Amsterdam is brilliant at many things. Canals, obviously. Art galleries. Bars both upmarket and underground. Other stuff that we perhaps can’t mention here. Cycling, in theory, although navigating the streets as a pedestrian while some bearded tyro whizzes past your shoulder at warp speed is enough to unleash anyone’s inner Clarkson.
We can argue the toss on cycling. But here’s another area where the city unequivocally excels: hotels. Amsterdam has some utterly wonderful hotels. Elegant, airy, possessing award-winning bars and gardens the size of your local park. The discerning visitor is spoilt for choice. (Even more so the undiscerning visitor, but that goes with the territory.)
I was over for the inaugural 50 Best Bars in Europe Awards. Half the city was taken over by the very best of the continental hospitality industry. Pop-ups were everywhere, requiring exploration of numerous hotels – or at the very least their bars. (Tough gig.) So I can vouch for the Amsterdam hospitality scene with a certain hazy authority. I can certainly vouch for the Pulitzer, my favourite of the many hotels I encountered over two days, and not merely because I happened to be staying there.
I arrived early and my room wasn’t ready. No matter – a complimentary beer was arranged and I decamped to the courtyard to spend a very pleasant forty minutes sitting in a deckchair, reading my book. Even by typical Amsterdam standards, the Pulitzer has an especially beautiful courtyard, all open space and greenery, the garden restaurant humming away in the background.
The courtyard
The hotel was founded in 1970 by an American named Peter Pulitzer, grandson of Joseph Pulitzer, the press baron who created the prize. It consists of 25 interconnected canal houses from the 17th and 18th century, now set around leafy courtyards and gardens. There are winding corridors and staircases; trying to apply logic to the room numbers is a fool’s errand. Unsurprisingly, this isn’t the easiest place to navigate, although when the journey is so delightful, who cares if you’re a few minutes late to the destination.
The modern incarnation is largely the vision of Jacu Strauss, creative director of the Lore Group, which owns the hotel today. “Buildings are alive,” Strauss told us in a 2023 interview. “They always need maintenance. It's about looking after something, cherishing something. That's also the beauty of it, because you only get this beautiful result if you’re actually putting that effort into it. Buildings are living things and we have to take care of them and love them.”
The lobby
A vast amount of love and care has gone into the Pulitzer. It manages to be simultaneously playful and spectacular – such as the wall of bicycles by the entrance. The lobby alone is a veritable explosion of colour, from the yellow velvet sofa to gold-framed portraits on blue walls to the copious plants and flowers scattered across the room. Here you’ll find a library filled with Pulitzer-prize winning books.
As you might imagine, the hotel crams an awful lot into its 25 houses – you’ll be grateful for the map provided at reception. The main restaurant is Jansz, offering all-day dining and local ingredients. My friend Mike and I enjoyed a fairly stonking dinner here on Monday evening. Mike is a former editor of Foodism so his seal of approval means a lot more than mine. Jansz got sealed, and then some.
Pulitzer Bar
For starters? Fresh bread, chilled oysters and a plate of shrimp croquettes created by local patisserie Holtkamp. Mike had the chicken breast with potato mousseline and morel sauce, a big warm hug of a dish. I opted for tenderloin served with a lovely decadent Sauce Foyot. We shared the cheesecake for pudding. This is proper food, offering both nourishment and comfort, perfect for people preparing to venture out and drink half the cocktails in Amsterdam.
Happily, the main event that evening was taking place in Pulitzer’s Bar. It’s widely considered one of the best hotel bars in Europe – which is fortunate, considering the great and good of European hospitality had taken it over that Monday evening. (Ain’t nobody boozes like the hospitality industry.) I’ll be honest: I can’t tell you very much about Pulitzer’s Bar. The place was packed, the drinks were flowing and the time for note taking had long passed. However it looks very pretty indeed and hosts one hell of a party.
A suite
The rooms are more than worth the potentially circuitous route to get there. They are playful representations of the wider city. Mine had a vintage writing desk, a drinks trolley and a very large and comfortable bed. It was on the ground floor, directly overlooking the street and the canal beyond – a cool view but remember to draw the curtains before hitting the shower.
The fusion of style and substance should always be celebrated. Amsterdam has it as a city. So does the Pulitzer. Strauss and the Lore Group have delivered a truly delightful hotel, worthy of any prize.
For more information, see Pulitzer Amsterdam
