Built as a hospice in the late 1890s, the property that’s now known as Hotel Arena underwent several transformations in the 20th century. During World War II, one part of it functioned as shelter for Belgian refugees, another as the baby delivery department of the nearby OLVG Hospital. In the 1980s it ceased functioning as a nursing home and the city of Amsterdam decided to move the Rozengracht Sleep-In to this building in the eastern part of the city center, attracting the likes of Iggy Pop and Oasis. In 2002, Hotel Arena officially opened its doors, incorporating the ToStay hotel, the ToNight club (housed in a former church chapel), the ToDrink bar, and the ToDine restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Housed in a renovated 19th century secondary school since 2005, The College Hotel is a teaching hotel where students of various hotel management schools are trained to work in the hospitality industry, under the supervision of hotel professionals. In its opening year, The College Hotel won the prestigious Prix Villegiature for ‘Best Interior Design in a Hotel in Europe.’ The 40 rooms are individually designed and range from Luxury Rooms to Suites. The building, beautifully lit by night, accommodates a restaurant in the school’s former gym, where both men in suits discussing business and couples getting ready for another day of exploring Amsterdam can enjoy ‘international dishes, rooted in the Dutch culinary tradition.’

When Hotel Okura Tokyo opened in 1962, the goal was to become the best hotel in the world. With 25 hotels worldwide, mainly in homeland Japan, Okura’s focus was and is to offer the best possible accommodations, cuisine and service to its guests. Hotel Okura Amsterdam is located in the multi-cultural De Pijp district, home to the Heineken brewery, Albert Cuyp Market and Sarphatipark, a 6 minute tram ride (20 minutes by foot) from the Museumplein, where the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum and Concertgebouw are situated.

With the monumental Stadsschouwburg across the street, the American Hotel is a charismatic eye-catcher and architectural highlight in its own right: built in 1902 in art-deco style, the hotel combines modern facilities with elegance and a unique atmosphere. Get a taste of the 1920s in Café Americain, traditionally a popular meeting place for writers, musicians and actors, where breakfast, lunch and dinner is served. Enjoy a magazine or book at Amsterdam’s oldest reading table named after famous Dutch novelist Harry Mulisch, or simply overlook the Leidseplein through the café’s five meter high windows with stained-glass details.

Housed in the iconic former music school of Amsterdam, the Conservatorium Hotel offers a unique experience for high-end luxury lovers and art aficionado’s alike. Opened in 2012 and located within 300 meters of three world-class museums—the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum—the Conservatorium Hotel offers its guests (that’d be you) 129 rooms in various degrees of fanciness. From a cozy Superior Guest Room with a large rainfall shower and bathroom LCD mirror TV, to the 90sqm (969sqft) Concerto Suite with a Steinway piano, oval stone bathtub and Museumplein views from the duplex level bedroom.

Already in 1638, an Inn was built on the current location of Hotel de L’Europe in the heart of the city, partly on the foundation of the so-called Rondeel defensive tower that had been there since 1535. The Hotel de L’Europe as we now know it, was built in 1895 and opened its doors a year later. The hotel pays homage to bygone times, surrounding its guests with impressive chandeliers, a colourful décor and replicas of 17th century Dutch Masters. The 111 rooms, all equipped with an iPad, iPod docking station and Bose surround-sound system, range from a cozy Superior Room to the six-bedroom Penthouse Suite, including a private terrace. In 2011, Hotel de L’Europe was the only hotel in the Netherlands to make the Gold List of Condé Nast Traveler.