Stroom Rotterdam – Former Energy Plant Turned Hotel

Stroom Rotterdam – Former Energy Plant Turned Hotel

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trendy-weekend-rotterdam-smallSTROOM (Dutch for electricity) Rotterdam is a hotel, bar, restaurant and lounge in the Lloydkwartier that is part of a former energy plant called the Shiecentrale. The Shiecentrale was build in 1906 and it closed eventually in 1996. In 1997 the redevelopment started whereby the power plant was disassembled and redeveloped in stages. Some typical characteristics of the power plant where kept. The idea was to transform the former plant into a creative cluster for Artistic, Audio Visual, Media and ICT companies. The development of STROOM was finished in 2004 with the whole redevelopment project finished in 2008. The Lloydkwartier is now completely redeveloped with also some old warehouses like St Jobs completely transformed into housing. The area full of creative, trendy and hip places and businesses and houses Rotterdam’s only 2 star Michelin restaurant the FG restaurant.

Although part of a huge power plant STROOM is a small boutique style hotel with only 21 rooms which gives it a nice intimate feel. As it is part of the big creative scene out there a lot of locals use the bar, restaurant or its local food shop so it is always buzzing.

Lobby and Business Area

Once you enter the lobby area you are in this big atrium. When looking up you are reminded of the past of the power plant with a big crane featuring high at the top of the atrium. Next to the Lobby is the Bar, Restaurant and Lounge area. What I liked as a typical Dutch hotel are the complimentary bicycles for the guest, there is no better way to see Rotterdam than by bike.

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Room – Urban Loft

I stayed at the Urban Loft number 22, which is part of the glass area that was built on the side and top of the power plant. The loft is on the third floor which is reached via the elevator and a small flight of steps. Two of the four walls are glass from top till bottom which gives it a great light and airy feel and great views over the Lloydkwartier. The loft was about 50m2 in size and comes with two distinct areas, the living area and the sleeping / bathroom area.

Living Area

The living area had an unusual large table in it; You can easily sit 10 people around the table. In the middle of the table was an old typewriter on display. The end of table had a TV which you could kind of use for presentation purposes. As the area is full of creative media type people this made sense. There was also a nice lounge area with another TV and an audio system for you to hook up your mobile device to play some tunes. Overall the theme of the power plant was still on display in this room with pipes and cables on the ceiling at full display. I loved the coloured lighting to create more atmosphere at night. To top it of the room has a full size Smeg fridge fully loaded with drinks and snacks, and a professional Nespresso machine with at least 30 cups. Yes you can easily entertain the 10 people sitting around your dining / boardroom table.

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Bedroom Bathroom Area

The bedroom / bathroom area is divided from the living area by a cupboard which houses the third TV. It has a large double bed with plenty of pillows on it to choose the right one for your sleep. A nice touch was the old style telephone which was on one of the side cabinets. The bath is a sunken bath which can easily fit two full size adults at the same time. The hotel toiletries are from Ingredients.

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Outdoor Terrace

STROOM comes with a nice outdoor terrace with BBQ, which is great place to enjoy the sunny days and warm summer nights.

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Rooftop Terrace

Bar

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Next to the lobby area on the ground floor is the bar area which is great place to enjoy some drinks, when the weather is good you can also sit outside. The bar area is also connected to what I call the market where you can buy bread, fruit, sandwiches, drinks and other types of take away foods. This is great food for you to take to your room or for non guests to take to their work place. This is a concept I have not seen before in a hotel, which is what makes STROOM unique.

Market

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Breakfast

Breakfast is a combination of great bread, meats, cheeses, jams, cereals, milk, coffee, tea and juices and all sorts of freshly prepared eggs. The variety is not that big but the quality is what counts here, you have to bear in mind that this is a small size hotel. I loved the wooden crates in which the food was presented giving it a market type of feel. The kitchen is completely open so you can see what the chef is preparing.

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Conclusion

STROOM is in an area that is full of creativity and new build or converted architectural buildings. Its rooms try to capture part of Rotterdam’s industrial heritage and its architectural transformation, in a modern warehouse style way. Due to its small size it is intimate and cozy. This works well with the creative industries that it is surrounded by. If you are staying as a tourist I would recommend this hotel as you are not far from sights like the Euromast or the historic Delfshaven. The centrum of Rotterdam is only five minutes away by public transport.

Details

  • Room reviewed – Urban loft – from €165 excluding breakfast
  • Website: www.stroomrotterdam.nl
  • Address: Lloydstraat 1, 3024 EA Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Phone:  +31(0)10 221 40 60

About The Author

Arthur van de Laak

I am an active traveler, snowboarder and technology geek. I write about male fashion and worldwide travel destinations.

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