Dutch delight

A recent redesign, the launch of a new luxury space featuring suites designed by the city’s leading creatives and a multi Michelin-starred restaurant has Hotel De L’Europe – one of Amsterdam’s oldest hotels – looking to the future

 Words: Reyhaan Day

So central is the 125-year-old Hotel de L’Europe it seems as though the city of Amsterdam was built around it. Poised overlooking the Amstel on one of the Dutch capital’s innermost canals, the hotel’s location has long been a focal point for culture and creativity over the decades and centuries. Rembrandt lived just up the street; Alfred Hitchcock used the building as a location for his film Foreign Correspondent; and dignitaries and A-listers visiting the city were likely to base themselves at this very hotel.

But while this is Amsterdam’s most historic hotel, De L’Europe is not stuck in the past. A recent rejuvenation of the main hotel took place between 2019 and 2022, retaining certain heritage
elements yet thoughtfully updating the public spaces and rooms.

In the main building, De L’Europe offers the kind of independent luxury one can expect from its membership of The Leading Hotels of the World. Suites are sumptuously decorated; particularly  in the newly-created part of the hotel, ‘T Huys. A former bank, connected to the historic hotel via a striking indoor-outdoor courtyard that houses the flagship store of coffee table book publisher MENDO, ‘T Huys is a unique concept – designed to bring together Amsterdam’s most influential and pioneering creatives, while offering a more extraordinary experience for guests.

During the design stage, a local artist, studio or institution was assigned to each of the eight suites available. When they are not booked by guests, they act as workshops and meeting spaces for the brands that helped design them – with guests able to meet creatives in their studios for an inside look at their process.