SERVICED APARTMENT By Bob Papworth Monarch House HOTEL
Movenpick Amsterdam
241 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 6EL • Tel: +44 (0)20 8090 8090 •
silverdoorapartments.com
MONARCH HOUSE, ON LONDON’S KENSINGTON HIGH STREET, is roughly midway between High Street Kensington tube station and the Kensington Olympia exhibition centre and steps away from the Design Museum. My reservation was made through Silverdoor, which has a network of 160,000 serviced apartments in nearly 550 cities in 80-plus countries worldwide.
THE PROPERTY: Monarch House features 41 one-, two-, and three-bedroomed apartments, which are clearly aimed at the longer-stay market, so my request for a two-bedroomed apartment for just two Business Travel Show nights was not the norm – nevertheless, it was dealt with in double-quick time, with no quibbles. Security is impressive. Guest access at the street entrance requires the use of an electronic key fob (there is an intercom if, like me, you manage to lock yourself out), leading into a courtyard full of greenery, Asian-influenced planters and sculptures, a fountain and then the main entrance, which is closely monitored by the 24- hour reception team. Check-in formalities were kept to a minimum, only marginally prolonged by the revelation that I had been assigned a three-bedroomed apartment instead of the requested two bedrooms. ACCOMMODATION: The apartment can only be described as vast – “spacious” doesn’t do it justice. Two of the three huge bedrooms had en suite bathrooms, with a sizeable family bathroom serving the
146
third. The kitchen was well laid out and fully equipped with the usual white goods. Star of the show was the truly immense lounge-cum-dining room furnished with a large-screen TV. Downsides were hard to find. The décor was a bit ‘vanilla’, and the odd individual touch wouldn’t go amiss – particularly in view of the extravagance of the entry-way courtyard. Upsides, apart from the
aforementioned sheer space, included complimentary Nespresso-style coffees and Como Shambhala toiletries. NEARBY: When asked whether there was anywhere to buy basic foodstuffs, the reception staff looked a little bemused – there is a sizeable Waitrose supermarket next door, and a Sainsbury’s mini-market is five minutes away. Cash machines are thin on the ground, but Sainsbury’s has an ATM to provide the taxi fares and loose change. Olympia is a ten-minute stroll and the nearby Design Museum is well worth a visit. VERDICT: Reception staff get full marks, as does the focus on security and – I can’t emphasise this enough – the sheer size! Monarch House is an ideal home from home.
Piet Heinkade 11, 1019 BR Amsterdam, Netherlands • Tel: +31 20 519 1200 •
movenpick.com/en/
MOVENPICK AMSTERDAM IS A FOUR-STAR PROPERTY, located 20 minutes from Schiphol airport, offering excellent views over the city and river. The hotel is situated 25-minutes’ walking distance from the central rail station with the option of a free shuttle service or use of its private canal boat stop. The 408-room business-friendly hotel has recently renovated its 48 superior rooms.
ROOMS: The hotel offers seven different room types – Classic, Sleep, Superior, Executive, Family, Junior Suite, Ambassador Suite – with the option of a city view for an extra cost (city views available in all suites). All rooms come with free wifi, and tea and coffee facilities. My Executive room, located on the top floor of the hotel, was a spacious 26sqm with an excellent view of the river and city. The executive rooms and suites come with executive lounge access, which is open for breakfast and offers complimentary drinks and food between 5pm and 7pm. RESTAURANTS & BARS: Breakfast and dinner is served in the Silk Road restaurant. As the name suggests, the cuisine has a distinctly international feel. The restaurant is located on the second floor with great views and plenty of natural light. The quality and variety of the menu was excellent with dishes ranging from beef carpaccio to guinea fowl and sea bass. The Silk Bar, located on the ground floor, offers cocktails and
an impressive selection of whiskies. The hotel also has a 24-hour room service menu. MEETINGS & EVENTS: The hotel boasts 11 meeting and breakout rooms, accommodating up to 450 delegates. All meeting rooms are equipped with touchscreens, free wifi and AV equipment. The three largest rooms can combine and offer 380sqm of space for 450 delegates theatre style. The day rate for use of all three is around €5,000, with the smallest space available at around €350 a day.
The hotel is also part of ijVenues – a large conference facility for up to 1,900 delegates in 5,000sqm of exhibition space – located next to the Movenpick. The hotel’s meetings and events team can organise shuttle services to and from the airport and train station. LEISURE: Located on the mezzanine floor is the hotel’s health and fitness club, which includes a gym with a good selection of cardio equipment and traditional Finnish and Bio saunas. VERDICT: This is an excellent business hotel with plenty to offer for international and domestic guests. Its connection with ijVenues, as well as its own in-house meetings offering, makes it a great choice for MICE bookers. However, the hotel’s claim it’s walking distance from Amsterdam Central Station is a little disingenuous.
By Tom Newcombe
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158
