OverviewLocated a 2-minute drive from the nearest A10 Highway on-ramp and about an 8-minute walk from
Burg de Vlugtlaan Metro Station, the Best Western Blue Tower Hotel is suitable for road or pedestrian travellers who require a hotel with on-site dining and easy access to public transit and the highway.
Each of the hotel's air-conditioned guest rooms comes equipped with free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a hair dryer and a desk. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request and pets are not permitted.
Hotel amenities include meeting/banquet facilities, laundry facilities, a business centre and vending machines. A daily breakfast is available in the breakfast room (charges apply), and the hotel's on-site eatery, Restaurant Saffron, serves dinner daily. Self-parking is available for an additional EUR 12.50 per day.
Amsterdam's city centre is about a 15-minute drive away, while Anne Frank House can be found roughly 13 minutes away via public transit. Stichting Winkelcentrum De Zuidmolen offers shopping 5 minutes away by car and Schiphol Amsterdam Airport (AMS) is a 15-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's rooms, location and staff.
Numerous reviewers complimented their lodgings at the hotel. They described their rooms as spacious, clean, quiet, nicely decorated and well equipped, with comfortable beds and pillows, large bathrooms and good Wi-Fi. A few guests did have complaints about their accommodations, however (see below).
The hotel's location was praised by many guests, who found it close to public transit, shopping, restaurants, a supermarket and the airport. A few patrons found the hotel far from the city's centre, however.
Several lodgers were pleased with the level of customer service they received, characterizing the staff as friendly, helpful, bilingual and accommodating. One guest remarked, "Two of the staff in particular were extremely helpful and patient with us. Clarissa gave us a map and explained the public transport thoroughly and went out of her way to look things up for us on the Internet and made sure we were enjoying our stay".
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few common complaints about the rooms.
Although the majority of reviewers were pleased with their well-equipped and comfortable rooms, a few guests were disappointed with their lodgings. They reported small-sized rooms, broken air-conditioning units, strong odours from the hotel's restaurant in the rooms, some cleaning issues and traffic noise.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #196 of 336 Amsterdam hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 501 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 7.2 out of 10 from 296 reviews
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.9 out of 5 with an 84% recommendation rate from 282 reviews.
The author called the hotel on September 26, 2013 to verify some information.
