By all accounts, Amsterdam is having a moment. The city is gearing up to celebrate its 750th birthday (she doesn't look a day over 600), tulip season is erupting in glorious technicolor, and the canals are shimmering with spring sunshine and the occasional toddler meltdown. In the midst of it all, Pulitzer Amsterdam—a storied canal-side hotel housed in twenty-five interconnected 17th- and 18th-century townhouses—is making a timely entrance into the family travel game. And not in a "we have a crib if you ask nicely" kind of way.
Design-Forward Spaces That Actually Work for Families
Pulitzer Amsterdam has just debuted three new Family Suites that don't feel like an afterthought or a designer's reluctant concession to sticky fingers and bedtime routines. Designed by the hotel's Creative Director Jacu Strauss, the suites are as elegant as they are functional, each one comfortably housing a family of four with two proper bedrooms, two marble bathrooms (because sharing is for hostels), and a separate living room where little ones can spread out their wooden clogs and parents can sip wine while pretending not to hear Bluey.
Best of all? The suites overlook the hotel's garden—a rare reprieve in the city's heart and a welcome visual when you've just confiscated a stroopwafel five minutes before dinner. These new additions build on Pulitzer's reputation for marrying history and comfort with a touch of drama. The interiors manage to feel both rooted in Dutch heritage and effortlessly current, like if Rembrandt had a Pinterest board.
The timing of the launch couldn't be better. Amsterdam's 750th anniversary celebrations are ramping up, and tulip season has turned every corner of the city into a postcard. But the true magic of a family stay at Pulitzer isn't just what's new—it's how much is already in place.
Suites for Every Type of Stay
For one, the accommodations game has long been strong. The newly unveiled Merchant Suite, billed as the most luxurious on property, sprawls across three floors and offers three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a grand sitting and dining room, and—let's just say it—concierge service that would make a royal blush. While perhaps not intended for every traveling family, it's the sort of suite you book if you're traveling with grandparents, a nanny, or just a deep commitment to vacationing fabulously.
More accessibly, there's the split-level Family Suite with a Canal View, which gives off the vibe of a chic Dutch apartment and includes two bedrooms, a dining room, and those indispensable marble bathrooms. Or the Duplex Family Suites, which cleverly tuck twin beds into a cozy upstairs nook—essentially a kid-sized clubhouse within your room. And if none of those configurations work, the hotel has a clever array of interconnecting rooms and suites to MacGyver your way into the perfect setup.
Location-wise, the Pulitzer is gold. You're within walking distance of museums, parks, and the kind of cafés that serve excellent coffee and don't mind your child's urgent need to explain their dream from last night in great detail. The hotel even offers guests bikes, which is the only socially acceptable way to get around the city when you're not pushing a stroller.
A Thoughtful, Playful Approach to Kids
And then there's the VIK program. That's "Very Important Kid," if you didn't catch the acronym. Pulitzer doesn't just toss a coloring book your way and call it a day. Instead, they offer a thoughtfully curated mix of kid-friendly programming and playful amenities—enough to engage young children without making the adults feel like they're vacationing inside a bounce house. Even teenagers (sorry, young adults) are known to crack a smile or two.
What makes Pulitzer Amsterdam stand out isn't just the clever floor plans, Dutch-modern design, or even the canal views that make you feel like you've stepped into a Vermeer. It's the fact that they've managed to treat families not as a problem to solve, but as guests to be genuinely welcomed. And in a city known for its charm, that might be the most charming thing of all.
