Just got back yesterday from an impulsive trip to Amsterdam. I was searching the internet for the best use of 35k Marriott FNCs and came across the Sir Albert, a Design Hotel. I never thought that there would be last-minute availability for points, but I checked and there were 3 nights open for last week. Found a nearby hotel, the Apollo, that had 2 nights. Checked Air Canada for points seats and they had openings in biz class both ways. Looked at weather forecast and it was predicted to be high 50s / low 60s and sunny for the entire week. It looked like it was meant to be. On the 18th I booked flights leaving the 20th, coming back the 28th. I was able to get the 21, 23 and 27th at the Sir Albert using 3 FNCs; used 2 FNCs at the Apollo (a 7 min walk away). I booked the 22nd with my CSP to use the $50 hotel credit and the 26th with cash. Seemed like an amazing use of the certificates!
Arrived at the hotel around 11:30am on the 21st with a really, really bad headache because (I think) I wasn't able to sleep on the plane. Luckily the room was ready and I was upgraded from a basic room to a 'deluxe' (a bit larger). The room, while cozy, was all that I needed. Hotel was clean and very well-located (a 2 min walk from the subway and right in the heart of DePijp, an amazing area full of boutiques and excellent restaurants).
On Tuesday night I checked to see if Sir Albert had the 24th and 25th open on points (so I wouldn't have to move) and lo and behold they did. I quickly cancelled the Apollo and booked the Sir Albert using 2 FNCs. I was thrilled that I didn't have to move hotels.
The hotel did have a few hiccups. Light in my shower was out for 3 days. Wouldn't have been a big deal if the shower wasn't a black box (with black door and black floor). Pretty treacherous with no light. On the second day the front desk staff informed me that I'd have to move to a different room and then to another room the following night. I begged and pleaded to stay in the same room, they said they'd "look into it"; e-mailed me later in the day to say that I could stay in my room. Seemed unnecessary since I had called before I left home to make sure the reservations were linked and asked again when I checked in and was assured both times that I would be able to stay in the same room. Light bulb on desk lamp went out -- e-mailed to have it fixed while I was out for the day. Yet upon return it was still out. The duvet was synthetic -- I asked that it be switched to down or cotton, was assured that it would be. Yet it wasn't. Front desk sent up housekeeping who arrived at the door to hand me a new duvet (still had to be put into cover) so that I could make the switch -- umm, I would have if I didn't hate trying to fit a duvet into a duvet cover. She said that she was only advised to bring a new duvet to the room and not that she would have to strip the bed and re-make it (not sure if they expected me to do this, but it was late and I had been assured at 8am that morning that it would be done before I got back to the hotel). Housekeeping kept turning the heat on in the room despite me asking over and over to leave the heat off. These issues alone wouldn't stop me from returning to the property, but the small mistakes kept coming. I sent 2 e-mails to the front desk to be printed (my Antigen test and a receipt required for my VAT return); they only printed 1. Internet Friday and Saturday night, when the hotel was full, was slow -- I was having difficulty watching a show on my iPad (kept pausing / stopping until I finally used the hotspot on my phone)
But perhaps the biggest mistake is that when I logged into my account this morning I found that they had taken points
and FNCs for 2 nights. I didn't even know that this could happen. I immediately called Marriott and spoke to a very rude CSR who told me that she can't change points reservations to certificates after the stay. I told her that I used the FNCs to make the reservation, yet points were taken. I checked my e-mail and I had confirmation that 2 FNCs were supposed to be used. The CSR put me on hold for a half hour while she and a supervisor went over the reservation. She came back and said that they would have to open a case to get the points back. What a PITA. She said the hotel took the FNCs and the points (65,000 points) and they would have to ask the hotel to return the points. This would give me pause to recommend the hotel. Just too many mistakes. It seems like they have some pretty serious communication problems at this property. Such a shame as the facilities are nice and I loved the location. Also since it is a design hotel, no breakfast included for Marriott Platinums. Only benefit was a bottle of water for the entire stay, however I asked and received a bottle of water each day. There was a grocery store around the corner and for the last few days I had granola, yogurt, fruit and tea for breakfast in the room, which I preferred.
I LOVED Amsterdam -- I had the best time. On Thursday I took a high speed train to Brussels and did a chocolate making class in the morning which was excellent. I spent the afternoon wandering through town, then took the subway to the main train station to catch my train back to Amsterdam (got back to the hotel around 9pm -- this was the day that the light bulb and duvet hadn't been changed and I was super tired). So much to do and see in Amsterdam and excellent food. Public transit (subway and trams) get you all over the city quickly and efficiently and is very cost-effective. I plan to go back next year, train to Brussels (spend a night), then take the train to Paris for a few days before flying home.
Sir Albert Room
View attachment 658474
Toilet room on the right, shower door straight ahead
View attachment 658476
Museum of Contemporary Art (outdoor exhibit)
View attachment 658477
Portguese Synagogue (original as it was built in 1675 and it's gorgeous)
View attachment 658480
Pralines from Brussels chocolate-making workshop
View attachment 658482
Keukenhof Gardens
View attachment 658483
Early morning light on one of the canals
View attachment 658484
for the issues, especially essentially double charging you! 
for the impromptu trip and photos!thanks for the heads up anyway so I could check tho
