French Elegance in the Dutch Cultural Heritage

The French architect Sybille de Margerie - who is famous for the Parisian Hôtel de Crillon among other things - drew much of her stylish design inspiration from the lively colours of the famous mural by COBRA artist Karel Appel, which is displayed in the restaurant area. She also used natural, luxurious materials, such as mahogany, marble and stalwart steel.

The hotel is now a blend of French elegance and Dutch style elements. The tulip and the butterfly are, for instance, returning themes, and the natural light is given all the space it needs in order to weave its magic within the city palace. The rich history is, as expected, incorporated into the new architectural details in many ways. The students of the Design Academy of Eindhoven used famous persons from the history of the building as a source of inspiration: their creative contributions with historical influences was draped across the 177 rooms including 52 suites. This evolution definitely contributes to the ‘human aspects’ which are always seen to belong to a top hotel. With the upcoming addition of a butler service as well as the leisure facilities So SPA and So FIT, the hotel is absolutely breathtaking.

Innovation - while retaining the soul of a historic site - can also be seen from the renovation of the 17 monumental banqueting rooms, including the ones in The Princenhof. All have natural daylight and are equipped with the latest technical facilities, following Sofitel’s INSPIRED MEETINGS concept.

The Grand has a total of 177 rooms including 52 suites, offering a view over the typically Amsterdam canals. All rooms have an individual interior, often in restful natural colours like beige, lilac and off-white and using natural materials such as mahogany, marble and robust steel. The use of brick for some of the walls is a reference to the Dutch Classicist Style.

De Margerie has collaborated very closely on the design of the rooms with 9 students of the renowned Eindhoven Design Academy. Works of the Dutch Droog Design group have also been used in the refurbishment, e.g. functional furniture is presented as a piece of art.

Hotel Services: Valet parking, on-site parking available. All rooms have a spacious bathroom, MyBed sleeping concept, audible smoke alarms, Air conditioning, Satellite TV receiving all major international channels, multiple telephones, Bose sound system, WiFi wireless Internet access, Hermes luxury products in bath room, Nespresso Coffee/Tea machine, Minibar, 24-hour Room Service, nightly turn-down service.