Inspired perhaps by the success of Volkswagen, which sells millions of personal cars to a wide range of groups, Volkshotel is an open house for everyone.
From a typical tourist looking forward to smelling colorful tulips or freshly rolled joints to local entrepreneurs sitting down for a coffee hoping to change the world by typing quickly on their laptops. And like when buying from Volkswagen, a night at Volkshotel will not break the bank.
The "People's Hotel" is home to a wide range of creative rooms, suites, and shared workplaces with a café, restaurant, bar, and even a club. On top of it all (quite literally), a small spa on the rooftop - but we will get to this later.
Volkshotel is housed in the building where De Volkskrant newspaper was published for more than 42 years. After their relocation in 2007, Urban Resort Foundation turned this place into one of the largest creative grounds in the Netherlands.
From the moment you enter the building, you feel like you really are in Amsterdam. It's one of those unique hotels in Amsterdam where locals and tourists make a healthy mix rather than segregating into their own worlds.
The Rotterdam Bureau Kraaijvanger designed the former office of the Volkskrant in 1965. The layout of a newspaper inspired the design of the very modern office building at the time.
The facade refers to a front page with the large headline 'de Volkskrant' at the top. The seven white floors and the grid of windows refer to a newspaper layout with seven columns of text.
The 1.5 million white facade tiles – which fell one by one over the years – referred to the same number of letters in the newspaper.
The hip Volkshotel is a bit industrial, has a very cool interior, and is within walking distance of the trendy district of De Pijp. De Pijp is located south of the city center canals and full of fashionable shops, museums, and Amsterdam's green lung, the Vondelpark is right next door.
Werkplaats - Volkshotel's creative co-working space.
Today, the building's newspaper heritage is still clearly visible in the architecture and interiors of Volkshotel.
The original sixties design, which was full of references to the function of the building, has been preserved as much as possible. Bas van Tol was responsible for interior design and was inspired by the building's history.
Cabin Rooms
The 177 hotel rooms vary from cozy corners to spacious spaces depending on your taste and budget.
Rooms are named after former employees of the newspaper (Truus, Fransje, and Riet), and if you search a bit, you will find plenty of references to the newspaper throughout the interiors.
Volkshotel's Studio accommodation is a great option if you plan an extended stay in Amsterdam.
Volkshotel used to be the headquarters of one of the largest newspapers in the Netherlands, but now it is a hotel with both standard rooms and nine special creations. The standard rooms don't look like your average hotel room despite their name.
The hotel rooms are furnished with extensive use of steel, glass, wood, and concrete. A cool detail is the wooden frame of the wall-to-wall windows, which are so deep that you can sit in them or work on them.
Dutch designer Hanna Maring refitted one of the special rooms and named it Bathing Bikou.
The Cabin in the Woods suite, designed by Gabor Disberg, imitates a tree house in the woods, but without the annoying noise of mosquitoes.
Each of the special rooms has its own theme and name.
Cinema Boudoir - Designed by Maja Markovic
Johnny Jukebox - Designed by Remco Gonggrijp
Soixante Neuf - Designed by Rosa Lisa Winkel
Lost & Found Suite - Designed by François Duquesnoy
White Bike Room - Designed by Thijs van Oostveen
The Businessman's Trip - Designed by Arno Hoogland
How about a yoga class to start the day?
Doka - The Hotel's Underground Club
The dark basement is home to a quirky cocktail bar and a place for various events. Film screenings, theater performances, and also parties, of course.
When the lights go out, Doka becomes the hot spot for dancing through the night.
Canvas Restaurant & Rooftop Bar
You can have a Dutch bite of meat and fish dishes at Canvas, but there are many vegetarian and vegan options too. You can ask for a wine list, and there is also a wide choice of craft beers.
Canvas is a place for day and night. Have breakfast, the first beer of the day, or wait for the night lights in the evening. But most of all, enjoy the scenic view of Amsterdam from the airy rooftop terrace.
The rooftop terrace turns into a cinema at night.
Mini Rooftop Spa
Yet another pleasant surprise! On the rooftop, you can relax in a small spa with three open-air hot tubs and a sauna to sweat out a long night's consequences on your body.
You can use the cold bucket of water after a sweaty session in the sauna and jump right into the hot tub to relax with a view of Amsterdam.
Wibautstraat 150, 1091 GR Amsterdam, Netherlands
