Executive suite Hilton Rotterdam + restaurant Joelia NOV2021

This review covers a 1 night stay in November 2021 at the Hilton Rotterdam. The purpose of our stay was to enjoy an evening out to dinner and have an overnight without having the hassle to drive back.

At that moment the Netherlands was in a partial covid19-lockdown meaning that all dining venues had to be closed at 20.00H evening. We had managed to make a reservation for an 18.00H dinner at restaurant Joelia. Although this restaurant is located at the hotel it is owned and operated by award winning patron-cuisinièr Mario Ridder. Restaurant guests can enjoy à la carte or the set menu. There is easy indoor access from the Hilton lobby to the restaurant. Handy in those cold wet winternights!

This review is photo heavy and will be divided in the following parts:

1. the hotel & location
2. executive suite #401
3. features and facts
4. executive lounge
5. restaurant Joelia
6. breakfast at Hilton's own restaurant JacQ

Please keep in mind that we experienced this stay as Blue-status Hilton Honnors guests (the only status we currently keep are IHG Royal Ambassador and Marriott Bonvoy Gold) so there could be a biased view and i ask the reader to keep this in mind. I will however note that booking the special "Joelia 20% off" rate did not affect the points earning and in 3 days the correct amount posted in my account. Our roomrate included breakfast.

the hotel is located in Rotterdam city centre at Hofplein traffic circle. There is a carpark nearby but parking on the street is possible. It is an easy 10 minute walk from Rotterdam Centraal railway station. The closest tramstops are Weena and Stadhuis (also served by the metro). Close to the hotel is a small Albert Heijn grocery store on Coolsingel. Another 5/10 minutes away is the market on Binnenrotte (Tue/Sat only) and the iconic cube houses and Markthal or the entertainmentdistrict of Witte de Withstraat.

exterior shot - executive suites are on the left side

bikes for rent

participates in hilton honnors promo

reception

lobby

lobby

sanitizers at elevators

facilities touted

front entrance

this is executive suite #401. It has no connecting door and is reasonable well insulated against noise from the Hofplein traffic circle. This suite has a true seperate living and bedroom. The livingroom window sees sunrise from the east while the bedroom window faces south. 
 

Right door to our suite - note the trash outside was due to our neighboors shopping mad at black friday sales

clean seal

living room 

living room seen from desk area

plugs at desk

Refreshment centre setup

part of minibar

minibar contents

nespresso and kettle 

sliding door can be used to seperate living from bedroom

inroom sanitizers

bedroom

the alarmclock is not a victim of costcutting (unlike Marriott)

bedroom with ladies vanity desk 
 

View from bedroom to living room

hallway in suite with closets

covid19 cleaning

storage space + bathrobes

safe, iron and ironingboard

emergency floorplan

bathroom 

sliding door seperates bathroom from hallway

* no bidet stick or Japanese toilet *

rainforest and handheld shower

crabtree and evelyn
 

bathtub

night view from bed, faces south to cityhall (stadhuis)

the hairdryer was hidden in a drawer
 

view from living room on Hofplein 

* yes, traffic is always this bad during rushhour! *

warning: the bed ain't no Auping or Hästens!

here are some specific observations about this suite:

laundry list

all tv channels

flight information for AMS-airport

weather info

radio channels

upsell to premium internet

room service menu

all the amenities

no daily housekeeping offered here 

our executive suite also included lounge access. Opening hours of operation and food & beverage presentation were subject to then prevailing government restrictions. We were able to have a short visit and meet up with Paula the lounge hostess. She provided genuine warm Portugese hospitality and uncorked and poured us the bubbly. She seems to be wellknown among other lounge guests we encountered.

operating hours / days (NOV 2021)

entrance

Lounge counter, note the pinmachine..... buy up access possible?

work area

kid's area

festive athmosphere next to free printing

seating area

seating area

seating area

seating area

Softdrinks include chocomel and fristi, Yay!

all the usual coca cola company suspects
 

Nespresso business edition uses pads and not the capsules like in the room
 

lounge literature

software suites on lounge PC

condiments

all the nibbles 

* note no hot food due to government covidrestructions * 

Bar seating

alcohol

red wines

Cold white wine, rosé and prosecco

at least crisps to go with .....

nice cold beers, at least "dubbel" instead of plain ol' Heineken

Although taste is subjective, in this case the restaurant touts an 1 Michilin star of approval. We chose à la carte and we can say the stand out features were:

• engaging friendly service by Jacqueline with food allergies explaination
• amuses presented in the iconic Erasmusbrug miniature
• lavish use of truffle
• an extra fresh baked dessert of waffles Liègeouis
• an étagère of friandises

Please see the photos, can wholeheartly recommend this restaurant for foodies.
 

Door to the left leads from Hilton lobby to restaurant Joelia

inside passage so no need to cross the cold weather outside

entry vestibule,

to the right stairwell to toilets and wine cellar

bar area

complimentary seasoned cashews

interior

the menu (NOV 2021)

amuses & appetizers + warm anise bread

coupe noir = truffle extravaganza on steak tartare

the maître and the white brigade

turbot langoustine truffle

selection of cheeses

Fresh "luikse" wafelen à la mode

gourmandises

Nirvana ain't come cheap,

At least the unsatisfied virgin is satified and a virgin no more :) Restaurant Joelia was great to try out!

After a pleasent evening, the following morning we woke up to eagerly see how breakfast was executed and if the buffet made its triumphant return! It is served at the Hilton's own restaurant JacQ. We had to reserve a timeslot and we were happy to see that the buffet was properly stocked at 08.00H morning and not lived in by monkeys yet. A special shoutout to breakfastchef Johannes, he made off the menu items that fitted in with our dietary restrictions, no effort was to much for him. Also coffee and tea were offered proactivly and kept topped up by David the cheery breakfastserver. 
 

safety and sanitiy during covid19

seating area restaurant JacQ breakfast
 

open air kitchen and layout

choice of hot beverages

all basics for a full American breakfast

* note: i didn't see any of the special Chinese breakfast options touted by Hilton Rotterdam's website but who knows they might return again when travel picks up again.... 

additional seating at JacQ's bar area - the place where you use the (welcome) drinks voucher incase the executive lounge is closed

some events listed 

Hilton Rotterdam's main competitor is the Marriott Rotterdam.

Both have executive lounges, both have Michilin starred restaurants.

In the future the new Motto by Hilton at Binnenrotte and IHG's Kimpton Rotterdam at Post can provide some extra competition in the direct neighboorhood but for now this classic Hilton hotel is a safe bet for a comfy stay for a short visit. Restaurant Joelia is in itself a destination!

* apologies for the spelling and gramnar mistakes: we just got word that the Dutch government is re-opening everything till 22.00 H evenings, starting 26 JAN 2022, so happy days are back again!