Opulent and Cool Go Head-to-Head in Amsterdam

Most of Amsterdam’s buzziest millennial hotels, from the Waldorf to the Pulitzer, have debuted along the city’s tranquil, Vermeer-worthy western arc of canals. But in the last year, two new properties have popped up in a surprising location. Soho House Amsterdam has landed on a central city corner, two blocks from Dam Square, the busy, tourist-dense Times Square of Amsterdam. And Hotel TwentySeven, not to be outdone, opened its doors directly on the Square itself, just across from the Royal Palace, anchoring the evolving scene of the city’s core and its neighboring Red Light District.

And while both put visitors squarely in the pulsating heart of the city, that is really where their similarities end. Where Soho House is cool, TwentySeven is unabashedly over-the-top. So, which to choose? Read on for a quick compare and contrast cheat sheet.