Hotel Libraries and Reading Rooms: A Quiet Pleasure
Why a handful of Amsterdam hotels still keep a proper library or reading room, and how to spend a slow, quiet afternoon in one, with or without a book in hand.

Dark curls, a telescope at home and a wish for the highest floor.
"Could we ask for a room on the highest floor? The stars look closer from up there." Lucy says it half as a joke, but only half. She is a dreamer with a real telescope at home and a habit of checking the moon phase before the weather forecast. Mention a meteor shower and her whole face changes; she will list the best nights of the year and the darkest spots outside the city to watch them.
Aged 24, Lucy has the soft, artistic spirit of someone who sketches in the margin of every notebook, filling pages with small ink drawings of rooftops, bicycles and a crescent moon above the gables. She lives in the Jordaan, among galleries and tiny cafés, and her style is coastal bohemian elegance, flowing fabrics and loose curls that look as if a sea breeze has just passed through. Those curls are long and dark brown; her eyes are brown too, and a little faraway whenever something beautiful catches them. She is slender and 163 cm tall.
Mornings belong to running along the Amstel, ideally before the city is fully awake, followed by the second ritual of her day: espresso. Lucy takes coffee seriously and will lead you to the best cup in the hotel, or to the narrow bar round the corner that does it better. Espresso culture is something she has in common with Milena, although the two would surely disagree about roasts.
Tender is the word that suits her best. She listens closely, talks in English with a quiet enthusiasm, and brings a sense of wonder to ordinary evenings. After a day of meetings, her company is the gentlest possible way to land. A rooftop bar on a clear night is her ideal setting, and if the hotel has a terrace at the very top, she will already be reaching for the button.
Most people stop drinking coffee by mid afternoon, but Lucy saves her favourite espresso for after dinner, standing at a narrow bar in the Jordaan while the barista wipes down the machine. Dinner itself is simple and seasonal, somewhere with candles and a window onto the canal, and she spends part of it sketching the view on a napkin in small, careful strokes.
Then the evening turns upwards. She would love a hotel with a terrace on the top floor, or at least a window facing away from the brightest streets, so that she can point out a planet and tell you how long its light has travelled to reach you. If clouds get in the way, she is content with the city instead and invents constellations out of lit windows, each with its own short story.
▲ Styles on her profile
▲ From the reading room
Why a handful of Amsterdam hotels still keep a proper library or reading room, and how to spend a slow, quiet afternoon in one, with or without a book in hand.
A practical comparison of junior suites and full suites in Amsterdam hotels, what each layout offers, and how to choose between them without overpaying for space you will not use.
A single line with your hotel and a preferred time is plenty. The concierge replies within minutes, day or night, and the doors take care of the rest.
From €180 / hr · Longer stays on request · Jordaan