ITC - Amsterdam, Netherlands     

ITC budget hotel in Amsterdam. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there in the past, so when my wife and I returned to Amsterdam we decided to stay at ITC. When we arrived, I was disappointed at the changes. While it claims to cater to the gay and lesbian travelers, it is owned and operated by a Chinese family. We made our reservations 6 months ahead of time. We were coming in on a red eye and would be arriving at mid morning. We emailed the hotel and asked if we could make arrangements to check in early. We were told there would be no problem; however upon our arrival we were not allowed to check in early. When we showed the desk clerk/manager the email granting us permission to check in that morning, he laughed and said, “Oh she doesn’t work here anymore. Too bad.” When we finally checked in we were put in the smallest room in the back. The only window was in the shower which opened out on a construction site. To say the least we were very disappointed, as we made reservations well in advanced and even mentioned we were repeat guests. We did complain and we were given a much larger room at the same price, but both rooms’ beds were almost unusable they were so broken down and uncomfortable. Plus, we had to request for clean sheets for the bed, as the ones on the bed were obviously dirty. There web site (which is from previous owners of hotel) is now extremely misleading. There is NO bar. The internet access available to guest is dial up. The breakfast, which is 7euros extra, is not what is advertised at web site. No eggs. No Swedish crackers. No assortment of meats. The breakfast is a choice of 2 cold cereals, some sliced cheese and meat. Coffee and orange juice. The breakfast foods looked stale and left over from days before. They advertise 24 porn; however, it is one channel with the same boring, two men replaying over and over. While the staff is courteous, they don’t have a clue about being in the hospitality business. I am a budget traveler and have stayed in many budget hotels. I know what I can expect. ITC has a fresh coat of paint inside, but I have a feeling it’s going down hill from here. I wish I had not ignored the reviews I read before going. I had such a positive experience in the past, I was sure our stay would be just fine. All I can say is, “I wish I had heeded the warnings.” So dear traveler, I would strongly suggest you stay somewhere else. There are plenty of terrific hotels and hostels in that city.

ITC hotel is a small hotel beside Prinsengracht canal in downtown Amsterdam. It is very conveniently located near a great eating area with cuisine from all over the world, the tram stops right outside and the price is very good for such a central area . Before booking over the internet we read several unfavourable reviews and hesitated ,however we were very pleased we proceeded with our booking. We found the hotel to offer all it advertised on its web site and were more than satisfied, considering the great location and compaable prices on the canals in Amsterdam The room was fine in all respects . Clean, good bedding and PLEANTY of hot water. If you want to stay in a typical Dutch house then expect typical Duth staircase.It is unreasonable for anyone to expect 5 star accommodation at 2 star prices. Be realistic. If you are a traveller make the most of the experience and enjoy. .