citizenM Schiphol Airport — Hotel in Haarlemmermeer

I have been staying at this location since it basically opened. Originally chosen for the convenience, I came to realize that I liked the quirky vibe of the place a lot more than I expected. As a result, I have also visited other locations, such as DC, and found them to have the same vibe/aesthetic.

The price point has steadily gone up in recent years, with limited changes to reflect that increase aside from switching all (or most?) of the room from dual pods for the shower/toilet to uni-pods that house both of them. As others mention, either configuration is fine for a solo traveler; for squeamish two-person parties this might not be ideal. Just an FYI.

The pad-controlled rooms work as they should. And the rooms themselves are, though tiny, nicely decked out with what you need for a quick overnight stay before an early morning departure. The lobby remains a key feature as well: it is designed to provide all that the rooms do not. Breakfast and coffee by day; snacks, meals, and drinks by night, with ample 'zones' to sit back and chat or get work done, all accented by those red balloon animals (formerly the gnomes flipping you the bird . . . bring those back). Prices for food and drink are fine, all things considered. Employees are a courteous, often friendly, bunch (though the person taking my free drink vouchers this time had a bit of an edge to them).

Thing is, one employee went out of their way this visit. One of the people in my group left their passport in the room. With boarding fast approaching, that person walked or ran over to the airport to deliver it to the gate agents. AMAZING! Thank you, whoever you are. That was a special touch.

So, why only four stars? First, cost (see above). If your differentiation strategy is to be quirky and convenient, you have to do more to justify charging north of 250 USD for a room and 'experience'. Second, staff can occasionally drop the ball. Case in point? This visit, only three of my six group members received their drink vouchers. Third, and this is a BIG issue, their app and online presence stand in stark contrast to their carefree and easy-going physical vibe. The app often doesn't work. Getting in touch with an actual human is nearly impossible. And payment details are often opaque or wrong. This visit, I booked five rooms and used to three cards to pay for them in advance due to the nature of the group I with which I was traveling. Each transaction was approved on my mobile app. Upon my return home, I noticed that four of the five rooms had been charged to one card. Moreover, the folios do show payment, but not specifics re: which room for which card. So I am left guessing until all the cards clear (or, in this case, the two cards that were used). A fun mobile app with sardonic comments only goes so far when the basics--charges, etc.--aren't correct.

I'll continue to stay here and visit/stay at other locations. But I will also consider other options in other locations when the price factor makes a difference.

Listen, I get it. You started off small in 2008. Others, including investors, saw that you were doing something right. Now you are expanding your imprint. Just don't lose a sense of why you were special in the beginning. And take care of the small things that matter to those who are your guests. Otherwise, you are no better or worse than a Hilton. And I can't imagine that is your strategy.

Unknown staff member this visit? If I could, I would give you ten stars....

Know what you're getting into: this is a solo travelers delight but for a middle-aged couple then know what you're getting into. Mostly understand the employees are the most helpful and welcoming hotel employees we have come upon. The rooms are very clean. These helpful employees and the absolutely amazing breakfast is the reason for the high rating. It happened that we were there during a heat wave and the air conditioning is not equivalent to what we would call air conditioning in the United States. The hotel air conditioner more or less leaked a little bit of cool air which was not sufficient to meet the demands of the very large room window even with the dark shade pulled. Even though the air conditioner can be turned down then it is not ever going to blow heavily in your room and it's really managed by management eco settings. We were finally moved to a even numbered room which was on the shadier side of the building. This was much nicer because it was also an updated room with the shower and toilet combined insert. Our prior room had a commode tube. And a separate tube that the shower was located within in. Both tubes were not very modest. There is a hospital curtain that separates the bed from the tubes but it is very thin and provides very limited additional privacy. Also the bed is higher off the ground in the end of the hotel room built in so that the person by the window has to climb over the other occupant to get off the bed. Don't get me wrong because there were lots of good things such as the employees who were super helpful and friendly. The downstairs is amazing with lots of areas for working and hanging out. People can also reserve any of their conference rooms. It is a business travelers Paradise. The hotel location is phenomenal for reaching transportation. We took several day trips to different countries. Most of the walking distance to the airport is covered. The location is very safe. I would not hesitate staying here alone as a woman. We never heard airplane noise even though we were right at the airport. We never had to rent a car. We grocery shopped at the airport which was pretty close to a small mall. In the bed and bedding were super comfortable. I would absolutely stay there again as long as I was in one of the updated rooms on the cooler side of the building and I would probably bring a...

An airport hotel is close to the terminal. The hotel is reached by a series of covered walkways from the terminal, leaving from door A, opposite end of the railway station from arrivals.

Check-in can be via their app or a screen at the front of the hotel with staff there to help. The app seemed a bit glitchy but I think it has an innovative approach that is not intuitive, you can't open the app directly but have to use a link and confirm details before getting access and when the session ends you need to repeat, either way I used the screen. Interesting programming your own room key. You pay for local tax at check-in, just swipe your payment card.

The bar/restaurant and its menu looked nice and not overly expensive, but ended up eating elsewhere during my short stay.

The room was novel; the toilet and shower in closeable tubes in the main area with a square bed up against the window. It works quite well as a room, but does feel strange. I suspect the architect had fun optimising space and energy usage. Although not having a straight eyeline from the door to the bed was weird.

The room was well designed with a space for suitcases in a big drawer under the bed and the waste bin in a cupboard under the sink.

You can use the app, or an iPad in the room, to control temperature, lights, blinds, curtains, TV, even a mood settings to help you sleep. The TV included BBC1 and 2 - I got to see Gardeners World!

Checkout was very quick, I think you can do this yourself, but I just handed the key to a member of staff and in 5 seconds, he told me everything was paid and wished me a good day.

A bit more than I would usually pay, but it's location...