) from its shipping house days. Beds were very comfortable, flat screen TV and free minibar - yes free minibar! View was good of the city and canal.

The pool and spa area was really lovely, so unusual for a city hotel.

The staff were all friendly and helpful, particularly the guy on the concierge desk - he was a credit to the Amrath - very professional and knowledgable. Impressed that the housekeeping manager went round to each room to enquire whether everything was okay with the room.

And very unusual for a five star hotel was that although it was obvious it was of this standard the staff were not stuffy - this I thought was quite refreshing to find!

Location was good, right near the centraal station where you can pick up trams to all the attractions.

Will defintely be coming back to this hotel, hopefully in the near future!