Ambassade Hotel
Unique writer's hotel where everything is different, and nothing is ever straight
What company does not hold customer satisfaction in high regard? And, who can say it had a hotel room repainted to satisfy a regular customer? For the Ambassade Hotel (4-star), it's as special as it is logical, because quality and service reign supreme in the 17th-century canal house: from the art in the 55 rooms to Anker Stuy's sustainable paint.
Of the more than four hundred hotels in Amsterdam, the Embassy Hotel is one of the most unique. Not a hotel chain with identical rooms that you can find everywhere, but a special family business in which truly no two hotel rooms are the same. And they are proud of it. There are customers who return to the hotel on the Herengracht and Singel for over 25 years – only to book the same hotel room over and over again.
It’s a nice compliment for Ireen Wyers, who, as project manager, is responsible for the hotel’s interior design and decoration, which includes the art. “I have been working here for a very long time and feel very connected with the company.” Ireen. “The location here is beautiful, the canal houses are absolutely amazing. Every hotel naturally wants to do well in terms of appearance, maintenance and service, but I think the Embassy Hotel always goes the extra mile.”
Peter Veenstra, as head of technical services, can attest to that. “When I came here, they told me I could get involved in everything. Well, I love that!” Peter smiles. “That also ensures that we all ‘guard’ the special rooms we have – no two rooms are alike. And everyone can come up with ideas for that, too. Everything is different and nothing is ever straight, which makes the work very fascinating and special.”
"What appealed to us about Anker Stuy is what they do in terms of sustainability. For the paint inside, it's mostly bio-based and we think that's especially important inside for another additional reason. Because the hotel is almost always fully booked, the room goes back up very quickly. Then you don't want the hotel guest to notice that the room was painted just before."
- Peter Veenstra (Head of technical services)
Pleasure resort for art and book lovers
However, with quality and service you don’t make it on your own, Ireen knows, you have to stand out. That’s why the owner started collecting CoBra artworks some 25 years ago. “He always thought that was an interesting art direction and now we own more than eight hundred CoBra works.”
“Modern art combined with the old canals and historical property-who doesn’t like that! The art gives depth to the hotel, which is incredibly nice. Guests interested in art and culture therefore like to come to the Embassy Hotel. Upon request, guests can take a tour of the art in the hotel, combined with a visit to historical and cultural highlights in Amsterdam if they wish.”
Besides art, books also play an important role which is why the Embassy Hotel is also called the ‘Writers’ Hotel.’ There are more than five thousand – author-signed – books posted in the ‘Library Bar.’ “The publishing houses all used to be in buildings along the canal,” Peter explains. “The owner of the hotel had good contacts with these publishing houses and thus laid the foundation for what the ‘Writers’ Hotel’ is today. As soon as writers from home or abroad published a new book, they were hosted at the Embassy Hotel for promotion.” And that is still going on today.
There are also books in which the Embassy Hotel figures. “Arnon Grünberg stayed here very often, who mentioned the hotel once in his books,” Peter continued. “The Putter (English: The Goldfinch) by American writer Donna Tartt is even partially set in the Embassy Hotel. Although I’m a techie, you get to experience a lot of the art and cultural world as well. There are also regular book launches or interviews with the writers at the hotel. Those are fun things.”
Durable quality
In the constant search for quality improvement for the hotel, Peter came in contact last year with Chris de Bruin, account manager at Anker Stuy.
“The exterior paint is linseed oil-based and we really like that too. After all, we take care of 16th-century national monuments. Those buildings have been there for four hundred years and we can say we actually have them on loan for a while now. We have to take very good care of them so that they can be passed on to future generations. Proper maintenance and regular painting are part of that.”
Within the Ambassade Group, which besides the hotel also includes an art gallery, brasserie, book and art store, wellness center and publishing house, Patrick van Adrichem handles most of the painting work. “Thanks to him, the quality has also gone up further, which you can see inside and outside the hotel,” Peter compliments. “I don’t think it’s important how fast you paint that staircase, but rather how carefully and with how much craftsmanship you do it. You always see that in the end.”
With Anker Stuy’s quality paint, the maintenance interval has also been increased. “That has gone from five to seven years. The gloss stays on it much longer. These are things that appeal to us enormously. A green door like that by the canal, you should be able to comb your hair in it. That’s how it should shine. That’s just the way it should be.”
