"We stay in The Hague regularly, and finding a hotel that delivers consistently high standards of service is not always easy. Unfortunately, voco The Hague was a particularly underwhelming experience.
What a magnificent building — and what a missed opportunity. This property had the potential to make a real statement for an international hotel brand. Instead, the interior feels dated, uninspired and strangely soulless, with plastic butterflies and an atmosphere more reminiscent of an inexpensive corporate canteen than a distinctive four-star hotel. Of course, bad taste is a choice too. So be it.
To be fair, everything was clean and tidy, and we have no complaints about that.
The real problem, however, is the lack of hospitality, communication and personal service.
Before our stay, I called the hotel and was greeted by an automated message explaining that nobody was available at reception. I was asked to leave a message and promised a call back. I did exactly that. Needless to say, nobody ever called. In retrospect, perhaps I should have taken this as a warning.
We arrived at around noon, before the official check-in time, so we had no issue with our rooms not being ready. We simply asked whether they would be available by 3 p.m. — the stated check-in time. The receptionist could not even guarantee that. An odd response, to say the least.
We confirmed our dinner reservation at that point. When we returned to the hotel at around 6 p.m., our room was ready, and we once again confirmed our reservation for 8 p.m.
Then, at 7 p.m., just one hour before dinner, came the phone call: the restaurant would be closed that evening.
Excuse me? We had invited guests. We had a confirmed reservation, which we had reconfirmed only an hour earlier. And now, at the last minute, we were simply informed that the restaurant would not open.
No meaningful apology, no alternative restaurant suggested, no practical assistance and, apparently, no manager available to take responsibility. The proposed alternative? Bitterballen in the bar.
For a four-star hotel, this was quite extraordinary — and utterly unacceptable in terms of service. Things can go wrong, of course. What matters is how a hotel responds when they do. Here, there was no sense of ownership, no genuine concern and no attempt to find a solution. A reservation is a commitment, not a vague suggestion.
Breakfast did little to improve the impression. No butter, only Becel Light, and a remarkably uninspiring buffet. The rooms are perfectly adequate and clean, but the amenities are decidedly basic: no shoe-cleaning facilities, no shower cap, small towels and no bottled water. Instead, guests are encouraged to drink tap water “like the locals”.
Sustainability is a perfectly sensible objective, but there is a difference between making a responsible choice and lecturing your guests about it. The wording felt patronising rather than welcoming. Locals, after all, are not paying for a hotel experience.
There were friendly members of staff, particularly among the Spanish-speaking team, and that deserves to be acknowledged. The problem seems less about individual employees than about the overall management and the absence of a coherent service philosophy.
Ultimately, voco The Hague feels like a ship without a captain. The building has character, the rooms are clean, but the experience lacks warmth, attention to detail and the most basic ingredient of good hospitality: making guests feel that their presence actually matters.
A hotel does not become a four-star experience simply by putting four stars on the door. For travellers who value personal service, thoughtful details and reliability, there are better choices in The Hague."
