A landmark building where some of the Netherlands’ most notorious criminals were sent down has been reborn as the latest outpost in Rosewood’s growing global empire. The former Palace of Justice also stands as a new symbol of Amsterdam’s transformation from a city of vice to a capital of quiet sophistication.
Location
The imposing municipal building occupies almost an entire city block overlooking Prinsengracht, the outermost of the four U-shaped canals that form central Amsterdam. A ten-minute drive from Centraal Station for trains to Brussels, Paris, and London via Eurostar – or 30 minutes by car to Schipol Airport – Rosewood Amsterdam is perfectly sited within strolling distance but not earshot of the chaotic heart of the city, closer to the stylish “De 9 Straatjes” boutique district as well as the Rijksmuseum and the verdant Vondelpark.
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Design and feel
There is a pleasing grandeur to the entrance, with its columns and judicial crest flanked by Latin mottos. Inside, the challenge for Dutch interiors wizards and Rosewood stalwarts Studio Piet Boon has been to bring warmth and modernity to a listed building whose high ceilings and wide hallways were not intended to feel especially hospitable.
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The results are a triumph of style at scale, with deftly deployed carpets that reveal parts of the terrazzo flooring while reducing their echoing effects, painstakingly restored neo-classical woodwork, and a scheme of rich reds, deep blues and more subtle hues inspired by the old masters at the nearby Rijskmuseum.
The furniture is modern and unshowy and lets the serious modern art collection sing, including pieces from Frank Stella, Maarten Baas and Sterling Ruby.
Dutch landscape artist Piet Oudolf has designed the hotel’s courtyards, while London studio Sagrada has worked wonders with the serene Euwen restaurant and the punkier Advocatuur, a destination bar in the making with its own entrance.
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History and ownership
The palace of justice rose in the 1830s on the site of a 17th century orphanage. For almost two centuries it was the site of criminal trials, perhaps most notably that of Cor van Hout, mastermind of the 1983 kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken. The courts gradually found other locations and in 2013 the city put the whole site up for sale, including a redbrick 1920s wing. Hong Kong-based Rosewood swooped in 2015 with the early support of Aedes, a Dutch property investment firm that has also had a hand in Amsterdam’s outposts of Soho House and The Hoxton.
The city’s increasingly tight planning rules in part explain the 10-year restoration. While Rosewood was not permitted to clean the facade, there was a lot to do inside to make the space work, including a basement to house the spa and the construction of boxes within boxes to create bathrooms inside bedrooms so as to avoid disturbing the building’s venerable bones.
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Who comes here?
A very international crowd, as well as chic Amsterdammers who’ve been waiting a decade to peer through the doors. We’re talking well-remunerated creatives (or folk disguised as such) more likely to be seen in high-end streetwear than designer garb. Unstuffy, quiet-luxury types with stuff to do rather than things to show off.
Rooms and suites
There are six categories across 134 keys, including five “houses”, which can be entirely self-contained with butler service and prices from €6,000 a night. Whatever your level, it pays to nab a canal view (many rooms have bathtubs overlooking the water, from which one can enjoy the novelty of sipping Champagne in one’s own body of water while watching the tourist boats float by).
There’s a rooftop suite with a terrace, and others on the ground floor with towering windows and ceilings. The interiors continue Boon’s tasteful modern complement to the historic building. There are very well-stocked minibars (the ceramic bottle of Clase Azul tequila looks like Delftware in this setting, and is yours for €320) and bath amenities from London-based Votary.
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Food and drink
Eeuwen, the Rosewood’s main restaurant, spills out onto the calm inner courtyard and is really very good. Seafood dominates a changing menu, including an exceptional seabass in ostendaise sauce with mussels and a lipsmacking bisque-like Dutch vissoep (fish soup). The Court occupies the other side of the courtyard with lighter bites, including croque madames and surely the best fries in the city, served with a choice of mayonnaises. Further nods to local cuisine include the delectable tompouce, a custardy Dutch mille-feuille.
At Advocatuur, the darker bar where Rosewood appears to have deployed any staff who have either tattoos or manbuns, the cocktail list is overseen by Yann Bouvignies, the man behind Scarfes at Rosewood London. Panic Station includes mezcal and Provo, a jeneva distilled in a room next to the bar in gleaming copper apparatus named Irene, after a leader in Amsterdam’s 1960s counterculture Provo movement. Better still are the Indian small plates cooked in the bar’s own tandoor ovens (don’t miss the pork belly or the bitterballen, a subcontinental twist on the Dutch croquettes).
Spa, wellness and fitness
The small but perfectly formed Asaya spa occupies part of the basement, with natural light flooding the 12-metre pool through courtyard skylights. There’s a steam room and sauna, a small Technogym-equipped fitness centre and treatment rooms and studios for a full range of massages, skin treatments and personal classes including reformer pilates and lifestyle coaching. The best exercise, of course, is to stroll or pedal around the city (Rosewood has its own bikes and e-bikes, but it’s tempting to sit back for a tour on the hotel’s own 1920s canal cruiser).
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Family friendly?
It’s a grown-up kind of place, but kids are welcome. There are connected rooms, babysitting services and the pool has family time from 2pm to 4pm. Young diners will love many of the Dutch specialities, not least the De Ruijter chocolate sprinkles served on buttered Brioche at breakfast.
Other things to note
Beyond the facade, Rosewood Amsterdam wears its judicial heritage lightly but, if you can swing it, ask for a tour of the old cells during a night at Advocatuur. One of the original doors creaks open to reveal a secret bar where temporary inmates are served Kopstuk, the Rosewood’s version of a Dutch specialty that involves downing a shot of house jeneva, a glass of the hotel’s own beer and a quail’s egg rolled in salt. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Overall
A stellar addition to Amsterdam’s increasingly high-end hotel scene that does justice to a local landmark with Rosewood’s signature style, wit and impeccable service.
Details
- Prices for a double room from €1,200 per night
- Rosewood Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 432 – 436, 1017 KE Amsterdam, Netherlands
- rosewoodhotels.com/en/amsterdam
- Phone: +31 20 722 3300
- amsterdam@rosewoodhotels.com
