2L De Blend Hotel Utrecht — Hotel in Utrecht

My wife and I stayed at the hotel for only one night. We were asked to pay immediately even before we could see the room. The room actually looked quite nice at the beginning, but the appearance was deceptive: there was a kitchen no-one needs, the bed was VERY soft (which we hate), we could not fully open the window, the chairs were old and unstable, the ceiling looked terrible and the worst: the bathroom was EXTREMELY small. The toilette-area was so tight, I could not fit in and even my wife, who is thin and not too tall, had problems using it. Going back to reception and asking for a refund, we were NOT given back our money. So we didn’t even have the chance to look for another hotel.||||So we slept there the night. My wife slept kind-of well, but I could not sleep at all - mostly because the room was too hot. There was a thermostat at which you should have been able to change temperature, but that didn’t help. And since the window could not have been opened completely, temperature did not go down. I hate sleeping warm.||||Another problem was the parking. The hotel offered us to park for 15 Euros (!!!) per night on their hotel parking space. And when we refused and noted, we had found another parking place outside, we were told, that “children drive around on bikes at night and brake car windows for fun”. We didn’t believe it, since it sounded like a made-up story for us to use their expensive parking site - but we didn’t want to take a chance. In the morning we checked and - oh wonder - no car was damaged. I consider this as a cheap trick to lure foreigners like us into using the hotel’s expensive parking places and - of course - for them to make more money. I can only assume the hotel is not making enough of it.||||Also the problem we had with the room (and the toilette) we tried to resolve by asking for a free parking space, but it was denied, eventually. They didn’t even excuse. They just offered us to see the Manager in the morning at 8 am. But we needed sleep instead so we refused.||||In conclusion it was a unpleasant experience. I can only advise people NOT to choose this hotel, but I cannot recommend any...

I stayed at 2L De Blend whilst on a weekend leisure visit to Utrecht from the UK with my friend. I arrived by train and the Hotel is a very pleasant 25 minute walk from Utrecht Central Station by the canal (I took the route of Kanaalweg). Utrecht centre is within walking distance but you can catch the number 5 bus from nearby or get a cab, both would take around 5 minutes to the centre.

Upon entering the hotel I was greeted by a self check-in desk with a member of staff on hand for any assistance should I have needed it. However check in was slick and straight forward, anybody who has used a smartphone would have no problem, the elderly may struggle but there would be help nearby.

The rooms are immaculate with excellent facilities. I stayed in room 201 which has a fantastic panoramic view over the nearby canal. The bed linen was fresh and clean and I was provided with clean towels, face cloths and basic toiletries. The kitchen area is well equipped for those wishing for a longer stay and there is a coffee machine for that early morning boost. The shower room is small but perfectly adequate and modern. The bed and pillows are comfy, I had a good nights sleep and did not hear other guests in the hotel.

Downstairs there is a restaurant which is open to the public and serves excellent quality food with a clear attention to detail and service, there is a bar area too should you just wish to grab a drink.

The hotel felt very safe, if you are returning to the hotel after 11pm you must use your key card to operate the reception door and the lift which adds a sense of security.

In summary this is a fantastic, clean, reasonably priced aparthotel in a great location within walking distance from Utrecht Central. The hotel has excellent facilities and feels very modern. I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to family, friends...

The worst customer experience ever

We were getting married and we booked 8 rooms for our parents & brothers for our wedding at 2L de Blend. Due to the Covid situation in the first lockdown (state of emergency-government forbidding travels/tourism), our guests living outside NL couldn't enter the country so the wedding was called off. We tried with the general manager to get a voucher since we didn't know an exact date for the future wedding; however, he rejected any possibility to make it work while other hotels were giving flexibility to their customers. One time, we even politely went to speak with him to try to find a solution and he (Richard Detmers) even denied he was the general manager, trying to avoid customers! What kind of General manager avoids customers or is not interested in finding solutions?!? This shows right away their interest in money instead of making a great customer experience. For the people interested in this hotel, I hope everything goes well because if something goes wrong, it's for sure they won't take any responsibility and they won't be willing to cooperate in order to...