The Independent Hotel Show team met with Kristel Dom, General Manager of Canal House Amsterdam, a boutique hotel located in the the heart of the Jordaan district set alongside the picturesque canals. The hotel is housed in three 17th-century merchant houses and has 23 rooms, all of which are decorated in a luxurious style with dark woods and original features such as timber beams and fireplaces! 

Tell us about yourself and your experience in the hospitality industry

I have been working in the Hospitality Industry since 1999, and have been with Canal House, part of a Curious Group of Hotels since 2011. I started as a Deputy Manager and became fully responsible as General Manager in 2012. Over the years, I have continuously developed my skills, and gained a lot of knowledge and confidence in how to run a successful business. I am a very passionate hotelier and I’m proud to be a part of Canal House and very proud of my team.

Why did you want to work in hotels?

That’s a question I often get, friends and family ask me what motivates me to pursue a career in the hotel industry. For me, there is no clear answer to that question.                                                                                    

It all depends on what a person seeks from choosing to work in hotels. For me, the hospitality industry allows me to develop myself - professionally and as a person. Not only do you improve on the professional skills you already possess, but with time and commitment you learn from others due to the variety of colleagues, guests and situations that will put you to the test. It is all about diversity and opportunity. All the dynamics, the shifting with different responsibilities and the feeling you have when you start training and end up in a managing position, it’s more than satisfactory at the end of the day.

The reason why I love to work in the hotel industry in general is so simple: its great fun. 

Who are your guests?

Our guests today like to experience the authentic culture of the place that they are visiting. They would like to explore and appreciate the lives lived elsewhere apart from the world they are familiar with.

They like to experience unique moments. At Canal House, we know who we are – we are a dedicated team of people who pride ourselves on delivering excellent service to our guests – and always striving to go the extra mile!

Our guests are savvy travelers looking for something different than seeing a Dutch windmill run. They are unique individuals who want to feel safe and pampered.

What does a great customer experience look like at your hotel, and what makes it unique?

The most important part for me about Canal House is that we focus on building a connection with our guests. We have a steady team at reception with six people in total and they have strong knowledge of Amsterdam. In fact, one of our reception staff is a licensed tour guide and we ensure everyone at reception possesses a deep understanding of the city, so they are able to assist our guests to the fullest. Occasionally when guests come on their own, they will ask us to create an itinerary for their trip and for top tips on where to go, which we are happy to do so. My team have the knowledge and ability to do so, therefore, every 3-4 months I organize for the whole team to visit key locations in Amsterdam, which means they can speak from experience when recommending places. This helps you make a personal connection with the guest and shows that we are not a ‘Google it’ hotel; you can come in and we are able to help you immediately.

What do you think attracts guests to Canal House? 

We are a small boutique hotel; a safe haven our guests choose us specifically for the security and personalized service that we offer. Our guests see Canal House as a home away from home with the finest location, the excellent service and the most memorable experience. We have one of the largest silent gardens in Amsterdam, although we are not allowed to serve drinks there ourselves due to the need to respect our neighbors, we do help the guest to have the best possible experience when relaxing in the garden. It’s a home away from home because guest can carry out their own drinks with a little help of my team. A lot of our visitors are in Amsterdam to fully experience all of what the city has to offer so have a busy schedule, we aim to build an atmosphere that invites you to take a break and unwind.

How would you describe the design concept for Canal House?

The owners Peter and Jessica Frankopan are responsible for the creation of the design. Unfortunately, I was not a part of that journey as it was before my time at Canal House, but it is the influence of the Dutch masters that led to the design. They wanted the design to reflect the history of the property with it being a merchant house from the 17th century as well as having a modern touch.

We do not want to come across like the new modern hotels whose design can be very ‘cool’ and ‘hip’, we keep our design classic high-end with a level of luxury. We don’t like to push the luxury too much by having big labels or logos on display, but we focus on the quality.  Since we are a proud member of Small Luxury Hotels we welcome a mystery guests on a yearly basis to keep our service on an excellent level. This mystery guests ranks everything, including design and the quality of overall offer. I just got the feedback from the most recent visit and once again we scored very high. For Small Luxury hotels like ours, this is really important and this recognition, a luxury stamp, means a lot.

What is your favourite feature of the Hotel?

I think the whole experience is my favorite feature because everything is well thought of.

How would you usually source any suppliers that you want to work with and do you change them quite regularly?

We do not change our suppliers regularly as we are very loyal to the ones we have. New businesses do get in touch with discounts etc. but to us loyalty is more important than receiving a discount or paying slightly less for a service.

I think that the moment you visit Canal House you understand the design style and vibe that the owners, Managing Director and I would like to aim for, therefore we try to get as much feedback from our guests as possible, especially those who work in the same industry. We do not change our design often and if we do, it is thoroughly thought out with what we would like to change and the people we use to achieve this with are being carefully selected.

What innovative, sustainable, or exciting new products have you implemented into the hotel recently that you would recommend to other hoteliers?

This year we have re designed our Green & Spring amenity line, which is our own collection of skin and body care products inspired by the British countryside. This is something that the owner, Jessica Frankopan, is really keen on with it being all organic and sustainable. The products are created by hand from plants and flowers native to the British Isles and are produced in Britain, they are also 200ml or 300ml, so very generous sizes instead of the smaller bottles. I think this is a very nice extra touch that we provide to all of our guests.

In the rooms, our tea and coffee cups have been hand painted by a group of local ladies in Amsterdam. This is something that is unique to our hotel and important when you are a small independent business. We are able to have good relationships with local suppliers as we don’t need thousands of pieces.

We are always looking at ways we can be more sustainable, for example, we have just had shower heads that use less water fitted.

What would you say is your favourite hotel outside of Canal House?

The Bulgari Hotel in Bali, service-wise and location-wise, is really amazing.

What two things would you say are really important when you stay in a hotel that you think can help make it a memorable experience?

Interaction with the team of the hotel, each moment and every interaction guests will have with my team , touch points, should leave the guest feeling appreciated. This means to me being fully present with the guest; listening to - and anticipating their needs and wants to be the best of your ability. Being able to tap into them and understand what kind of experience they are looking for. A good first impression determines the rest of their experience, it is all about the service and of course, being smiley and friendly. Style and design helps a lot but they will not wish you a happy day or have smile to you when you enter the hotel!

Do you have any advice that you would give to someone starting out in their career in hospitality?

Absolutely! Start by gaining practical experience in the field. This will help you to understand the industry better. Excellent communication skills are vital in the hospitality industry that we found out is a challenge for the younger generation to just talk with people and be genuine interested.

Passion is contagious and it will drive you to go the extra mile in your career so find out what is your passion. Most important starting a career in hospitality is an exciting journey that demands dedication and commitment. By embracing these tips and continuously enhancing your skills you’ll set yourself up for long term success in the industry.

You live and breathe hospitality, what excites you about hotels and restaurants right now?

There is so much on offer in Amsterdam the overall feeling I have is that I am constantly amazed by the creativeness of my colleagues. I love the fact that in Amsterdam we see opportunities take the risks and make it happen because we can!

No holding back, everything is possible that’s what I like about the hospitality in Amsterdam.

Since guests travel more and expect the impossible, they want to be surprised all the time. We are constantly challenged to look at our properties from different angles. Our guests are basically responsible for our endless creativity because we must adapt, and I like it!