XO Hotels Blue Tower

"A bit out from the city, but very close to public transport so doesn't really matter. Reception was helpful, telling us about the city and letting us leave our luggage in the lobby. The hotel is also a decent price for peak season Amsterdam. The rooms are very small but nice and modern. They could however do with a dusting, particularly the bedside tables."

"The reception area was nice, and check-in was very easy thanks to the self-service machines. Unfortunately, the rooms were extremely hot, and the air conditioning didn’t seem to work. Our room was on the second floor, and the windows didn’t open, so the heat built up quickly. We were waking up multiple times each night feeling uncomfortably hot. The bathrooms were lovely and appeared to be freshly renovated—no complaints at all about their cleanliness. However, the main room itself was not as clean. There was visible dirt on the carpets and furniture, and I even found dried blood on both the duvet cover and the duvet. I reported this to reception and was given a new cover, but I chose to sleep without the duvet anyway due to the heat. The room also had a large, unusual pillar in the middle, which wasn’t a problem but did feel a bit odd. On the plus side, there was a coffee machine and a TV provided. Overall, the hotel was okay, and the location is very convenient—right next to a tram stop, a supermarket, KFC, FEBO, and plenty of other food options. However, the cleanliness really needs improvement. Finding dried blood in the bed is not something I would expect from a four-star hotel."

"In my opinion, this hotel is definitely not a 4-star hotel – at best it is a 3-star standard. The rooms are extremely small. In our room there were huge pillars taking up a big part of the space – you couldn’t even properly open a suitcase. The carpet smelled unpleasant and didn’t seem clean. Positive point: the bathroom was clean. However, the toiletries (soap, shampoo) were very mediocre – okay for the body, but not really suitable for washing hair. The location is okay: about 20 minutes to the city by bus. There is a supermarket and a gym right next door. However, the area directly outside the hotel is quite dirty, and in the evenings there are often people standing in front of the entrance drinking and hanging around – not very welcoming. When we asked for an upgrade to a bigger room, they offered it only for an unreasonably high extra charge, even though the pillar in the room made the space extremely limited. Checkout was at 11:00 am, and exactly at 11:00 someone knocked on the door already wanting to clean the room. Very punctual for that – but not when it came to other service matters. At breakfast, there were dirty plates and dirty spoons. Cleanliness was clearly not a priority. The selection was okay, but there was only pork. There were no meat options for Muslim guests who don’t eat pork, and vegetarian options were also very limited. What was especially disappointing: breakfast was served until 10:30 am, but around 10:15 a large part of the cleaning staff came and had breakfast there as well. They were very loud, and it completely destroyed any hotel atmosphere. It felt more like eating together with staff in a canteen, which is not what you expect in a 4-star hotel. Also, they were mostly speaking in a foreign language, which made it feel uncomfortable, like you were part of the conversation. The fridge in the room didn’t work, which was very frustrating. Whenever we raised concerns, the reaction was mediocre at best – no real apologies, more like “that’s just how it is.” Overall, I would not recommend this hotel at all. The photos online look very different from reality. It was not as described, and for the price, it is absolutely not worth it."