My stay at Neighbor’s Magnolia was disappointing from arrival to checkout. I checked-in at 11am and was told I couldn’t access my room until 2pm and would have to change rooms mid visit. When I asked they said it was because my room would be getting a bathroom renovation.
The first room had serious issues: an absurdly dim overhead light, black mold in the bathroom, a foul smell from the shower drain, and only a toggle lamp instead of proper bathroom lighting.
The desk lamp flickered constantly. Reception promised a replacement bulb that day—it never came. I requested complimentary laundry service, assured it’d be ready by afternoon—it wasn’t. The next day, staff finally sourced a bulb from another room and committed to next-day laundry. Their welcome guide promised bedding, toiletries, and trash service every three days during my 9-day stay—this never happened in either room.
The second room lacked a shower curtain (tracks “not yet delivered”), forcing me to shower with belongings outside as water went everywhere without the curtain. Construction noise from the hotel’s renovations from 8am to midnight persisted throughout my stay, audible in both rooms. The second room’s door knocked constantly in the draft.
Positives: excellent location near Vondelpark and genuinely nice staff who promptly replaced my lost keycard. However, the combination of maintenance failures, unfulfilled promises, construction disruption, and basic hygiene concerns means I won’t return.