Ireen can only agree: “It is so important that everything looks good. It just has to be. This is such heritage, you have to treat it so carefully, it’s your duty.” Peter: “Fortunately the owner sees it the same way. We sometimes wait a while before doing maintenance, but eventually it does happen. Scaffolding the building, doing remedial repairs to the wall, to the woodwork, that also involves quite a bit of money.”
Playing with art and color
Since the hotel first opened its doors in 1953, there has always been a focus on special art and matching colours. “The person who founded the hotel was very good with decorating,” says Ireen. “Back in the 1960s, he worked a lot with combining distinct colors. The basic idea is to mix modern and old. Together with our interior designer, we are building on that concept.”
“For example, the armchairs are in the style of Louis the 16th and we then upholster them with modern and colourful fabrics. Each room is different, very individualistic. Even the colour of the paint in the room is chosen individually. A lot of hotels are beautiful, but I think sometimes they look a little similar. A lot is taupe (gray-brown shade, MK). That in itself is beautiful, but we have our own signature and that’s really nice.”
Peter: “It sometimes happens that a room is too pronounced. For example, there was one all pink,” Peter laughs. Ireen: “Yeah, I wouldn’t be so quick to do that now either. The room even had pink beams.”
"This is how far our service goes"
When it’s time for a makeover of one of the rooms, a careful search for the right art and colours begins. “You design the room and then you look for a matching painting with that. We have so much art, you can always find something to go with it.” One familiar room in the hotel has Indian Yellow as its base, a warm yet distinct color. “That yellow colour appears in the sofas and chairs of that room, and we then embroider on that.”
As the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste, but there are always exceptions. “A returning guest from England, who is now 96 years old, still stays with us regularly. He has had a very adventurous life, and a great sense of humor. Several times he told us he didn’t like the fact that we had made the beams in ‘his’ room pink. After the third time he had spent the night in the room, we repainted the beams. That’s how far our service goes,” laughs Ireen.
Sustainability
The commitment to quality in all areas ensures that the Embassy Hotel has been found by guests from all over the world for decades. Guests looking for art, culture, outstanding service and beautifully decorated and maintained hotel rooms. And who attach great importance to sustainability. In the travel and tourism industry, obtaining Green Globe certification is an important sustainability hallmark. The Embassy Hotel has been meeting the (ever increasing) requirements for six years now.
Of course, the fact that the canal house dates from the 16th century is already a sign of things to come. “How durable do you want it to be? They’ve been around that long,” Peter laughs. “Now we have to start meeting new energy requirements. That will be our next challenge. The hotel consists of all sorts of National Monuments and you can’t put double glazing in those, for example. We are now working on back-glazing. I don’t like that the most but it’s the only thing allowed.”
“It does ensure that the room is more energy efficient and also in terms of noise from the street it makes a big difference to the hotel guest,” said Peter, who takes Green Globe certification very seriously. “It does mean that you have to continuously improve. It’s not like: you’re good and you’ll stay that way. No, you’re expected to continuously improve. And we want that ourselves. So if there is then an opportunity to do business with a more sustainable paint supplier, we grab it with both hands.”
“That’s how we try to take steps every time,” Peter said. “We are obliged to do that, but we also like that. There are big steps to take, but also many small steps in between. It’s a way of life.”
Paint shop Anker Stuy
The following products were used in the maintenance of the Amabassade Hotel:
Project information
The 4-star Ambassade Hotel is at once special and self-evident: in the 17th-century canal houses, quality and service are the focus, from the art in the 55 rooms to the sustainable paint by Anker Stuy.
PROJECT
Embassy Hotel
Segment
Professional painters
Location
Amsterdam, NL
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Here's what customers think of us
Working with Hydrolux allows us to produce more in less time. This increases our capacity and therefore efficiency.
Rick van Houten
Director
The cooperation with Anker Stuy Coatings allows us to expand our product range with innovative and durable spray paints.
Alex van Kuilenberg
Director
The team at Anker Stuy is always available for questions and actively thinks along with us. If there is something new that may be of interest to us, they discuss it with us immediately.
Boudewijn Hosmus
Founder
Anchor Stuy's Duracare Spray saves me mostly time, in addition to a sleek, scratchy and smooth finish.
Gert-Jan van Alst
Professional painter
