Eastern Docklands

The Hoxton Lloyd Amsterdam

★★★★★

The Hoxton, Lloyd is the hotel for travellers who want a bit of history and a lot of atmosphere away from the tourist crowds, and it works well for families and longer stays. The building, a handsome brick block on the Oostelijke Handelskade in the Eastern Docklands, was commissioned in 1921 by the Royal Holland Lloyd shipping company and designed by the architect Evert Breman. Its first purpose was to house emigrants, many from Central and Eastern Europe, waiting for ships to South America. In the decades that followed it served as a prison and youth detention centre and then as artists' studios, before being reborn in the early 2000s as the Lloyd Hotel, a famously experimental cultural hotel with rooms from one star to five. It now belongs to The Hoxton, the London-born group behind the Herengracht Hoxton in the Canal Ring, which has given the building a warm, maritime-inspired refresh while keeping its sense of history. There are 136 bedrooms, from Studio rooms to larger Biggy rooms, including Biggy Double Up rooms with two big beds that suit families or friends travelling together. The ground floor is the social heart, with Breman Brasserie, a French-style brasserie named after the original architect; Barbue, a restaurant and event space within the historic building; and the Lobby Bar, a light, airy space for coffee by day and drinks later on. The Eastern Docklands are a showcase of modern Dutch architecture on former harbour piers, and the hotel sits close to the water, with trams to the centre and Centraal station a short ride away.

Who it suits: travellers who have seen the canals before and want to experience a more local, contemporary Amsterdam; families who need a room with two big beds; design and architecture lovers; and anyone who enjoys a buzzy hotel lobby that locals use too. It is also handy for people with business in the eastern harbour or attending events in the area.

Living in it: the Eastern Docklands are calm in the evenings, which means better sleep than in the centre but a short tram ride to the main sights and nightlife. Tram lines along the IJ connect quickly to Centraal, from where everything else is easy, and cycling into the centre takes around fifteen minutes. Nearby, the Maritime Museum and NEMO make good family outings, the Brouwerij 't IJ beside its windmill is a short ride away, and the Oosterpark, with its fields, fountains and playground, is reachable by tram. Rooms reflect the building's history, so sizes and layouts vary; choose a Biggy or Biggy Double Up if you want space.

Value: rates are typically mid-range for Amsterdam, often below hotels of similar style in the Canal Ring, and they rise in summer and around major events. The tourist tax is added on top as a percentage of the room rate: 12.5 percent in 2026, with a 16 percent rate for 2027 proposed in the city budget and due for the council vote in November 2026. For a stay with history and character in a less touristy part of the city, it is excellent value.