The Mercure Arthur Frommer Hotel was, as its name suggests, once owned by Arthur Frommer, the man behind the famous travel guides. Its façade has been designed to replicate the 17th-century architecture of the building that originally occupied its site. Tucked away in the canal area off Vijzelgracht, its entrance opens onto a small courtyard off a side street that runs like an alleyway behind Prinsengracht. A top-to-bottom renovation has transformed the 90 guestrooms, giving them very stylish decor in a soft pastel colour scheme. The hotel’s Golden Age Bar is small but cosy bar.