Paul Revel LONDON HEATHROW MARRIOTT
THE BATH ROAD-LOCATED HOTEL COMPLETED A HI-TECH MULTIMILLION- POUND REFURB of its 1,800sqm conference spaces in May. It is 15-20 minutes to Heathrow T2 and T3 via the Hoppa Bus airport shuttle service (£9 return) and slightly quicker by taxi. The hotel also offers park-and-fly packages. The 1999-built property features a five-storey glass fronted atrium.
ROOMS: 391 rooms in three categories (plus two suites). Superior and Executive rooms include complimentary wifi, but in Deluxe rooms basic wifi costs £9.99 per 24 hours. Executive also includes entry to the Club on the ground floor, which serves complimentary buffet hot breakfast, snacks and soft drinks all day, and canapés, wine and beer in the evening. Rooms have smart, no-nonsense styling and feature workspace, coffee- and tea-making facilities, flatscreen TVs, iron/ironing board and Acca Kappa toiletries.
RESTAURANTS & BARS: Allie’s American Grille is the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is excellent: the comprehensive menu includes delicious 35-day aged steaks, served with a complimentary ‘bread’ basket – actually a giant fluffy Yorkshire pudding served with butter and fresh horseradish sauce. The wide-ranging buffet breakfast is also first-rate, with live-stations for eggs to order. There’s also the fine-dining Tuscany Ristorante, and rugby-themed sports bar The Sevens.
Bath Road, Heathrow airport, Hayes UB3 5AN Tel: +44 208 990 1100 •
marriott.co.uk
MEETINGS & EVENTS: The new conference facilities have stylish aviation-themed decor and latest technology. The 14 flexible meeting spaces, named after famous aviators, are equipped with ‘clickshare’ – USB attachments that simply and wirelessly display your laptop screen on the large wall-mounted LED flatscreens. There are write-on walls with wipe-away marker pens, plenty of natural light, and comfortable designer furniture in social and breakout spaces. The main Lindberg Suite ballroom can hold 480 theatre-style.
LEISURE: The gym is open 24 hours and features Life Fitness equipment. A decent-sized pool with jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms is open 6am-11pm. VERDICT: Putting aside the debate over Marriott charging for wifi as part of its direct booking strategy, this is a very good airport hotel that does what it says on the tin – and it’s a pleasant place to be. Meanwhile, the new sophisticated, smart-tech conference centre makes this hotel a desirable option as an events venue.
Tom Newcombe JAZ HOTEL AMSTERDAM
De Passage 90, 1101 AX Amsterdam–Zuidoost Tel: +31 (0)20 2105800 •
jaz-hotel.com
ROOMS: Modern, hip and functional is the best way to describe Jaz’s 247 rooms. There are only two types – standard (26sqm) and 11 suites (32sqm). The rooms all come equipped with 37in flatscreen TV, air-conditioning, minibar, safe, third-bed option and walk-in rainshowers. A nice touch is that all rooms are well sound-proofed and I didn’t hear a thing, despite thousands of people attending a concert across from the hotel. Keyless entry to the room is available through your smartphone. The room’s music system can be played through the TV via a Bluetooth connection. RESTAURANTS & BARS: The hotel describes its ground-floor bar as a “vibrant urban hotspot”. Its spacious area serves craft beer from local breweries along with food
90 BBT JULY AUGUST 2016
JAZ AMSTERDAM IS THE FIRST HOTEL to be operated under the Steigenberger Hotel Group’s Jaz in the City lifestyle brand. The design-led hotel is aimed squarely at the generation Y/millennial market with the theme centred on music. It’s located opposite the Amsterdam Arena and Ziggo Dome concert hall, and around 8km from the centre of Amsterdam and 20km from Schiphol.
and snacks, such as gourmet burgers, salads and pies. The restaurant, on the first floor of the hotel, can also be hired exclusively for private events. Breakfast, served in the restaurant, is an excellent spread of cold meats, cheese, bread, croissants, fruit juice and coffee which you order yourself via an iPad. There is an outside terrace area overlooking the Arena and concert hall. MEETINGS & EVENTS: The hotel has seven meeting and events rooms. The largest (190sqm) can accommodate up to 450 guests. All rooms come with natural daylight, views over Amsterdam Arena, high-speed wifi and iPad control panel for lighting, audio and projection. LEISURE: Jaz Amsterdam boasts a 230sqm spa with fitness centre, a sauna,
a solarium and massage facilities available on request. A public multistorey car park with 550 spaces is available below the hotel. VERDICT: For a hotel which puts a lot of emphasis in its marketing messages as a music-themed property, it could do with a better soundtrack – Baha Men, Robbie Williams ballads and Britney Spears don’t really fit in with the ‘young, urban, cool, techie’ feel it’s going for. That aside, it was an impressive-looking hotel with excellent interior design, giving the place a very boutique, distinct feel. The rooms are spacious and the comfortable beds, blackout blinds and noise-cancelling windows ensure a good night’s sleep. Overall, a great start to Steigenberger’s new brand.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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