Wondering where to stay in Zaandam? Only one place to be: Inntel hotels Amsterdam Zaandam!
During our recent trip to Zaandam, the Netherlands, we were hosted by Inntel hotels Amsterdam Zaandam. The design of this fabulous hotel wasn’t only impressive from the outside, the moment we walked in we were astonished by the concept of this hotel.
The quote: ‘You’ll be surprised’ that can be found on small items in the hotel isn’t exaggerated.
We received a very warm welcome from Stefan, the Rooms Division Manager, who was willing to show us around and explained more about the concept of the hotel. We also received lots of tips of what to visit in the neighborhood and where to eat.
This iconic hotel was built in 2010 and its facade is made from 70 different typical ‘Zaanse’ facades. There is only one blue one, which refers to the blue house of Monet. (this famous French painter lived in Zaandam in 1871). In the hotel there are 159 different rooms & suites, which all have their own story.
The rooms are all based on one of these 4 themes:
- Tastes of Zaandam: like smoked cheese, mustard, chocolate & biscuits
- Crafts of Zaandam: representing the people who worked in the fabrics, like the biscuit girls of Verkade
- Factories of Zaandam: the different factories, like Cacao Grootes
- Founders of Zaandam: like the Ericus Gerhardus Verkade suite who founded this factory in 1886
In each room you can find a big wall poster, which represents the theme of the room, and a plate with more explanation.
Even the lights in the hallway are based on the theme of Zaandam, they represent the windmills you can find at ‘Zaanse Schans’ only 10 minutes away from the hotel.
The carpet on the floor represents the river ‘the Zaan’.
Another famous visitor of this town was Tsar Peter the great, who visited Zaandam already in 1697. Of course you can also stay in ‘the Tsar Peter Suite’.
We stayed in one of the gorgeous Factory rooms. Dedicated to the harbor house and the floodgates. It was a large and very comfortable room on the top floor of the hotel. So, the view on the city and its unique houses was amazing. We had a king-sized bed and a very comfortable design chair, a desk, a little fridge, teamaker and a flat screen tv. The fridge was empty, but you can find a vending machine in the hallway. As we bought some cheese at Zaanse Schans we were very happy with this small fridge.
As a welcome we also received some sweets and chocolate in our room.
The bathroom was a real treat on itself, not only did we have a good rain shower, there was also a bubble bath to enjoy! Perfect for me as I am addicted to luxurious rooms & hotels.
Stefan also showed us the wellness and amazing swimming pool. We enjoyed the sauna and hammam in private.
Fun fact: I didn’t know there was a swimming pool, so we didn’t bring our swimwear. But lucky for us, we could find a Primark right at the other side of the street to buy some swimming suits.
Another extra is the breakfast we received. The international breakfast buffet (a glass of bubbles included!) was a big treat. You have various types of bread and toppings, eggs & bacon, yoghurt, fruits and freshly squeezed orange juice. The location of restaurant Puur Saen makes it a breakfast in style.
When you walk from the reception to the other side of the building you have direct access to the main ‘shopping’ street of Zaandam and you are only minutes away from many popular attractions:
- The Dam (best places to eat)
- Tsar Peter House (one of the oldest houses of Holland, dated from 1632) Tsar Peter stayed here for about a week to learn more about ship carpentry in 1697.
- The blue house: painted by Claude Monet in 1871, it was one of his favorite paintings
- The harbor and floodgates
- Zaanse Schans: only 10 minutes by car or 30 minutes with public transport
- Also interesting: Alkmaar (27 minutes by train), Haarlem (30 minutes by train) or Amsterdam (only 13 minutes by train)
I absolutely recommend the Inntel hotel in Zaandam – from the friendly staff to the comfortable, luxurious room, great wellness and delicious breakfast, it was the perfect central base to explore Zaandam and its surroundings!
You can easily make a booking here.
They are also on Instagram where you might see one of my pictures!
Disclaimer – I was hosted at the Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam for free in exchange for online content but was not paid. All opinions are mine and are an accurate and honest review of my stay!