There are several hotels airside within the terminal complex at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. All of them are located in the non-Schengen area. Apparently, even if you’re only travelling between Schengen countries but need to spend the night at the airport, the immigration officers will let you pass. However, I haven’t ever tried that myself, and I’m not sure I would want to either unless I had a viable plan B.

Last summer I tried the Yotel Schiphol airport, which is located above the non-Schengen departure lounge 2. I guess it was okay, but it’s not like I’m gagging to return there any time soon. The Mercure Hotel in the non-Schengen departure lounge 3 is a much more appealing alternative. Admittedly, it’s also quite a bit more expensive, but it feels more like a proper hotel.

Making a Booking

The Mercure chain of hotels belong to the ALL Accor Group. I am a Platinum member, and usually the app works really well. However, trying to book this facility online is impossible. It’s even impossible to book through the ALL Accor call centre. If you want to make a booking, your best option is to call the hotel directly or send them an email. They reply swiftly! When you make the booking, specify as closely as you can your arrival and departure time, because this will influence how much you end up paying. It’s an hourly rate.

Check-in

The front desk staff are very friendly and very helpful. I don’t know if they’ve been trained specifically, but they seem to understand that the people staying at their hotel are tired and wary from their long travels and just need a place to sleep in peace and quiet and without any hassle. And that’s what you get. There is a small fridge next to the reception desk where you can buy soft drinks. Slippers can be purchased at reception for EUR3.-. There is no restaurant attached to the hotel.

The Room

I have a room at the end of the corridor, which looks slightly bigger on the floor map than the others. I suspect that may have something to do with the Platinum status. Or it could be a coincidence. Obviously, the room has no windows as it is located inside the terminal building. Instead, the wallpaper on one side is this huge black and white photo of a typical canal scene. Or rather, what tourists probably think is typical for Amsterdam. The bed is comfortable and large enough for two adults to sleep comfortably.

Also in the room are a television and tea and coffee making facilities. The bottle of lemon flavoured water in the picture below I bought at reception. However, two complimentary bottles of still water are available in the room. The receptionist was kind enough to point out that there would be water in the room.

The bathroom is well lit and quite large. In my room there is only a shower and no bath – which serves its purpose perfectly.

Conclusion

Next time I need to spend the night at Schiphol airport, the Mercure Hotel will certainly be my first choice. The staff are great and the room was quite nice and very clean. I should also add that because the hotel is right in the middle of the terminal building, it’s also very quiet. As a result, I manage to get an exceptionally good night’s rest.