Corendon City Hotel Amsterdam

Occupying a rectangular, nine-story glass building on the western outskirts of the city, Corendon Vitality Hotel Amsterdam has a sleek, modern look, with a spacious and light-filled lobby. Despite being a business-focused hotel, the property sports a dark, urban style with slate-gray wingback chairs, black wire-rimmed tables, distressed Oriental rugs, and slouchy white banquettes. Recessed lighting is hidden in crevices of the curved ceiling.

Health and wellness are themes here -- which is reflected not only in the hotel's name but in the welcome smoothies, the extensive spa services, and the Mediterranean-inspired fare served in the main restaurant. Popular with business travelers and tourists, the hotel also attracts its share of day guests using the spa.

Corendon Vitality Hotel Amsterdam is in Nieuw-West, southwest of the city center. The hotel's neighbors are a police station and a storage house, and there's not much of interest in the immediate area. But it's a three-minute walk to the Henk Sneevlietweg metro stop, and there are also bus and tram stops nearby with frequent service to the central city -- the trip takes about 25 minutes. 

• 20 minutes to Schiphol Airport by public transportation
• 22 minutes to Van Gogh Museum by public transportation
• 24 minutes to Vondel Park by public transportation
• 28 minutes to the Flower Market by public transportation 
• 28 minutes to Heineken Experience by public transportation
• 30 minutes to Central Station by public transportation
• 31 minutes to Rembrandt House Museum by public transportation
• 33 minutes to the Royal Palace by public transportation
• 33 minutes to Dam Square by public transportation
• 34 minutes to Anne Frank House by public transportation
• 35 minutes to Jordaan district by public transportation

By Amsterdam standards, the 263 rooms at Corendon Vitality Hotel are roomy, with Standard Rooms (including Singles, Twins, Doubles, and Triples) starting at 236 square feet. Adding to the spacious feeling is the streamlined furniture and a uniform color palette. Like the public spaces, decor is chic and urban, in a dark color palette of taupes, browns, and grays, offset by jet-black accent walls. All that darkness is balanced by towering floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of sunlight. Rounded, pale-wood headboards have niche cutouts, each inset with a photographic mural of the countryside.

Standard in-room amenities include air-conditioning, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, kettles, mini-fridges (with free water), and safes. Tiled in a monochromatic gray and white, the bathrooms are roomy and fitted with shower/tub combos or walk-in showers. Hairdryers are provided, and toiletries come in wall-mounted dispensers -- a less-than-elegant touch for an upscale property. 

Deluxe Rooms and Suites have bathtubs with built-in speaker systems. Junior Suites have separate sitting areas, work-style desks with ergonomic chairs, and bathrooms with rainfall showerheads and infrared lighting. Junior Suites also include free access to the Vitality Spa. The 737 Cockpit Suite includes these extra perks, plus an exceptionally quirky feature: a flight simulator. 

The stand-out feature here is the huge Vitality Spa, which covers an area of 10,764 square feet with a wide range of wellness facilities and treatments, including a Turkish hammam and steam bath, Finnish sauna, Infrared sauna, a Tepidarium lounge of heated mosaic-tiled loungers, UV sun lamps, and a heated beach room with luxury sunbeds and simulated sounds of the wind and ocean. Shiatsu massage and other treatments are available here, and there's also a small swimming pool. Use of the spa and pool comes with a fee, but hotel guests get discounted rates. Outfitted with Technogym equipment, the Vitality Fitness Center is open 24 hours a day and does not require a fee.

Breakfast (which is not included in the rates) is served in the hotel's AY Restaurant & Bar, and consists of an international buffet of breads, croissants, pastries, cheese, cold cuts, fresh fruit, yogurt, and made-to-order eggs. The restaurant also serves a Mediterranean-inspired lunch and dinner menu, with several vegetarian and low-fat items. Located in the lobby, the Bazar is a 24-hour shop where guests can pick up snacks, juices, and sandwiches, along with a few souvenirs. The Vitality Bar, in the spa, serves smoothies, juices, salads, and sandwiches. 

The hotel also has on-site meeting facilities, with six fully equipped meeting rooms seating up to 30 people. On-site parking comes with a daily fee. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.