Joe and I have been writing this blog for just shy 7 years. During that time, we’ve wound up with several thousand posts under our belt. Some of them, we knew when we wrote them, were just a one-off, where we’d write about whatever it was and then the topic would never see the light of day again. Others were the kinds of posts where we’d want to take another look somewhere down the line, just to see if there have been any updates.
Case in point, our October 2021 piece about “the hotel that prides itself on being the worst in the world.” At the time, it really, REALLY seemed like they were proud of what they were. As we wrote back then:
It’s not the only super duper low budget in Amsterdam, so to separate itself from the rest of the pack, its marketing strategy has always been, essentially, “We’re cheap, but heads up, you get what you pay for.” It must be working, because they opened in 1970, and are still open, over a half-century later.
The funny thing is, about 7 years before our write up of the Hans Brinker, their marketing department thought it would do them good to show how awful they really were. Here’s some of the hostel’s advertising, from Thrillist, in 2014:
and this:
and even…this:
I guess a jump from “We suck and we’re proud of it!” to “You get what you pay for” is a positive one?
So, just for fun, I went back to the Hans Brinker website the other day. Lo and behold, their marketing plan has changed once again! Most recently, its marketing strategy focused on “You won’t pay much but you get what you pay for.” Now? It’s all about the stories you’ll be able to tell about your stay. From their website (nowadays):
What happens at Hans Brinker, doesn’t always stay at Hans Brinker. Because the best stories are the ones that travel. They make the people who weren’t there jealous, and the ones who were, a little embarrassed. They’re the kind of stories that can make you infamous.
But the stories happening within our walls aren’t just stories. They’re the bricks that established our reputation – or in our case, our infamy.
At Hans Brinker, we may sell rooms by the night and beers by the pint, but our guests really come for one thing: a story they’ll never forget. The Infamous Hans Brinker Hostel.
The Hans Brinker hasn’t moved – it’s still in Amsterdam. And since that’s where it is, there’s the possibility that whatever shenanigans its guests get into, they might not even remember the next day. They include that in their advertising, too:
The quotes from their reviews have now changed from the ones that said the hostel was “good” to something more secretive and impossible (or unwilling) to explain:
There is something brand new at the Hans Brinker – they’ve got a restaurant, now too – it’s called Ms. Chelin. It’s as unassuming as the hostel:
We’ll be honest: we’re not a star restaurant. And we almost certainly never will be.
But we’re sure as hell aiming to become just as famous as one.Welcome to Ms.Chelin. A haven of delicious simplicity where flavour trumps fanciness.
With an all-day menu of Amsterdam favourites, we create tasty mouth moments that are as bold as they are uncomplicated.So, put on your shoes, grab your bike, and pedal on down to Kerkstraat 136. We can’t wait to serve you.
Prices at Ms. Chelin range from €10 (about $11) for a burger to €17 (about $18.50) for a chicken Caesar salad.
The Hans Brinker still gets an average of 3.5 stars on TripAdvisor, with nearly 1,700 reviews under its belt. It’s listed as the #25 of 62 hostels in Amsterdam.
I mean, it’s not somewhere I would ever stay (they might not accept me as a guest anyway – their T&C states that “Dormitory beds have an age restriction of 18-40. Please note that guests who are over 40 who wish to stay in mixed dorms may be asked to move to a private room at additional cost.” But some people on TripAdvisor said they were literally asked to leave because they were “too old.”) But for someone who’s OK with staying in a hostel for $71/night, I guess it’s still as good as any other place – and, if you’re to believe their advertising, you’ll apparently have stories to tell for the rest of your life.
Feature Photo: Hans Brinker Hostel Amsterdam / Facebook
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