The days of the city centre newspaper office, with grizzled old hacks in a fug of roll-up smoke above and a printing press cranking out the editions below, are long gone. The modern newspaper is run from shiny new glass and steel towers in urban regeneration developments, while printing happens miles away at centralised super-presses on industrial estates in the middle of the country. This shift has seen the abandonment of many lovely old buildings steeped in history and tradition, an if there’s one industry that loves those sorts of buildings, it’s the hotel industry.
INK Hotel Amsterdam benefits from the heritage of De Tijd (The Times), a Catholic newspaper that was published in the building near Dam Square for decades. From notepad to news-stand, the whole De Tijd operation was run from the premises, and Dutch creative studio concrete has done a fine job translating the spirit of the old business into a modern proposition. Right from the bold wall of old-school metal type behind reception, INK’s guests are immersed in the atmosphere of publishing, and areas are given throwback names such as the Pressroom, the hotel’s restaurant. Black and white are the headline colours as you’d expect, with lead grey also prominent and gold accents adding a touch of luxury to proceedings.
INK Hotel Amsterdam
Photography, Ewout Huibers for concrete
