Hotel Damsquare

Pros: Great location, especially if you’re only staying for a night or two. Cons: There is no lift, although I think this is common with smaller accommodations, especially in older buildings. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you have large or heavy luggage like I did, as I had to carry mine up the stairs myself.

I travel regularly and generally stay in three-star hotels, occasionally four-star hotels on promotion, so I can confidently say this was the worst hotel experience I have had at this level. My criticism is not about a lack of luxury, but basic comfort and functionality. The bathroom was exceptionally poorly designed. The toilet had so little clearance that it was genuinely uncomfortable to use. On one occasion, I had to remove my pyjama trousers simply to position my legs and minimise contact with the toilet bowl and wall. This goes far beyond a bathroom merely being “compact.” The shower pressure was also extremely poor, and on arrival the shower floor had a small puddle and stray hair. My room was on the fourth floor with no lift. The climb was so arduous that I actually skipped breakfast rather than go downstairs and then climb four floors back to my room. Managing the stairs with luggage added further inconvenience. The room remained noticeably dim even with all the lights switched on, and the mattress was excessively soft and unsupportive. Tea-making facilities were provided but there was no milk; fortunately, I still had milk cartons from my previous hotel. The ironing facilities were perhaps the most extraordinary example of the standard. I was given a tiny tabletop ironing board and a basic dry iron with no water reservoir, steam or spray function. I have travelled extensively and had never encountered either in a hotel. With nowhere suitable to use the board at normal height, I had to iron from the bed, and the iron barely reduced ordinary creases in a polyester outfit. None of these are demands for luxury. They concern basic things a hotel should allow guests to do comfortably: use the bathroom, sleep, see properly, iron clothes and access their room. Individually, some shortcomings might be minor, but collectively the experience gave a strong impression of cost minimisation at the expense of guest comfort. This was genuinely the worst hotel I have stayed in within its class. I would not return or recommend it.

15 minute walk to Jordaan staff were great and gave me a bigger room on 1st floor which was great of them cudos to the reception girls and thank you !!

We’re lucky we didn’t bring the cat because there wouldn’t have been room to swing it! The tiniest bedroom ever with an even smaller en-suite. For the price I think it was terrible but maybe Amsterdam is so expensive that it was a ‘normal’ rate. Breakfast was extremely ordinary, terrible sludge for coffee, cheap fruit juice and a general feel of ‘economy’. We love Amsterdam but we’d find a chain hotel next time where at least we’d know what we were getting.