Exceeded our expectations
The Albus exceeded my expectations. We arrived exhausted off our international flight, and the front desk was so welcoming. Multiple staff interacted with us and immediately asked if we would like a drink. We handed over our passports while they did the paperwork and they invited us to have a seat and brought us our drinks. One woman brought us to our room to show us around and explain anything that might be confusing. We booked through Sam's club, and the room description (Superior Double) was titled differently than the hotel's but I believe we had the Splendid City King. It was a pretty spacious room for a European hotel room -- almost American size! The bed was comfy: firm and the blankets weren't heavy which was great because it was warm weather. The A/C kept our room nice and cool which was welcome with the heat wave Europe was experiencing. The bathroom was modern with a large shower. This brings me to possibly the only con I can even mention. The bathroom light was a sensor light. So the problem was, in the night, if either of us went into the bathroom, the whole room was lit up.
The room had a good amount of storage. There was a large armoire with a light inside. Then there was another smaller closet by the door. The TV had Dutch, German, and British TV stations. I also have to point out that we were on the first floor (second floor if you're American) and on the street side. I was concerned about noise. The ONLY night we heard loud outside noise was Saturday night. And for obvious reasons -- we were in Amsterdam, and people were having fun. Nothing a pair of earplugs wouldn't have solved. We were above the front desk/lobby, and never hear anything. We also barely heard our neighbors. So insulation must be great! One more thing: there were negative reviews earlier in the summer due to the elevator being out of service. It was working when we arrived on 9/1.
Location: we walked a lot. To Dam Square, it was about 20 min. It was about the same to the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. BUT, there was a tram stop right out front of the hotel. That line goes to the train station which was extremely handy. (And the trams are super easy. Just tap your credit card going in and going out and it automatically charges you. No transit cards or tickets necessary!) If you're interested in the Flower Market, it's just around the corner. (But we were given the advice to purchase tulip bulbs at the Tulip Museum.) If we came back to Amsterdam, I would see if this hotel had availability. We really enjoyed our stay here.
amyj23