FAQ

How can I book a room?

- You can use the booking screen left on this page to book a room in our hotel.

Is it safe to book online? 

- Online payment is secured. Your data is transmitted over a securedm encrypted connection, Your data will be handled with great care.

What payment options do I have?

- To make your reservation online you have to select a payment method. You can indicate that you want to pay upon arrival at the hotel, or that you wish to pay up front. If you want to pay at the moment you book, you can use iDeal or credit card (Visa, Eurocard/Mastercard and American Express). The amount will be debited at the moment of confirming the reservation.

Do I get a booking confirmation?

- When you finalize your reservation, the confirmation will appear on your screen. You can print it directly by clicking the 'print' button. By default you will also receive a confirmation on the given email address. If you do not receive a conformation email, we recommend you to contact the hotel reception.

How many rooms and nights can I book at the same time?

- Up to 5 rooms in one reservation.

How can I request a quotation for a group?

- Just send a reservation to the hotel.

Can I bring my pet?

- Pets are not allowed.

Does the hotel has a private parking?

- Our hotel does not have a private parking. We recommend to park your car at the Qpark next to the hotel.

Is smoking allowed in the hotel?

- In the hotel it is not allowed to smoke.

Is there a possibility of an extra bed in the room?

- In some rooms it is possible to add an extra bed. The fee is 35 Euros per night.

Does the hotel offers wireless internet?

- Throughout the hotel, it is possible to use the free Wi-Fi

Does the hotel have rooms for disabled?

- The hotel does not provide facilities for disabled.

How can I cancel or change my reservation?

- You may cancel or change your reservation by clicking on the link in your confirmation email.

How can I get to the hotel?

- Click on the following link to see the directions to the hotel.

  http://www.hotelbluetower.com/_files/4_3_Travel_instructions_to_the_Blue_Tower_Hotel_(2)_(2).pdf

Does the hotel has a shuttle service from schiphol?

- The hotel works with Connexxion Shuttle. www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl 

Claire Felicie

Battle Lines Etched on Marines’ Faces

A twinkle in the eye, gone. A smirk, less cocky. An alert gaze, averted.

These triptychs — portraits of Dutch marines before, during and after deployment in Afghanistan — tell their stories quietly. They’re not especially shocking at first glance. A few show little outward change in the young men. Others, however, seem to disclose profound transformation.

“Two of the boys, I was very worried about,” said the photographer, Claire Felicie, 45, who has a son in the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. “But they don’t tell me. They say all goes well.”

When her son, Tristan Feij, joined the Marines, Ms. Felicie recalled thinking: “Oh, my God. He has to go Afghanistan and they’re coming to my door and they will say, ‘Your son has been killed.’”

As it turned out, Mr. Feij was assigned to the Caribbean. It was his mother who wound up in Afghanistan.

The more Ms. Felicie imagined her son at war, the more she wondered about other marines and whether the experience of war would change them.

So she set out to photograph 20 young marines of the 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Company (a different unit than her son’s). She caught them five months before they left for their mission in Afghanistan. At about three months into their deployment, she visited them at Combat Outpost Tabar in Uruzgan Province. They posed for their final portraits in September 2010, a few months after they arrived back home in the Netherlands.

“You see all those pictures of men in action,” she said. “I wanted to let the people see they are boys. Brave boys.”

Ms. Felicie, who lives in Amsterdam, has been taking photos since she was 18, but began her professional career in 2003, working out of a darkroom in the family kitchen. “I locked all the doors and all the children weren’t allowed to disturb me,” she recalled.

Last year, Mr. Feij tried to assure Ms. Felicie of his invincibility. “Mom, don’t worry,” he told her. “Marines are the best.” The same day, in an incident witnessed by most of the men whom she had photographed, two marines from the 13th Infantry Company were killed in an I.E.D. blast.

 You can click on the following link for Claire her photos in Afghanistan

Photo's of Claire Felicie in Afghanistan 

 Click on the following link for Claire her own website. You can find the rest of her collection here