Minor Hotels Unveils Audio Walking Tour to Celebrate 750 Years of Amsterdam 

Amsterdam, April 10, 2025 - To celebrate Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, Minor Hotels is launching a city walking tour that takes visitors past the capital's hidden gems. The “Minor Hotels Walking Tour - 750 Years of Amsterdam” connects three of the hotel group's historic hotels, allowing guests to discover the city's rich history through narrow alleys, hidden courtyards, and centuries-old gable stones.

The walking route, specially created by a local guide for the city's anniversary year, leads visitors past three iconic Minor Hotels properties: Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam on Dam Square, NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace, and Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam Hotel. Each of these historic properties tells its own unique story as part of the city's history.

Amsterdam is known worldwide for its canals, the Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank House, but the city's history can also be found in the small details: in narrow alleys, on street corners, and within hidden courtyards. With this walking tour, guests of all Minor Hotels' properties in the city will discover hidden gems and gain a fresh perspective on Amsterdam.

Accompanying the tour is a specially-designed map, available free of charge to all suite guests at Minor Hotels in Amsterdam. All brands are participating, including Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Avani Museum Quarter Amsterdam Hotel, Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam, and all NH Hotels & Resorts properties in the city, including NH Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace, NH Collection Amsterdam Flower Market, and nhow Amsterdam RAI. At the three historic hotels featured along the route, guests can pick up a small local treat inspired by the city's rich variety of flavors.

Unique features of the walking route include QR codes placed at strategic points along the way. When scanned with a smartphone, guests can listen to stories about the history and cultural significance of each location. The walk takes guests past notable sites such as the old Sint-Olofspoort near Barbizon Palace, the former anatomical theater near Nieuwmarkt, and the Begijnhof — one of the oldest parts of the city. Guests can also discover the Bank van Lening, Amsterdam’s oldest operating bank.

Located in the oldest part of the city, NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace combines several historic buildings, including Amsterdam's oldest wooden house. A portion of the hotel was once the Sint-Olofskapel, a 15th-century chapel and the city’s oldest remaining religious structure. The chapel was built beside one of Amsterdam’s original three entrance gates: the Sint-Olofspoort. This gate was primarily used by traveling merchants, including timber merchants from Scandinavia, symbolizing the strong trade connections between Amsterdam and the north.

Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam Hotel is the city's oldest hotel. The impressive building stands on the site of Amsterdam’s former medieval city wall and includes a historic tower that once defended the city, not by an army, but by wealthy citizens serving as part of the city militia. In 1638, a large ballroom was added, which notably housed Rembrandt's masterpiece, The Night Watch, for many years. The hotel's facade still reflects this history, with two militia figures carved beside the clock, keeping watch over the city just as they once did centuries ago.

Located on Dam Square, the historic heart of the city, Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam has a rich history dating back to 1866, when Polish tailor Adolph Wilhelm Krasnapolsky opened a coffee house that would eventually grow into a grand hotel. A unique feature was the elegant Wintergarden — a belle époque indoor tropical garden with ceilings of glass and iron, an innovative design for the time. The venue was hailed as “the miracle of the century” thanks to thousands of Edison light bulbs that illuminated it.

In 1924, Amsterdam’s dance ban was lifted, and Mr. Krasnapolsky secured one of just six coveted dance licenses. The expanded Wintergarden, now featuring a spacious dance hall, quickly became a great success and an important part of Amsterdam’s social life.

In addition to the self-guided Minor Hotels Walking Tour, Avani Museum Quarter Amsterdam, which opened last year as the first Avani Hotels & Resorts property in the capital, now offers guided cycling and walking tours for its guests. Led by a local guide, either on foot or on Avani bicycles, the tour begins at the hotel in the Museum District and takes guests through key landmarks tied to the city’s 750-year history.

The “Minor Hotels Walking Tour - 750 Years of Amsterdam” is now available to suite-level guests at Minor Hotels properties across Amsterdam through October 31, 2025.

About Minor Hotels:

Minor Hotels is an international hotel owner, operator and investor currently with more than 540 hotels in operation. Minor Hotels passionately explores new possibilities in hospitality with a diverse portfolio of properties designed intelligently to appeal to different kinds of travelers, serving new passions as well as personal needs. Through our Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Tivoli, NH Collection, NH Hotels, nhow, Elewana, Marriott, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Radisson Blu and Minor International properties, Minor Hotels operates in 56 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe, South America and North America. With dynamic plans to expand existing brands and explore strategic acquisitions throughout opportunistic markets, Minor Hotels pursues a vision of a more passionate and interconnected world.

For more information, please visit www.minorhotels.com.