Die Port van Cleve - Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Careless and clumsy porters, management that brush you off with excuses. I was asked whether I would like my items to be taken to the room by the porter, to which I said yes ( unfortunately ). I was left with ?450.00 worth of damage and when I contacted the management they brushed me off with excuses and said that they take no responsibility for lose or damage which is a joke as it's there staff that course the damage. The rooms are also to hot and do not have air conditioning.

This was my second visit to Die Port Van Cleve, the occasion being to celebrate my girlfriends recent birthday a few weeks ago, after the first visit a few years ago I did not hesitate to return as this had been a most enjoyable stay and I hoped for the same. Unfortunately our the other weekend was far from that and I would have huge reservations about the hotel as a going concern. The following goes through my visit and subsequent problems in chronological order: - My girlfriend and I checked in on Friday evening at about 6pm or so, were greeted by a male member of staff whose name I unfortunately do not recall, I was asked as normal for credit card verification, this appeared to be completed correctly and we were directed to our room. Unfortunately this room was a twin room and was not what I had booked and had confirmation for from my reservation, I had requested a double. This issue was soon rectified and we were moved to room 407. - We were planning to go out that Friday evening and my girlfriend took a shower, when she came out she said the shower was too hot and she had huge difficulty adjusting the temperature correctly having nearly burnt herself on a few occasions. I showered after and found the adjustment on the shower far too sensitive also – I would consider this dangerous. - The next issue we experienced was that the lighting in the room was not sufficient as at least one of the bulbs on the bedside light was blown. - We then went out for some dinner and a few beers during which at approximately 10 - 11pm I got a telephone message from my credit card company that I was to call them immediately. I did so and I was transferred to card security directly, they were considerably concerned about four transactions which had been either attempted or completed from Die Port Van Cleve. The first three transactions attempted to take ?600 from my account, the final attempted a transaction for ?49,883.33. These transactions obviously drew serious attention from the credit card company and they advised to return to the hotel immediately and possibly call the police, following which I should call them back and advise if the card should be cancelled. At this stage they also advised that my credit limit had been exceeded and there were no funds available on my card, I was extremely shocked and rang the hotel immediately. I found and still find it very hard to understand how these four transactions had been required when all I was aware of at check in was a credit verification, i.e. a confirmation that funds were available in my account. At no stage during the check in process was I made aware that a transaction was being completed and at no stage did I authorize by signature or pin that funds should be transferred. I was also very surprised at the figure of the transactions, at ?600 this was ?130 more than my room rate less local tax? This is aside from the fact that four different transactions were attempted on the card and a final transaction of ?49883.33? but I am struggling to understand why and how this was used a payment amount? In any case after a discussion with the hotel there was little I could do that evening and was more than extremely annoyed. - Not least because I would be unable to use my credit card for dinner and for the remainder of my time in Amsterdam. - There was a final surprise on this visit for my girlfriend which again was a complete embarrassment, this happened on Saturday evening. I had gone downstairs for a beer before going out for dinner, she was getting ready to go out and while looking for a shoe she came across a used condom sitting under our bed. She immediately came down stairs to let me know and I made Nina aware of the situation. This was something that I would hope to never encounter anywhere let alone in a 4* hotel room. At this stage I also made Nina aware of the lighting and shower problems in the room, she said there was little she could do at that time aside from remove the condom. The only gesture during our entire stay in the hotel was that we were offered a late check out on Sunday and this was only after I had asked what time I could check out! At no time during the stay was a manager made available to discuss the situation, I subsequently found out that one was available for a period on Saturday afternoon from Christa during check out but he/she was not directed toward me? I am shocked that this would not have been a priority given the level of incompetency and carelessness shown with my credit card. I cannot say how embarrassed and annoyed I was during the weekend, I recommended this hotel to my girlfriend and told her it would be more than suitable for our stay in Amsterdam for her birthday celebration. Nearly as annoying was the inconvenience of having to pay cash for the weekend and also the fact I was also hoping to buy some items during our visit in Amsterdam but as my credit card limit was exceeded this was impossible. At this stage the more I think about it the more I am annoyed. This is not what I would expect from a 4* hotel anywhere in the world let alone in Europe. DO NOT CONSIDER THIS HOTEL IF STAYING IN AMSTERDAM. I have since been in contact with one of the managers and am now waiting over two weeks for an appropriate compensation for this shambles of a stay.... they seem totally incompetent.