Type Luxury Hotel Town or city Amsterdam Opened May 2014 | Address Herengracht 542-556 Country Netherlands | |
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Hotel chain Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts | ||
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is a five-star luxury hotel in Amsterdam, part of Hilton Worldwide.
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Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam was opened on May 1, 2014. It is the 25th hotel of the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. It is located at Herengracht 542-556, between the Utrechtsestraat and Reguliersgracht, on the UNESCO heritage protected Herengracht (Gentlemen’s canal).
The hotel has a historical exterior comprising six monumental 17th and 18th century double-front canal palaces featuring a staircase built by the architect of Louis XIV, Daniel Marot. There are 93 rooms and suites overlooking the city's canal or the courtyard garden. The interior is designed by GA Design from London.
History of buildings
Herengracht 542 and 544 building were built in 1687 under one roof. Herengracht 542 was home of Arent van der Wayen and his family for about 120 years. No. 544 was originally occupied by Jan Somer Nicolaes and then in 1740 changed its owner to Joan Hubert van Meel, until it was bought by Josephus Augustinus Brentano in 1789.
In 1672 Herengracht 546 was built for Mr. William Sautijn. The house remained in his family for a long time, until 1921, when the firm Wm. H. Muller & Co., founded by the German Wilhelm Müller, located there.
Herengracht 548, 550 and 552 were built in 1665. Number 548 was for Cornelis Backer, former board ships and, number 550 for mayor Henry Hooft Gerritsz and No. 552 for Dirck van der Waeijen. In 1920, 548 and 550 were combined and converted into an office. Number 548 remained in the family until 1720, then it was sold to Nicholas Witsen and in 1747 to Gerrit Hooft Danielsz.
Herengracht 554 was built in 1666 as a double house. In 1716 the former mayor Quirijn van Strijen moved to live there, and in 1741 his son Jacob followed him. The building changed owners over the years as follows - Nicolaes Geelvinck lived there after 1756, until 1770 when the house was sold to Mr. Mayor William Huygens.
Herengracht 556 was built in 1670 and it was also a double house and Henry Hooft was the principal. In 1738 the two houses were replaced by the current building, where merchant James Loten moved. In 1930 it became a branch of the National Life Insurance. They allowed the restoration of the facade.
Restaurants
The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam offers several dining options. The first restaurant opened in the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is called Librije's Zusje (Amsterdam). It is a fine dining restaurant that is awarded two Michelin star for 2015. Sidney Schutte is a former chef of "De Librije" and Librije's Zusje in Zwolle, returned to the Netherlands from Hong Kong, where he worked in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental.