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A network of 28 tiny, one-bed hotels in Amsterdam is being called the most beautifully designed hotel of 2019 - and it consists of a series of converted bridge houses. Take a look inside.
A network of 28 tiny, one-bed hotels in Amsterdam is being called the most beautifully designed hotel of 2019 - and it consists of a series of converted bridge houses. Take a look inside.
Melissa WileyOct 25, 2019, 21:58 IST
Located on the Amstel River, the Amstelschutsluis bridge house hotel room can only be accessed by boat. Rates start at $1050 per night.Photo by Mirjam Bleeker, courtesy of SWEETS hotel
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Amsterdam's SWEETS hotel is a network of 28 individual hotel rooms located on and near bridges around the city.
The hotel rooms are located in bridge operators' houses built between 1673 and 2009.
SWEETS hotel won the hotel and short-stay interior category in the second annual Dezeen Awards, which recognizes the best architecture, interior and design projects around the world.
Fifteen of the 28 hotel rooms are available to book now.
Hotel room rates range from $133 to $1,050 per night.
If you've ever visited Amsterdam, you know that waterways are the lifeblood of the city.
A total of 165 canals run through the city, and more than 1,200 bridges connect its maze of gabled houses. Now, thanks to SWEETS hotel, not only can visitors spend their days soaking up the beauty of Amsterdam's canals, but they can also wake up to panoramic views of them.
SWEETS hotel doesn't operate in the traditional sense - there is no lobby or check-in counter. Instead, it consists of 28 individual hotel rooms located throughout the city. The best part? The rooms are located on or near bridges in converted bridge operators' houses built between 1673 and 2009.
In early October, Dezeen, a London-based architecture and design magazine, recognized the innovative nature of SWEETS hotel, naming it the best hotel and short stay interior of 2019 in its second annual Dezeen Awards.
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"This project is a fantastic initiative and collaboration between the city, the designer and the developer," said the Dezeen Awards interiors jury. "It questions the idea of hotels in this era of Airbnb by having separate hotel rooms dotted around the city allowing visitors to experience the city in a unique way."
Currently, 15 of the bridge houses have been renovated and are available to book, with starting rates ranging from $133 to $1050 per night. Take a look inside.
SWEETS Hotel is a network of 28 individual, tiny hotel rooms that were recently recognized as having the most outstanding interior design in hospitality this year.
Dezeen magazine recently awarded SWEETS hotel top place in the hotel and short-stay interior category of its second annual Dezeen Awards. The competition recognizes the best architecture, interior and design concepts around the world.
The Dezeen Awards international judging panel, which consists of more than 75 leading architecture and design professionals, evaluated SWEETS hotel based on 3 criteria: beauty, innovation and benefit to people and the planet.
The hotel and short-stay interior category was one of five interior design categories introduced to the Dezeen Awards this year.
The Dezeen Awards opened up the category to hotel, guesthouse and guest room projects where business and leisure travelers stay in the short-term.
The SWEETS hotel rooms are located in bridge houses throughout Amsterdam and overlook everything from a swan-filled lake in Amsterdam North to the lively restaurants, bars and shops of West Amsterdam.
The bridge houses range in age from 350 years to a decade old and offer sweeping views of the canals and surrounding streets.
Built between 1673 and 2009, Amsterdam's bridge houses served as working spaces for bridge operators who opened and closed bridges to let boat traffic through, but have fallen out of use in the past few years due to the introduction of a centralized operating system.
The SWEETS hotel team set out to transform the spaces in 2012 and made their first 11 hotel rooms available for booking in early 2018.
Rooms are reserved online and accessed via mobile app.
Amstelschutsluis bridge house, on the other hand, dates back to 1673 and has more of a vintage feel with linen-lined walls and cabinets that emulate 17th-century style.
Starting rates for the hotels fall between $133 and $1,050 per night. Amstelschutsluis, located on the Amstel River and accessible only by boat, is at the top of the range. Guests have access to a private captain, who is available around the clock to sail them to shore.
On the SWEETS hotel team's transformation of these spaces, the Dezeen Awards interiors jury added: "The use of these existing, derelict buildings that were never meant to be habitable truly shows the power of design."
