How Rotterdam became a destination instead of a point of departure
The Hotel New York is a luxury haven in the city that once transported travellers across the world.
I’m mesmerised by the view: the long barges glide past, cheeky water taxis buzz around and the enormous cruise ship lurks next to the glossy skyscraper outside my window. It’s a maritime view worthy of a 19th-century ship owner and it was just that for the owners of the Holland-America shipping line.
The Rotterdam headquarters of the company which transported thousands of travellers across the world has been transformed into the Hotel New York by Westcord, a Dutch hotel group specialising in unique boutique properties.
My room overlooks the Nieuwe Maas, the wide, busy waterway lined with docks that links the Rhine – and its industrial heartland – and the North Sea. The hotel sits at the end of a peninsula with the Rijnhaven harbour on the other side. Beside Rijnhaven, the Katendrecht was once full of shipping warehouses, workers and sailors and had a red light district. Regenerated in recent decades and transformed into a popular dining destination, the Katendrecht is now one of Rotterdam’s most talked-about areas thanks to a museum which opened in May last year.
Budget or boutique
With 72 rooms, many unique, Hotel New York is definitely boutique. One room boasts a roof terrace, while others incorporate a lookout tower.
Room service
My bedroom is certainly worthy of a ship owner. It is huge with four windows overlooking the river; there are trunks as tables and even a porthole in the bathroom door. The bed is super sized, with crisp white sheets and I have a desk overlooking the water. The walk-in shower is beside “his and hers” sinks and there is a separate toilet.
Wining and dining
The hotel has an oyster bar and a large restaurant and it is here that the breakfast spread is laid out. A wide choice from fruit and cereal to cook-on-demand eggs and warm pastries is offered. In the daytime, with plenty of outdoor seating and a varied menu, it is a popular eating spot and after dark, the more intimate NY Basement restaurant and cocktail bar comes into its own. On the Katendrecht, Deliplein is the centre of the culinary quarter. NOTK is an intimate space famed for its wine list. The food pairings are great too and brioche with roasted sardines and fennel matched with bubbles from one of Champagne’s smallest vineyards was a sophisticated way to start an evening out.
Not far away is De Matroos en Het Meisje. This feels like your host’s elegant front room and is packed on a Wednesday night. The chef’s set menu – with just a choice about how many courses you take – draws the crowds as it’s a thoughtfully-judged succession of deliciousness. It also comes with an award-winning wine list.
Worth getting out of bed for?
Inspired by my hotel and the passengers who made their voyage with the Holland America Line, the place I have to visit is Fenix. This “migration museum” has been wowing visitors since it opened and I’m not surprised.
I take the short walk to Katendrecht and find the most thought-provoking, interesting and engaging space I have visited for a long time. Housed in the former San Francisco shipping warehouse, there are four main areas which reflect on the people who passed through Europe’s busiest port and the more than 170 nationalities living here now.
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The most dramatic part is the Tornado, a shiny sculptural staircase, designed by Ma Yansong, which tops the original building. Taking the stairs through the entwined spirals, I emerge to a panorama of Rotterdam. I start to make sense of this cityscape, only to turn round to find it reflected – and distorted – on the mirror walls. The Tornado’s message is that the path upwards is full of unexpected turns and shifting perspectives, much like the journey of a migrant. Thought-provoking but also fun.¶On the ground floor, a more sombre space is filled with suitcases and by pointing a “podcatcher” at a luggage label you hear about its owner. The Suitcase Labyrinth is storytelling at its poignant best. Another exhibition space has photographs of travellers – in the broadest sense – through the years, giving context to the suitcase stories. The first floor is what makes Fenix – the exhibits tread a clever line between eye-catching drama and seriousness. A cabinet of colourful materials, a series of graphic photographs, a walk-through fabric New York bus, a slamming gate – each entice you to engage with another aspect of migration.
For me, the most powerful artwork is a square structure covered in newspapers. In Ukraine, people had insulated their cold concrete Soviet-era flats with newsprint – and these copies of Pravda here date to 1991 when Ukraine gained independence. As Russia started to bomb the cities in 2022, the newspapers were revealed. Inside artist Daria Khozhai’s representation of her bedroom in Kyiv, is evidence of how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was reported: papers from across the world – including The Scotsman – line the walls.
Just when you think there is no more to say on migration, something – a giant slipper or a piece of the Berlin Wall perhaps – makes you stop and think again. I could have lingered longer and with a cafe on site it would be easy to.
Little extras
Rotterdam is 25 minutes by train from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and direct flights to Scotland.
Guest book comment
Why would anyone want to travel away from here now?
FACTFILE
Hotel New York, Koninginnenhoofd 1, 3072 AD, Rotterdam. hotelnewyork.com
Fenix, Paul Nijghkade 5, 3072 AT, Rotterdam. www.fenix.nl/en
Tourist information, Rotterdam Partners. rotterdam.info/en
De Matroos en het Meisje, Delistraat 52, 3072 ZL Rotterdam. www.dematroosenhetmeisje.nl/en/
NOTK, Delistraat 20, 3072 ZK Rotterdam www.notk-rotterdam.nl
Rotterdam City Card gives unlimited public transport for one, two, or three-day plus discounts on attractions. citycard.rotterdam.info/EN
The Netherlands Tourism Board www.holland.com
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