The capital of Holland is a hot spot. From all over the world, thrill-seekers come here to give free rein to all their passions simultaneously in a translucent atmosphere of total freedom. It is probably for such people that this unusual hotel was created.
Once loaders worked at the Amsterdam shipyard, cranes grumbled, cables creaked from the load. Huge ships were built here. Then the shipyard became redundant (it closed in 1979), and soon artists and other hippies took over, and all the cranes were dismantled. That is, almost all of them.
Today the former shipyard has become an official and favorite hangout spot. The art-house environment of the former warehouses and piles of containers is home to hipsters and ordinary tourists alike.
This place is one of the most popular hangout spots in Europe. And a real paradise for various photo shoots.
The dominant feature of the neighborhood — literally — is the last surviving giant harbor crane, built by Hensen in 1951. At one time it was simply «Crane No. 13,» which had been abandoned for many years.
History is silent as to what it was that gave Edwin Kornman Rudy the idea to buy the crane and set up a hotel in it, but it was done, and how!
The crane was completely dismantled and restored. After three and a half years of reconstruction (from 2011 to 2015), its total weight increased from 198 tons to 295 tons — almost 100 tons! The structure was reinforced. Elevators and new rooms were added to it. Namely, there were only three rooms placed between 35 and 50 meters above ground level.
The central platform can be accessed either by elevator or by spiral staircase.
The stairwells offer views of the former shipyard area and the city.
The site is equipped with a multifunctional room, which has a triple purpose. It accommodates an office, it can hold parties for 70 people, and it also houses a professional TV studio with an Internet channel up to 1Gbit.
The rooms are accessible only by elevator. Finishing each of the rooms cost over a million euros. And this is despite the fact that most of the equipment and materials were provided by barter, for advertising. In any case, the sum of a little over three million euros for three rooms is shocking and awe-inspiring. But it is much more shocking when you see the rooms themselves, which were worked on by Holland’s best designers.
The lower 36-meter Free Spirit room is designed in an industrial style with a touch of total insanity.
On the second floor of the room is a bathroom with a view.
The middle Secret room has a similar area, but is decorated even more hallucinogenically.
The «top» Mystic room is a combination of design and luxury. It also offers the craziest view of the city from a height of almost 50 meters.
Although wait, the coolest view is not from this room, but from the giant outdoor hot tub placed at the very top of the crane!
It is worth adding that the crane is slightly rotated by the force of the wind, so the view from the window changes all the time. The range of hotel services includes a transfer to Amsterdam by private plane, followed by a limousine service to the hotel. If desired, a personal bodyguard can be ordered.
The pleasure of living in such a hotel is expensive — from 450 to 1,600 euros per night. But it should be mentioned that there are practically no vacant rooms. In fact, the hotel not only perceives the term «get high» in the figurative sense, but also in the literal sense.
And for those who are not satisfied even with that, the owners of the hotel offer for only 85 euros to jump from the arrow on a rope — with a 90 meter span!
