Central location w delightful breakfast experience
I stayed at the Lancaster for a work trip. The hotel is well appointed for the business or tourist traveler. The rooms are impeccable and adequately sized for this price range. My window was facing the park, and very quiet even on a Friday night. Check-in was smooth despite the long line, as there is a self-check in automated option which most people ignored (totally autonomous, you even make your own room key). The hotel lobby is clean but compact. Nice magazines to peruse. Good for waiting up to an hour. I wouldn't spend longer. Much better to leave your bags and enjoy the park.
The highlight of the hotel is the breakfast. It is held in the adjacent bar. Very pleasant decor, lots of light towards the back, and high quality ingredients. Nothing super fancy, except the smoked salmon, a very delicious touch, and a large selection of good quality breads and pastries. The rest seem the usual dutch breakfast/lunch staples, cheese, cold meats, boiled eggs, granola, yogurt. All seemed to be better than average quality.
Rooms have proper electric kettle, not the instant coffee maker or Keurig, that really limit you to a single function. A nice touch for travelers doing a bit of self-service dining on their trip.
A bit pricier than I would spend on my own travel, but if you're looking for mid-range hotel, with a pleasant location in Amsterdam, 150m from the closest tram, and directly in front of a very pretty park, the Lancaster fits the bill. If the weather is nice, it would make a nice place to be based for a few days. A great business stopover location. The Connexion shuttle (18,5 EUR 1 way, 29 EUR R-T, Arrivals Hall 4), will leave you at the front door in 30 mins provided you're the only one on this shared van service.
