Hotel of the Week: Amsterdam’s Famed Pulitzer Adds Striking New Suites
The newly debuted guest quarters offer spacious, canal-facing accommodations with bespoke interiors tailored to specific passions
More than two dozen 17th- and 18th-century canal houses are fused together to form the Pulitzer Amsterdam hotel, which just debuted several new Collector’s Suites dedicated to assemblages of French porcelain and flowers. “There’s something magical about all the suites because they provide a wonderful opportunity to create a little bit of theater,” says Jacu Strauss, who conceived the interiors.
Originally orchestrated in the 1960s by Peter Pulitzer, the grandson of newspaper magnate and Pulitzer Prize founder Joseph Pulitzer, the property is itself cinematic. Overlooking the famed canals of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the hotel welcomes guests with an allée of large-scale tulip sculptures. Visitors enter a bustling lobby awash in rich jewel tones and plush velvets while a tucked-away alcove displays porcelain tableware and other collectibles in apothecary like vitrines.
“The aim was not to smooth over the imperfections,” says Strauss of the resort’s initial renovation when it was acquired by the Lore Group in 2016. “I felt we needed to do the complete opposite—to celebrate its quirks and eccentricities. To do that, I came up with a concept based around the people who may have lived here over the last 400 years, who walked the corridors and what might they have left behind.”
The Pulitzer’s premiere accommodations are the series of Collectors Suites—bespoke, residential-style getaways designed with a specific passion in mind. The Flower Collector’s Suite is the latest introduction, with an interior that pays homage to Amsterdam’s botanical legacy. The two-bedroom space celebrates the city’s famed tulips and the robust palette of the flower market. A vibrant pink rug is topped with rose-red sculptural seating that’s backed by panels inset with plant-themed bas relief works. Walls are filled gallery-style with paintings of landscapes and bouquets, the florals echoing the fresh arrangement delivered upon arrival.
To celebrate its unveiling, the Pulitzer welcomed tableware designer Zoë de Givenchy, who launched her new collection, Tulipa with a wonderland like dinner in the Pulitzer’s edenic garden. Adorned with a hand-painted rendition of Amsterdam’s most famous flower, the faience plates showcase a border that pays homage to a cherished design by the late couturier Hubert de Givenchy.
Meanwhile, the canal-facing Porcelain Collector’s Suite is a celebration of Delft and talented porcelain artisans found throughout The Netherlands. Tableware, vases, and intricate objets made by regional craftspeople abound. Light floods into the rooms overlooking the famed Keizersgracht canal. Other Collector’s Suites celebrate art, books, music, and antiques, with layered designs of modern and antique pieces.
Discerning visitors should also visit the Merchant Suite, the grandest accommodation at Pulitzer Amsterdam. A three-bedroom retreat situated within an exemplary example of Dutch architecture, the destination is equipped with a kitchenette and is outfitted in a curated mix of vintage treasures and modern luxuries.
The final addition to Pulitzer is the new Beauty House. Taking over a nearby canal house, the spa offers treatments using Dutch Keune, BloomEffects, and 111SKIN products in tranquil environs punctuated with scintillating red tones. The Pulitzer serves as a vibrant hub from which to explore the city’s cultural institutions, such as the Rijksmuseum, Museum Van Loon, and Rembrandt House Museum, or the Nine Streets shopping area, as well as a welcome roost for rejuvenating over decadent meals in the on-site restaurant Janz.
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