Amsterdam?

[Price]

Where would you suggest I stay in Amsterdam? Just hostel where I could meet up with some other travelers. Also any nightlife and coffee shops suggestions as well?

[andreas]

Hi,

Think that Hotel Arena would be your best option:

http://www.hotelarena.nl

Check out the 'Amsterdam A-List of Entertainment' menioned on Superlists

Andreas

[Price]

Andreas,

Thanks for the suggestions. I was looking into Hotel Arena, but I think its over my budget. I will be traveling Europe for a few months, so I was thinking more budget accomodations. You know of anything else? I will for sure hit up your A-list spots though.

Price

[andreas]

Hey Price,

Probably the following hostel is more 'suitable':

http://www.hans-brinker.com

As for coffeeshops, stay away from the blatantly commercial but better known Bull Dog and go here instead as it has a much better vibe:

http://www.rokerij.net

Andreas

[sufu1]

Quote: Probably the following hostel is more 'suitable':

http://www.hans-brinker.com

andreas... that is THE BEST hotel website i have ever seen!!. havent laughed so much for days. we definitely need this place on superfuture...

--------------------------

superslave1

http://superfuture.com

[andreas]

Allrightie!

[Price]

Yeah, that site is crazy. Thanks for the suggestion.

[kiteless]

Hans Briker is quite infamous within the advertising/graphic design industries - their non-existent account has been taken up by one of the most creative european agencies which won them awards at the Epica Award at several occations.

The below is taken from Shoot:

After a night of what would seem to have been 80-proof imbibing, a young man is seen staggering through a hallway, bumping into a succession of hotel room doors. Trying to keep from throwing up, he even bangs his head against yet another door. Finally as he stumbles down the corridor away from the camera, he falls almost entirely out of view. All you know is that he's reached his final destination, horizontally laid out on the floor.

A voiceover proudly describes this episode as "our wake-up call," upon which a supered title reveals that you're in the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel, a youth hostel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

This irreverent humor - on the cusp of questionable taste - has proven to be an effective means to break through to the hostel's coveted target audience: backpack travelers between the ages of 16 and 25, a demographic notoriously deaf to sales pitches. According to Amsterdam agency KesselsKramer, which created "Wake-Up Call" and other similarly themed spots that have been airing on pan European MTV, the campaign has hit pay dirt, helping to increase annual room bookings from 80,000 to 120,000 - all the while maintaining a hotel price that's higher than average by hostel standards.

Another ad shows a groom trying to carry his bride across a hotel room threshold. He has to kick open the door to get in, revealing a bunk bed. A voiceover proclaims this as the Hans Brinker "bridal suite."

A third spot shows the interior of a lovely room. But one by one, the amenities disappear before our eyes - from the TV set to the drapes to the lamps on the end tables to the end tables themselves. What's left is a bare bones room with a bed.

This flaunting of the sparse was conceived by creative directors Erik Kessels and Johan Kramer, who also served as art director and co-writer, respectively; the other co-writer being Tyler Whisnand. Agency strategist was Matthys De Jongh.

Lex Brand directed the commercials through Amsterdam production house De Schiettent (English translation: The Shooter). Editor was Struan Clay of Struan Clay, London, with post finishing at Amsterdam facility Condor. Music was composed by Marcel Walvisch at Vonk Sound Studio, Amsterdam. As SHOOT went to press, the still-airing campaign had earned a major award for "advertising effectivity" from the Netherlands commercial community. Brinker is now the market leader among budget hotels in Amsterdam.

[sufu1]

now THATS interesting... kesselskramer are also responsible for the recent diesel campaigns you are seeing on superfuture...

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superslave1

http://superfuture.com

[kiteless]

for those who have an interest in dutch above-the-line ad agencies:

http://www.kesselskramer.com/

just hit the reload button until you're fed up.

The Diesel brand was conceived and launched by Paradiset DDB (the Swedish franchise of DDB) ten years ago (now doesn't this make you feel old...). KesselsKramer got the account a couple of years ago when DDB got into a creative stalemate.

Amsterdam was then, for a brief period of time, the advertising capital of the world - with agencies like Kessels, 180 BV (who run Adidas globally) and the Amsterdam office of W+K (who accomodated the creatives behind Nike and Vodafone's "How are you"-repositioning)

[Price]

I didn't know that, I wonder if they have any offices in the U.S. Where should I be partying while in Amsterdam, I'll check out Supper Club, but whatelse do you think? Andreas, I checked out your A-list, but it doesnt have night time spots.

[kiteless]

I only stayed for a few days but I was practically wined-and-dined nonstop. I managed to cope with:

-Blakes (run by the Hempels and similar to ithai)

-Amsterdam (large hall cantine in a former industrial complex, decent but not excellent food)

-De Kas - a relaxed and nice ambience inside an old art deco greenhouse. Great home cooking.

-A similar restaurant in the house that accomodates the stockmarket which was a pottery barn and flower market combined. Great local/fusion food.

-Inez which looked like a brothel in bratislava (near the flower market - as i was told, the place to eat until couple of years ago but looked to me somewhat past due date)

-and some place in 9 streets district serving indonesian-chinese inspired fusion food with semi-pornographic paintings on the walls, which was excellent but unfortunately I lost the name of...

I'd say in terms of eating out, Amsterdam is quite okay...

[andreas]

Hi,

Any other flavours apart from your hip-hop craving? The following clubs currently have the 'it' factor here:

1. Jimmy Woo

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1907〈=EN

2. Arena

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1414〈=EN

3. NL Lounge

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1436〈=EN

4. Mazzo (which is gaining new popularity fast)

http://www.mazzo.nl

5. Vibing

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1903〈=EN

As for bars, these are a good mix of different vibes:

1. BEP

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1620〈=EN

2. De Buurvrouw

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1873〈=EN

3. Arc

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1404〈=EN

4. Lime

http://superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?id=1511〈=EN

Andreas

[Price]

Very Cool. Some of these are perfect, Vibing might be my spot. Muchos Gracias.