QO Amsterdam Review - please, please don't be boring!

The QO Hotel Amsterdam is located 5 metro stops from Amsterdam Centraal to the South-east in an area full of new developments. QO is one of the soft brands that IHG has added to its portfolio. It has a similar demographic targeting as the W Hotels (now part of Marriott).

The QO occupies on a 14-floor tower just across from a hardware store and a McDonald's drive-through. For the check-in, you'll have to take the elevator to the second floor where a number of uber-hip and stern young ladies standing around a Christmas tree with their iPad's. There is no signs and no mention of any IHG loyalty program. The whole scene could be from a Google on-campus conference.

We had used a free night certificate instead of paying $350++ for the room rate just before New Year's Eve in Amsterdam. After a few minutes - room key in hand we ascended upwards to our corner room.

The room indeed was a stunning two-room affair with a huge bathroom. Both rooms had a floor to ceiling windows and gave a 180-degree view of Amsterdam. Amsterdam winters come with plenty low low clouds and despite the huge windows very little light actually came into the room. At night there were automated window shades darkening the room.

All the room amenities could be regulated from a bedside iPad (yes someone is an Apple proponent in that business). The bed was a tad too soft for what I liked but it was huge and came with soft, perfectly silky linen.

The Internet was stable and fast and about 10 Mbit - not great for Amsterdam but perfectly fine for any work.

It was also very quiet in the room due it's good insulation and sheer space to the next-door neighbor. The only room for improvement would be the ice-cold floors - the AC would heat the room no problem but the tiles were freezing at all times and made using the bathroom and parts of the room uncomfortable.

For my IHG status, I receive free drinks at the bar. It's not just a hotel bar it is a stunning, indoor hotel bar with views all over Amsterdam. It serves food as well and had a fantastic ambiance to it.

In summary, I liked this hotel quite a bit - the uber-millennial attitudes are a bit off-putting but the room amenities are fantastic. The QO certainly is unique and adds a quirk to most hotel routines and manages this better than the W hotels which have a superb design but fail at the most basic tasks in an epic fashion. If you can find room rate under $180 give the QO Amsterdam Hotel a try.