The College Hotel Amsterdam, Autograph Collection

"The College is a 10-minute walk from the Concertgebouw and Big Three museums in one direction, and the cafes and restaurants of De Pijp in the other. Its name refers to both its 19th-century incarnation as a school and its current function as training hotel for hospitality-industry students. This means the occasional learner’s blip in service, but also that room rates are good value. Sometimes-gloomy school rooms and corridors are enlivened by large arrangements of flowers, contemporary Dutch art, and soothing colors. Rooms are comfortable, and the restaurant serves tasty standards by learner-chefs." - Amber Port

"The College Hotel is a grandiose Dutch Neo-Renaissance building with soaring arches and ceilings, a sunny courtyard filled with olive trees, and dramatic modern interiors in rich velvet, crystal chandeliers, and dark woods. Amsterdam ’s beautiful and artsy flock to its trendy bar, a warmly lit affair with open fireplaces and overstuffed sofas, and its modern Dutch restaurant is one of the coolest in the city. Surely, this must be one of the Dutch capital’s most expensive hotels, reserved only for the rich and famous, right? Wrong. Housed in a 19th-century school, The College Hotel employs and trains students in the luxury hospitality industry, which means that its rates are surprisingly affordable for a hotel of its caliber. The young staff are all friendly and helpful, although service is not always as smooth as it might be at a place with a more experienced team. But that’s a small price to pay for a stay this cool and ideally located, just down the street from the Museumplein in the fashionable Zuid neighborhood."

"The entire ground floor is public space: To the left of the entrance is the chic reception desk, made of leather and mother-of-pearl, and to the right high-ceilinged hallways lead to a colorful bar with patterned-velvet chairs and couches and, beyond, an airy white-brick-and-glass dining room that was once the gymnasium. The 40 rooms, with big TVs, glass showers, and black-lacquer doors and wardrobes, are sleek but cozy; the German manufacturer of their sensually soft sheets also makes shirts for Gucci and Prada. The service throughout is thoughtful and sincere."