Amsterdam Hilton Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Amsterdam Hilton Hotel is a five star hotel in Apollobuurt
, Amsterdam
, in the Netherlands. It is located at Apollolaan 138 along the Noorder Amstelkanaal, a canal connected to the Amstel
river. The hotel opened officially in 1962 and is a branch of the Hilton Hotels
chain. It is famous for John Lennon
and Yoko Ono
's "Bed-In
" for peace which was staged in 1969 to protest the Vietnam War
and other conflict.
, the Concert Hall and Amsterdam's prestigious Van Gogh Museum
and Rijksmuseum. Closer attractions include Christie's auction house and the elegant shops of Cornelis Schuytstraat which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. To the rear, the hotel terraces, and a marina overlooks the Amstel Canal
. The hotel lies approximately 15 minutes by road from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
.
The Hilton Hotel was established in 1958 and was designed by the architect Hugh Aart Maaskant. The hotel is built in a V-shape, to emphasize the two major urban axes that intersect the Apollolaan and Minerva Avenue. The hotel opened officially on May 9, 1962 and is the first hotel in the Netherlands from an international hotel chain. Between 1996 and 1998, the hotel was completely renovated, which won it an international hotel prize. The lobby was designed by the American architect Peter Ellis
of the Bureau SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). Ellis has also designed the building next to the Hilton Hotel, now in use by estate agent DTZ
. Roberto Payer is the current director of the hotel.
A number of notable deaths have occurred in the hotel area, such as the murder of the drug lord Klaas Bruinsma
in 1991, in the Breitnerstraat, next to the hotel. In 2001 rock star and artist Herman Brood
committed suicide
by jumping off the roof of the hotel at the age of 54.
Extensively covered by the national media in the Netherlands, Brood's casket was driven from the Hilton hotel to Paradiso
, Amsterdam, and the streets were lined with thousands of spectators.
Knowing their March 20, 1969 marriage in Gibraltar
would be a major press event, John and Yoko decided to use the publicity to promote world peace
. They spent their honeymoon in the presidential suite (Room #902) at the hotel in a "Bed-In
" for a week between March 25 and 31 1969, inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Amsterdam art dealer Nico Koster was invited by Lennon himself for a solo shoot. Koster unearthed the lost negatives of these historic pictures in March 2009. The couple were sitting in bed in Room 702 of the hotel in Lennon's words "like Angels", discussing peace with signs over their bed reading "Hair Peace" and "Bed Peace". After seven days, they flew to Vienna
, Austria, where they held a Bagism
press conference.The hotel and event is mentioned in the song The Ballad of John and Yoko where he mentions Amsterdam Hilton by name and uses the following words: "…the news people said: Hey, what you doin' in bed? I said: We're only tryin' to get us some peace!".
The deluxe rooms are typically 25m²/269sq.ft rooms with large, opening windows and views either overlooking the city or the canal. The executive rooms are the same size. Notable rooms include the King Executive Plus Room, the King Hilton Deluxe Plus, The King Hilton Executive Room, the Queen Hilton Deluxe Room, the Queen Hilton Executive Room, and the Twin Hilton Deluxe Plus, Deluxe and Executive rooms.
The hotel has a manned business center and 21 meeting rooms with modern equipment. The garden of the hotel overlooks the riverside. The hotel has a number of notable restaurants such as Roberto's Restaurant, which caters in Italian cuisine
, and the Half Moon Lounge, designed by Ralph Lauren, overlooking the marina, which serves exquisite cocktails. The Italian restaurant has won awards and is considered one of the finest in the Netherlands, according to gourmet critics. The Issimo café serves espressos or panini's at the Hilton Amsterdam hotel and offers a takeaway menu and gourmet gifts for sale. The hotel also offers a bicycle service.
Apollobuurt
Apollobuurt is a neighborhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It covers an area of 94.63 hectares and had 8096 inhabitants on January 1, 2005.The neighborhood is characterized by a spacious and luxurious design. The streets are named after Greek legends, painters and composers. The main east-west...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, in the Netherlands. It is located at Apollolaan 138 along the Noorder Amstelkanaal, a canal connected to the Amstel
Amstel
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. The river's name is derived from Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water"....
river. The hotel opened officially in 1962 and is a branch of the Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
chain. It is famous for John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
's "Bed-In
Bed-In
During the Vietnam War, in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal, which were their non-violent ways of protesting wars and promoting peace...
" for peace which was staged in 1969 to protest the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and other conflict.
History
The Amsterdam Hilton is located at Apollolaan 138 in the Oud-Zuid district of Amsterdam. It is located near VondelparkVondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th...
, the Concert Hall and Amsterdam's prestigious Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world.-Background:...
and Rijksmuseum. Closer attractions include Christie's auction house and the elegant shops of Cornelis Schuytstraat which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. To the rear, the hotel terraces, and a marina overlooks the Amstel Canal
Amstel
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. The river's name is derived from Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water"....
