SWEETS hotel | Old bridge houses turned into hotel suites
SWEETS hotel, a new hotel concept that transforms the old bridge houses in Amsterdam into special hotel suites, was officially opened last week. The first 11 of the 28 former bridge houses can now be booked at www.sweetshotel.amsterdam. The hotel gives this industrial heritage a new destination by transforming it into mini suites for two people. After a night at one of these bridge houses it’s truly waking up in the middle of the city! Inspiring location with unique views of Amsterdam.
Innovative hotel concept
The 28 mini suites are located all over Amsterdam and together they form the SWEETS hotel. Since last week the first 11 houses are in business, the remaining 17 will be restored in the coming years. Thanks to centralization, the bridge houses, designed by well-known architects, have lost their original destination. As hotel rooms the houses have been given a second life.
SWEETS hotel | The city as lobby
SWEETS hotel is an innovative concept for everyone who wants to experience Amsterdam from a bridge, with the city as the lobby of the hotel. The bridge houses are the perfect base for discovering hidden treasures in an often unknown neighborhood. The houses, connected by water, together form an ode to Amsterdam and underline the importance of water in this trading city. The hotel is a new experience, both for visitors to the city as for local residents.
View over the water
Suzanne Oxenaar and Otto Nan, two of the initiators, agree that they might be slightly insane as they have been working for 7 years on a hotel with 28 rooms: “It will be a tiny hotel, that is true. But the idea of a hotel spread throughout Amsterdam, with beds that look out over the water, is great and certainly worth it!”
Reuse of industrial heritage
The monumental buildings of SWEETS hotel are industrial heritage and represent various architectural styles; from the Amsterdam School to Modernism. Every bridge operator’s house has its own story. The oldest house dates from 1673 (Amstelschutsluis on the locks in front of Carré) and the most recent house from 2009 (Lock Haveneiland on IJburg). The 28 bridge houses are spread over Amsterdam and each one has a specially designed interior that fits the style of the different buildings.
About SWEETS hotel
SWEETS hotel is an initiative and co-creation of the Amsterdam architects Space & Matter (known from De Ceuvel, an ecological, creative and social hub), project developer Grayfield and Suzanne Oxenaar, Otto Nan and Gerrit Groen, founders of Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy (the world’s first 1 to 5 star hotel) and Hotel The Exchange.
The concept reminds us of the Street lofts in Vienna. The Urbanauts project turned abandoned stores in design hotel rooms for adventurers. You can sleep in a spacious and comfortable Street Loft where the history of the former shop is still visible.
Website: Sweets Hotel
