What I Liked
- Charming Canal-Side Location
- Decent Asian Food restaurant on site
- Excellent upgrade as an IHG Platinum
- Decent price paid
- Breakfast was better than expected
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I had a terrific one night stay at the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South. The hotel exceeded my expectations on pretty much every count. The hotel occupies a charming canal side location to the south of the centre. I received fantastic elite benefits, including an upgrade to a suite. I also paid a pretty good rate to stay at the hotel.
This hotel is a classy business hotel and a good option if you’re visiting Amsterdam.
At €178 for a family room, the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam offered value that made my jaw drop — especially compared to the €580 the Intercontinental charged on the same night. The real magic, though, was the location. Yes, the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam is south of the city centre, but Amsterdam Zuid station sits five minutes' walk away, and from there a direct train takes you to the airport in six minutes flat. That's transport connectivity most hotels dream of.
The hotel's ground floor is split between an Asian restaurant called Happyhappyjoyjoy and a cocktail bar — a useful split when you're travelling with family and want proper food without hotel prices. Breakfast was solid for a four-star hotel, though I'll be honest: it was perfectly edible rather than inspired. What DID impress me was the tea selection. Ten different herbal teas. I tried the sencha green tea and actually enjoyed it, not just tolerated it.
The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam sits in that weird middle ground — too upscale to be a Holiday Inn, but not fancy enough to be an Intercontinental. Which is precisely where it wins. It's a business hotel, built for the suit crowd, but that design discipline makes it work for families too. No unnecessary frills. No pretence. Just a well-run machine with a canal view.
Getting from Amsterdam airport to the hotel is half the battle with any trip. Welcome Picks and other booking tools on my Recommended Resources page cover this kind of transfer, along with everything else I actually use when I travel.
I paid €178 for a family room with breakfast. The room was booked in a sale and it represented excellent value in my opinion. Especially since there were 4 of us staying in the room. As a point of comparison, The Intercontinental Amsterdam costs €580 on the same date.
I have platinum status with IHG and was richly rewarded on this occasion, with an upgrade to a suite. We also received drinks vouchers for 3 guests. We got about €10 of value from this. I had a couple of beers and my wife had a soft drink.
Probably the best experience of an IHG drinks voucher was at the Intercontinental Paris, where they gave us champagne and canopies.
At the Crowne Plaza. What you get: a well-run, comfortable hotel five minutes from Amsterdam Zuid station. Direct train to Schiphol takes six minutes.
For a short-stay base, that's brilliant value.
The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South is a couple of miles south of the city centre. Don't let that put you off — the location is excellent. The hotel sits on a canal with modern buildings all around. It's peaceful without feeling isolated.
Amsterdam Zuid train station is just a five-minute walk from the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam.
Getting to the airport is remarkably quick. There's a direct train from Zuid station that takes six minutes. Honestly, it's quicker than the journey through some hotel foyers.
From the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam to the city centre, you've got options. The metro from Zuid station gets you there in one or two stops. Or if you fancy walking, it's about 30 minutes on foot — perfectly doable if the weather's playing along.
The canals right outside your hotel are the real soul of Amsterdam. Wander the south and west neighbourhoods, follow the water, and you'll pass beautiful old buildings, charming bridges, and houseboats. It's the cheapest, best way to see what makes the city magical.
Amsterdam Canal Cruise in an Open Boat Book your ticket here for $21. Rated 4.9* from nearly 6,000 reviews. You drift along the canals with unlimited drinks — a relaxing way to see Amsterdam from the water without walking your legs off.
Guided Bike Tour of Amsterdam's Highlights Book your bike tour here for $46. Rated 4.9* from nearly 4,500 reviews. This is how locals get around Amsterdam, and a guide will show you the highlights without you getting hopelessly lost. Just watch out — Amsterdam cyclists are fearless.
Amsterdam Red Light District Walking Tour Book your walking tour here for $29. Rated 4.8* from nearly 500 reviews. It's a cultural tour of one of Amsterdam's most famous neighbourhoods — you'll learn the real history, not just what you've heard.
The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South is a couple of miles south of the city centre. Because it’s not in the very centre of the city, the prices are more reasonable. However, I would still say that the location is excellent. Amsterdam Zuid train station is 5 minutes walk. A direct train takes you to the airport in six (yes six!) minutes. The metro also goes to Zuid station, and it’s one or two stops into the centre of the city. Alternatively, you can walk for 30 minutes into the centre.
The location of the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam is also lovely. It sits on a canal (we got a nice corner room with canal view). The area is filled with modern buildings.
The hotel itself is pretty nice. Definitely a business hotel, and not a place to spend too much time. The ground floor has an Asian restaurant (Happyhappyjoyjoy), where breakfast was also served. There was also a cocktail bar on the ground floor. I had an excellent Old Fashioned from the bar.
I felt like the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam was a perfect example of what a Crowne Plaza should be. As an IHG branded hotel, Crowne Plaza is in a bit of a weird place. They tend to be higher spec than a Holiday Inn. However, they’re not good enough to be an Intercontinental, which tend to be IHG’s flagship hotel in a city. This hotel hits that sweet spot perfectly.
The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South has two dining options, both on the ground floor.
Happyhappyjoyjoy is the Asian restaurant and breakfast venue. The breakfast offerings were solid if a little bland, but the tea selection — ten different herbal teas — was genuinely impressive, and I actually enjoyed the sencha green tea.
The cocktail bar sits alongside the restaurant. I had an excellent Old Fashioned.
I received an excellent upgrade to a corner suite with canal view. It’s one of the best upgrades that I’ve had at an IHG hotel. The suite had the following features:
The water view from my Crowne Plaza Amsterdam room was really nice. Both sides of the room had windows, so it was bathed in natural light. The suite itself was good too, although it was more of a junior suite rather a one-bed suite. There was a living area with a two-seater sofa – made into a bed for our visit. There was a partition between the living area and the bedroom that could be closed for privacy. However, the living area and the bedroom area were definitely in the same room.
I was really impressed with the tea and coffee facilities. There was a selection of luxury teas. I tried a green tea and a chamomile tea, and enjoyed them both. There was a rather swanky looking coffee machine. However I couldn’t get it to work! As I was only staying one night, I didn’t bother to ask the staff how to use it!
The bathroom was nice too. There was a separate shower and a bath. I used both during my stay at the hotel.
Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam was served in the ground floor restaurant. The spread was pretty good for a four-star hotel. The offerings included:
I had pancakes, potato pancakes and mushrooms. The food was perfectly edible, if a little bland.
The tea selection was also massively impressive. They had a selection of 10 different herbal teas. I tried the sencha green tea and was genuinely impressed — unusual for hotel tea service.
The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South is a tidy hotel close to the centre of Amsterdam. The location on the side of the canal is really pretty and the hotel offers decent food options. I was fortunate enough to get an excellent upgrade to a suite too.
Book the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam if you're chasing value and convenience. At €178, you're paying roughly a third of Intercontinental Amsterdam — and getting a well-run, comfortable hotel with genuinely excellent airport access. The six-minute train to Schiphol from nearby Zuid station is a genuine win.
It's a business hotel with dated décor, built for efficiency over leisure. For a short stay or transit base, the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam delivers exactly what you need at the right price. For Amsterdam ambience and a destination experience, you'll want to look elsewhere.