XO HOTELS Blue Tower - Amsterdam — Hotel in undefined

In short this is a very mediocre hotel and a HUGE rip off. No way on God's green Earth is this a 4-star hotel. 500 Euros for three nights for 2 people. Incredible. Filthy walls, covered in mold. There's a large pillar in the middle of the room. No idea why, but if it is required to hold up the building they should sue the engineer it's a joke. It's massive, I hit it twice by mistake. Like the walls, it's filthy. Bad view. Only the upper floors of the hotel have good views. We were blessed with the site of this massive red building.

Hotel doesn't come with breakfast... you have to pay extra for that. It is DISGUSTING I mean we're talking stale bread, stale breakfast cereal, undercooked bacon and nutella that looks like excrement I'm not even joking. The sausages are THE MOST disgusting sausages ever. Also, they have these tiny bowls and glasses so you take less food. It's a cheeky money saving scam that's so easy to see through. You will get cheaper, healthier and tastier food at the KFC round the corner. Breakfast costs 14.50. I could get a massive delicious meal at the Lebanese Restaurant for that money.

The door to the bathroom closes by itself like a public toilet. It's incredibly annoying. The main door also closes like this and that may be for fire safety reasons but that doesn't explain the bathroom door. Also, the shower is pretty dirty.

Whoever did interior design of this place has no aesthetic sense what so ever. The furniture just does. Not. Go. With. The. Room. Plus, the furniture has stupid glass things on which are so easy to break.

The bed only has one blanket, which is quite thin. We went in October and the airconditioning is on. For some reason. The aircon supposedly doubles as a heater but I never got it to work. We didn't get really cold because we had each other's body heat but one might if one is alone. Also, the stairs are a DEATH TRAP. Obviously we used the lifts but my god those stairs are like a Mayan Pyramid they are so steep. Lethal. One more thing: The place is situated in the middle of a ghetto full of drug dealers and thuggish looking Muslim men. The hotel itself has a bit of an attitude I mean its 100% no smoking. I don't even smoke myself but the way the notices are phrased and the way they threaten a 200 euro fine if you smoke in the room is just ridiculous. It's like they're trying to make out it's some sort of privilege to be there. It's not. It's really not.

On a positive note... the elevators worked, the reception floor was clean, the sheets were clean and we didn't get robbed (unless you count the extortionate cost of the stay which to be honest is probably worse than being robbed). They also have bike rentals and other stuff for sale, as well as tickets for the public transport. Not that we used it but it's nice that they have it. Staff were decent except for this fat slob who welcomed us on the first day, she wasn't particularly friendly. Also, dial 9 on the phone and the room service responds very quickly. The woman who helped us with the safe was very nice and helpful.

The hotel is very close to supermarket, Muslim Restaurant, KFC, Coffee Shop (for coffee, though, not weed), burger joint and other stores. There is also a market nearby where you can buy lots of stuff. Shame there's no fridge in the room or a kitchen where...

I am so glad I found and chose XO hotels - Blue tower and cancelled a booking from a pricier hotel near Centraal due to the online reviews I read online because they were mostly spot on. Booking and payment was conveniently done online, 10% off (found on their website) plus an array of payment options that can all be done over the Internet (including discounted daily buffet breakfasts, and late checkouts that's usually €10 an hour). Check in and check out was quick!

My family of 3 (2 adults, 1 eight year old child) stayed in a corner, triple room for 3 days and 2 Nights. Best nights sleep abroad, the beds were firm but comfortable. Fluffy Square pillows too. Wonderful views from the sixth floor (602) of the skyline, neighbourhood, and even the dual carriage way. Fun for my lot to spot vehicles, people and birds. Such a calm and quiet part of the city but easy to get to from Centraal (get the 21 bus from Platform K). There's also a nifty shortcut from the side of the building towards a small square with a Turkish bakery and Turkish supermarket plus a couple of proper grocery stores near the area (they do not accept non Dutch cards but there's a Cash machine in Albert Heijn that doesn't charge extra to withdraw cash, apart from your typical overseas bank charge).

Bos en Lommerplein is conveniently close to Erasmus Park, a small petting zoo, number 80 bus (Connexxion bus to Zandvoort, purchase an 'Out Together day pass' for up to 3 children ages 4 to 11 for €9 per adult), Rembdrandt Park. Such a relaxed, diverse part of Amsterdam.

However, as mentioned in other reviews, I would have given Blue Tower a 5 * but: cleaning needs improvement (e. g. spray cleaning products and wipe counter tops properly, vacuum under beds). -Readily available Gluten free or Veggie/Vegan selection during breakfasts would make it a much diverse and better equipped hotel instead of having to request it as it makes the buffet easier, more inclusive and accessible to all guests regardless of dietary requirements. Air conditioning needs massive improvement. It automatically turns off at 12PM (timed?) and although our room was Ok, it could have been much cooler as the controls didn't go below 19 degrees but with lots of windows, the room is exposed to bright sunshine all day esp in the summer as it traps heat (so had to draw the curtains to keep room cool) and the room felt like it was 27 degrees indoors.

Nevertheless, the sunsets were gorgeous. The Nespresso machine was a lovely touch along with a flat screen with Dutch TV (selection of channels including Disney). Our room was away from the lifts and unlike other hotels, it was nicely sound proofed (better than IHG!) however, we could hear doors slamming but, that didn't really affect the quality of sleep or comfort. Facilities were OK, Having 3 lifts meant that it didn't take too long to wait for a lift, the tap water was drinkable and nice tasting. Showers were lovely, towels provided for, room colour and design was alright - chocolate chic! The staff were courteous and professional.

Over all, it was a good hotel and my family and I had a wonderful stay.

Bedankt,...

I am writing to formally express my disappointment with the service I experienced during my recent stay with my family at XO Hotel Blue Tower 14/4/2025 to 15/4/2025. As someone who frequently travels for both business and leisure, we have stayed in numerous hotels, and we regret to inform you that our experience at this 4stars hotel fell far below our expectations in our lifetime.||Unfortunately, the attitude and behavior of the staff member namely Lore was very disappointing. In this incident, we encountered rudeness and a lack of professionalism that negatively impacted spoilt our holiday. At point of reception before check in your hotel, we did not receive any warm welcome and greeting as your guests. I was met with dismissive responses that made me feel unwelcome by your hotel staff, Lore. We were blocked by her to seek from any other staff or manager to deal with our checking in issue. ||What a shameful we were still not allowed to check in while we had met all criteria and terms conditions as stated in the hotel. The reason given is we come in family of 4 persons not allowed to check in 3 persons room. We have 2 adults, 2 children aged 15 and aged 10 out of 4 pax, for 3 persons room. Then we were willingly to pay for additional rooms at extra charges, unfortunately they were unable to meet our request for additional room or bed. They cant even find any rooms in the same hotel or nearby hotel within Group. Neither we are allowed to check in our room nor get back refund. They insisted not allowed to check in the hotel room despite not considering our family are staying roadside on fully paid rooms. Only unreasonable solution in order to check in their room was to provide confirmation checked in other hotel from extra one person to confirm who will not be staying with 3 persons. ||We believe that courteous and attentive service is essential in the hospitality service industry especially in highly developed country like Netherland, however, my recent experience has left me shocking feeling unwelcome and undervalued as a guest to the hotel and country too. ||Last but not least, we are strongly not recommending any future guests visiting this hotel to ensure they do not have to endure my similar...