One of Marriott’s more premium properties in Amsterdam is facing some challenges, and its future is looking rather uncertain. I first covered this several days ago, but there’s now an update after a court ruling, and this situation is going to get kind of strange…
In this post:
W Hotel Amsterdam evicted over €23.4 million in unpaid rent
The operators of the W Hotel Amsterdam have just officially been evicted, after they reportedly failed to pay rent for three years. The total amount due, excluding interest and penalties, now amounts to a staggering €23.4 million.
The actual land the property sits on is owned by Deka, and was purchased in 2017 for €260 million, as part of a sale and leaseback agreement. Meanwhile the hotel has been run by Palace Hotel, part of the Amsterdam-based Sircle Collection hotel group.
The landlord had filed to evict the hotel operators over the unpaid dues, and on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, a court ruled in favor of the owners. That’s not surprising, since the operators hadn’t objected to this request, and their only defense was that they couldn’t pay rent due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (really, they couldn’t pay any of the rent they owed… for years?). The hotel operators now have 15 days to fully withdraw from the project.
What does this eviction mean for the hotel and its guests?
This situation is going to get very interesting. The hotel won’t be closing immediately. Instead, the owners of the property and Marriott will be working together to find new operators for the hotel, who hopefully have more luck with paying rent.
In the meantime, we can expect that some or most of the restaurants and bars at the hotel will stop operating in the near future, since they’re tied to the hotel operators, and aren’t directly part of the agreement with Marriott.
So it remains to be seen how exactly this plays out. It’s anyone’s guess how easy it is to find new operators for the hotel. For that matter, if interested parties are found, one wonders if they’ll want to keep the current branding, or switch to a different brand. Obviously the property’s owners want to maximize their potential profits, or at least maximize their odds of having a tenant who can pay their bills.
If that process doesn’t happen, then of course there’s a chance the hotel just abruptly closes. It’s kind of wild to me that a hotel can operate for three years without paying rent, and it takes that long to be evicted.
If the hotel does close abruptly, unfortunately don’t expect Marriott to necessarily do a whole lot to help guests. I imagine those with reservations will be refunded, but it’s unlikely Marriott will do much to accommodate guests elsewhere, but instead, will just encourage people to make new reservations. It shouldn’t be that way, but that’s the general service standard Marriott seems to be offering nowadays for abrupt property closures.
So while nothing is a sure bet, I’d definitely be cautious if making a booking here, and at a minimum, would consider a backup.
Bottom line
The operators of the W Hotel Amsterdam are being evicted, and have to vacate the property within 15 days. This comes after they haven’t paid rent to the owners in around three years, with the amount due now at €23.4 million.
Once the current operators leave the building, the expectation is that the owners and Marriott will try to find a new interested party for the property. So the hotel will continue operating, but food and beverage outlets could be limited. We’ll see how this all plays out, though expect that it could get a bit messy.
What do you make of this W Hotel Amsterdam situation?
Surprised the W brand is still a thing? it is so so so late 1990s plastic-glam...
I have never stayed at the W Amsterdam, but once went there to see a mate and all I remember is the loud music at reception blending with the very loud stoned girls and boys.
I used to work in a 5-star hotel in Brussels. The hotel was five years behind on rent. After the lease expired, the hotel showed interest in signing another 10-year lease, but only if the owner would take a loss and forgive the five years of unpaid rent. In the end, they were evicted as well.
There is an echo in the house, yep, repeating the same old, same old!
W Amsterdam is currently accepting reservations beyond the 15 day period, even without a new buyer. Why is Marriott permitting this?
Tim, comment?
Rod, this is a Marriott-post. Does DAL own the W in AMS?
W Hotels is Delta number one hotel partner. So yes it is relevant.
If in Amsterdam, I'd much prefer the WA or relatively-new Rosewood.
So would everyone, but it they’re much more expensive
Hotel failures, usually related to financing issues, are happening in U.S. too. Thompson San Antonio is going into a foreclosure sale on March 1st although the hotel "expects" to remain open and under the Thompson brand with the new owners after the sale. The building also houses several dozen expensive condos which are separate from the hotel and not part of the sale.
Augustine in Prague leaving marriott too. Some of my fav European bonvoy hotels.
As Warren Buffett said, there’s never just one cockroach.
This is interesting because it must be one of the only W properties franchised or licensed by Marriott. Until today, I've always read that Marriott did not franchise or license W. W was thought to be one of the few Marriott brands exclusively managed by Marriott. I imagine the most likely scenario is that Marriott will require the hotel to retain Marriott to operate the property. This is, of course, a reminder of the problem...
This is interesting because it must be one of the only W properties franchised or licensed by Marriott. Until today, I've always read that Marriott did not franchise or license W. W was thought to be one of the few Marriott brands exclusively managed by Marriott. I imagine the most likely scenario is that Marriott will require the hotel to retain Marriott to operate the property. This is, of course, a reminder of the problem when chains franchise brands, especially top-end brands.
Nothing to do with anything again, but Cathay has another special livery on a 77W.