The Conservatorium, Amsterdam
The Conservatorium is perhaps Amsterdam’s most surprising historical hotel. Built by a Dutch architect in the 19th century as the first national bank of the Netherlands, it later became a music school, hence the name. It re-opened in 2011 as the first member of the Set Collection, a hospitality group focused on historic properties. The lobby, once the exterior of the building, is encased in a massive complex of glass—there are still rain pipes inside. Located in the heart of the Museum Quarter, the uber-popular Van Gogh Museum is a two minute walk away. With 129 rooms and suites, it is a big hotel for little Amsterdam; by law, hotels there can only occupy pre-existing buildings, most of which are tiny canal houses. The decor is all brick walls, wrought iron, and soft brown stone (the mesmerizing tile flooring in its first-floor halls is over a century old). The property’s Milanese designer, Piero Lissoni, is known for combining wooden and stone textures. Interspersed throughout its monkish quarters are trippy art pieces, such as the cascade of hanging violins at the entryway. Taiko, the property’s fantastic Asian-inspired restaurant, means drum in Japanese because it is in the former drum room. Its Mediterranean restaurant, Barbounia, opened in 2023. Even more recently, the hotel revamped its Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre, including a pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, and hammam.
