De Herbert Amsterdam - Formerly France Hotel

The property is still undergoing renovation, which was not disclosed to us at the time of booking. In our opinion, the hotel does not meet the requirements for a 3-star hotel under Dutch standards. Our room had no access to fresh air through a window. The strong smell of paint solvents made the air unbearable and caused headaches, making the room unsuitable for a comfortable stay. In addition, there was construction noise throughout the day. The room did not have a hairdryer, despite this being listed in the room description on Agoda. We had to request one at the front desk and navigate through the dirty construction area to do so. The towel provided was damaged and had large holes in it. There was no waste bin in the bathroom, and we were unable to identify any of the advertised “sleep comfort items.” To make matters worse, none of the staff members apologized for the inconvenience. They behaved as though everything was perfectly normal, despite the obvious disruption and poor conditions. In summary, the hotel failed to provide the standard of service and comfort expected of a 3-star property. More importantly, the ongoing renovation work was not communicated to us before booking or arrival. At check-in, we were charged a tourist tax of 12.5% calculated on the total amount paid through Agoda. This calculation appears to be incorrect under the applicable Dutch tax rules. Furthermore, our Agoda booking confirmation clearly shows the VAT and tourist tax as separate amounts. Tourist tax should be calculated on the applicable taxable base, not automatically on the gross amount including VAT. Result: we paid Tourist Tax twice We booked a 3-star hotel to relax and get some rest, not to stay in and walk through a dirty construction site. As a result, we decided to leave the hotel one day early because the conditions were unacceptable and we did not want to risk further health issues. We strongly recommend reading the other reviews on *** and Google before making a reservation. Please pay close attention to the conditions advertised and check your bill carefully before paying something.

First of all, check-in process was crazy, we arrived around 1pm, while we understand normally rooms are ready after 3pm, we were handed the room card which we opened the room to a horror sight (see photo) Sound insulation within the room is bad, the sound of dragging luggage, opening doors were very prominent the entire night. I don't even consider myself as a light sleeper to begin with There is a heater in the room but the switch is broken so you can't toggle any settings. The shower drain hole cover seems to be missing, the hole is about size of a fist There are still renovation works ongoing, and things left behind the lobby staircase which is an obstruction & violation of safety exits. The single hotel lift is old The neighbourhood consists of "coffeeshops" and the crowd at night along the streets just makes you feel uneasy to hang around at night Other than above negative points, there are still positive things to say 1) furnishings, taps are new 2) Aircon is new and strong 3) bedding is nice and firm 4) room size is adequate, not too claustrophobic

Lovely and helpful staff (thank you to Heidi for the fantastic recommendations). The room was not big, but considering my friend and I were only using it as a place to sleep and shower, we didn't need it to be huge. Facilities all very good. Just one suggestion - change the sink unit. It impedes on the space to use the toilet. The hotel is under refurbishment but there were no disturbances from this and the use of luggage storage on the first and last day was extremely helpful. I will be returning in addition to recommending it to others.