InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam, an IHG Hotel

"What's the overview of this place?Find this 19th-century hotel on the outer edge of the canal ring overlooking the Amstel. A walk through the white-columned entrance reveals a lobby with shiny marble floors and a vaulted ceiling. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.The rooms evoke pre-revolutionary France, with white wallpaper with pastel floral prints and antique work desks. The vast marble bathrooms include rainfall showers and separate bath and toilet. A room with a view of the river is worth the splurge. Room service and food: Worth it?Chef de Cuisine Rogér Rassin and his team serve French cuisine with subtle Asian influences at Michelin-starred La Rive. Anything stand out about other services and features?Sip afternoon tea (or a glass of wine) in the jewel box-like Amstel Lounge, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. Bottom line: worth it, and why?This ritzy historic hotel offers a genuine glimpse into Amsterdam's past. Stay here for a dose of Old World grandeur and gentility." - Meredith Bethune

"An Old World grande dame of the 19th-century tradition, the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam presides over the Amstel River from its waterfront perch at the eastern edge of the original city. An imposing example of a Dutch take on French Renaissance Revival architecture of the period, the hotel—known initially as the Amstel Hotel—was conceived of by well-to-do Amsterdam doctor Samuel Sarphati to attract wealthy Grand Tour–goers to the struggling city. Since then, dignitaries from Queen Elizabeth II to former President Bill Clinton, and celebrities from Audrey Hepburn to George Clooney, have entered the imposing lobby—with its grand staircase, marble columns, and gilded chandeliers—and taken up residence in its opulent suites. While in its latest iteration the hotel has updated itself in all the right ways, it still offers each guest the superlative but understated service that such royals (of both state and silver screen) would expect, down to the private butler service that comes with each room. The current French-inspired decor channels the building’s original architecture and includes romantic hand-drawn wallpaper in bedrooms. The unfussy, seasonal cuisine and craft cocktails in the restaurants and bars infuse the traditional space with modern sensibilities. Even the health club has its feet in both past and present: The thoroughly modern facilities were inspired by one of the forefathers of physiotherapy, who took up residence in the hotel and treated such distinguished clients as Empress Elisabeth of Austria there."