For the past twenty years the Carlton Ambassador hotel has welcomed guests from all over the world to the beautiful city of The Hague. The luxurious boutique hotel has been a special favorite among the diplomat community who value its convenient location near the Peace Palace and the city center, its well-appointed rooms and boutique charm, and its comprehensive business facilities.
With its recent expansion into a neighboring building the hotel now has even more features to please the most demanding traveler. Diplomat Magazine was present at the inauguration of the brand new addition with eight rooms. Although “room” is very much an understatement! Arwin Paulides, General Manager of the hotel, prefers the term “residence” as it evokes more adequately the home-away-from-home feeling he aims to create for his guests.
The expansion project had an ambitious deadline and faced quite a few challenges. Much of the credit for the remarkable result goes to Gino Hoes and the creative team of IPRO Interior Design. They masterly succeeded to marry the charm of a 130-year old building with modern-day conveniences and a thoroughly Dutch character. Many of the fixtures, such as the carved wooden banister of the staircase, the tiled fireplace with delicately carved figurines in the wooden mantel, and the molded high ceilings, are considered protected historic patrimony and had to be restored and preserved. They were put into context by adding details drawn from the rich Dutch folk art heritage.
The overall color scheme of the rooms is based on the famous Delft blue and incorporated in the carpets, furniture, curtains and wall paper. Typical flowers from the Hindeloopen paintings popular in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century were enlarged and woven into the wall-to-wall carpets. Antique American wardrobes made of solid oak add a touch of timeless elegance. But the most stunning feature that immediately commands your attention when entering the rooms is the oversized enlarged print of a Delft blue motive on the glass walls that separate the bathrooms. It is the center piece of every room. The dramatic design supports all the other elements and pulls them together brilliantly.
The new wing provides space for six residences, two on each floor, as well as two larger suites on the ground floor. Especially the suites have been designed with the needs of longer-stay business travelers in mind. With a private entrance and parking, meeting rooms and all modern amenities the Ambassador Residences & Suites are the perfect solution for high-level executives and diplomatic dignitaries on assignment in The Hague.
However, what sets the hotel truly apart is the dedication to customer service that Arwin and his staff demonstrate at every opportunity and that already have earned them two World Luxury Hotel Awards. It is this willingness to go the extra mile and be a flexible and creative partner that has attracted Diplomat Magazine to the hotel and made it our club house, so to speak, for our monthly Meet & Greets and many other activities. We very much appreciate our partnership with Arwin and wish him all the best with the new addition. Congratulations on a job well-done!