. The hotel lies approximately 15 minutes by road from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ) is the Netherlands' main international airport, located 20 minutes southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order...
.
The Hilton Hotel was established in 1958 and was designed by the architect Hugh Aart Maaskant. The hotel is built in a V-shape, to emphasize the two major urban axes that intersect the Apollolaan and Minerva Avenue. The hotel opened officially on May 9, 1962 and is the first hotel in the Netherlands from an international hotel chain. Between 1996 and 1998, the hotel was completely renovated, which won it an international hotel prize. The lobby was designed by the American architect Peter Ellis
Peter Ellis
Peter Ellis may refer to:*Peter Ellis , architect who designed the Oriel Chambers in Liverpool*Peter Ellis , actor in The Bill*Peter Ellis , British television director...
of the Bureau SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). Ellis has also designed the building next to the Hilton Hotel, now in use by estate agent DTZ
DTZ
DTZ is a global real estate adviser headquartered in London, employing over 10,000 people in 148 cities in 43 countries, operating in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and the Americas....
. Roberto Payer is the current director of the hotel.
A number of notable deaths have occurred in the hotel area, such as the murder of the drug lord Klaas Bruinsma
Klaas Bruinsma (drug lord)
Klaas Bruinsma was a major Dutch drug lord, shot to death by mafia member and former police officer Martin Hoogland...
in 1991, in the Breitnerstraat, next to the hotel. In 2001 rock star and artist Herman Brood
Herman Brood
Hermanus "Herman" Brood was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality. Initially a musician who achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and called "the Netherlands' greatest and only rock 'n' roll star," later in life he became a well-known painter.Known for his...
committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by jumping off the roof of the hotel at the age of 54.
Extensively covered by the national media in the Netherlands, Brood's casket was driven from the Hilton hotel to Paradiso
Paradiso (Amsterdam)
Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije...
, Amsterdam, and the streets were lined with thousands of spectators.
Bed-In for Peace
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
would be a major press event, John and Yoko decided to use the publicity to promote world peace
World peace
World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...
. They spent their honeymoon in the presidential suite (Room #902) at the hotel in a "Bed-In
Bed-In
During the Vietnam War, in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal, which were their non-violent ways of protesting wars and promoting peace...
" for a week between March 25 and 31 1969, inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Amsterdam art dealer Nico Koster was invited by Lennon himself for a solo shoot. Koster unearthed the lost negatives of these historic pictures in March 2009. The couple were sitting in bed in Room 702 of the hotel in Lennon's words "like Angels", discussing peace with signs over their bed reading "Hair Peace" and "Bed Peace". After seven days, they flew to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria, where they held a Bagism
Bagism
Bagism is a term which was created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as part of their extensive peace campaign in the late 1960s. The intent of bagism was to satirize prejudice and stereotyping. Bagism involved literally wearing a bag over one's entire body...
press conference.The hotel and event is mentioned in the song The Ballad of John and Yoko where he mentions Amsterdam Hilton by name and uses the following words: "…the news people said: Hey, what you doin' in bed? I said: We're only tryin' to get us some peace!".
Suites and catering
The Amsterdam Hilton contains 271 rooms all of which are air-conditioned. The interior of the newly refurbished rooms is designed by Nobilis Paris. The hotels facilities include a hairdresser, a bar area and several terraces. The Hotel is noted for its high-scale parties. The Amsterdam Hilton is completely non-smoking, complying with legislation in the area. The rooms are divided between standard Dutch-style suites and the deluxe and executive rooms. Notable suites include the John and Yoko suite, the King Hilton Junior suite, the King Neptune suite, the Presidential suite, the Queen Hilton Junior suite, the twin Hilton Junior suite, and the Royal suite. The John and Yoko suite is a luxury 50m²/538sq.ft suite with a king-sized bed with Egyptian linen, and is decorated with memorabilia related to the couple.The deluxe rooms are typically 25m²/269sq.ft rooms with large, opening windows and views either overlooking the city or the canal. The executive rooms are the same size. Notable rooms include the King Executive Plus Room, the King Hilton Deluxe Plus, The King Hilton Executive Room, the Queen Hilton Deluxe Room, the Queen Hilton Executive Room, and the Twin Hilton Deluxe Plus, Deluxe and Executive rooms.
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
, and the Half Moon Lounge, designed by Ralph Lauren, overlooking the marina, which serves exquisite cocktails. The Italian restaurant has won awards and is considered one of the finest in the Netherlands, according to gourmet critics. The Issimo café serves espressos or panini's at the Hilton Amsterdam hotel and offers a takeaway menu and gourmet gifts for sale. The hotel also offers a bicycle service.