Have you ever been to a hotel that you could visit time and time again? One that’s almost better than the destination itself? That’s exactly how I felt when I visited Hotel Okura Amsterdam.
Part of an international chain with more than 80 luxury hotels worldwide, Hotel Okura Amsterdam is the Japanese chain’s only hotel in Europe. The 23-storey building is located in the trendy De Pijp district - close to the financial, cultural and entertainment districts of Amsterdam. It offers its guests high-quality accommodation, culinary delights in four Michelin-star restaurants, plus ultra-modern spa facilities.
The Accommodation
Western in style and elegantly subdued with neutral colours, all 300 guest rooms are spacious and plushly decked out with comfortable Eastborn beds, large wooden work desks, Nespresso machines and all the other amenities you’d expect in a five-star hotel. We were very fortunate to be in one of the rooms that offered magnificent views of the city.
Upon arrival, we discovered a lovely surprise to walk into - a note from the Okura team welcoming us to the hotel and a box of macaroons.
Hotel Restaurants
Hotel Okura Amsterdam is home to four high-quality, Michelin-star restaurants. Yamazato is the first traditional Japanese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star in Europe. Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka offers the opportunity to watch the chefs while they prepare their delicious dishes on a hot griddle at the guests table. The International and innovative Ciel Bleu Restaurant offers a panoramic view of the city and has held two Michelin stars since 2007. Serre serves internationally inspired dishes with seasonal, fresh and local products, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition, as a restaurant that delivers quality food for an affordable price.
Hotel Spa – Nagomi
Nagomi Spa & Health is the perfect place to go if you want to get away from the stress of everyday life. The Japanese word Nagomi, which means ‘calm down’, captures the essence of the spa. The carefully composed selection of treatments will help you escape the bustle of the city. In addition to the treatments, you can also unwind in the Turkish steam bath, sauna or Jacuzzi.
For more information, please go to: https://www.okura.nl/
In our April Thought Leader Section, we look at the acquisition of one of Europe’s most-awarded creative independent agencies - Lemz, by Havas Group - one of the world’s largest communication groups. We had the opportunity to interview Adriana Roman-Holly – Director at Ciesco Group, who led the team that advised Lemz. Here she tells us about Ciesco Group’s involvement in the transaction and the challenges along the way, while also discussing the global M&A activity in 2016 and 2017.
Could you tell us a bit about the transaction and Ciesco Group’s involvement in it?
Havas Group (HAV:EN; market cap of €3.0bn), one of the world’s largest communication groups acquired Amsterdam-based Lemz, one of Europe’s most-awarded creative independent agencies.
Widely recognised as a pioneer of the pro-social marketing movement, Lemz uses its innovative creative consulting approach to “help brands make sense” by delivering creative campaigns that are meaningful, purpose-driven and socially relevant.
Building on their successful track record, Lemz shareholders acknowledged the need to address strategic growth options for the company to maximise the future prospects and value of the business. In Havas Group they have found a like-minded partner sharing similar strategic ambitions, passion and culture. Lemz will join forces with Havas Boondoggle, the Group’s existing Amsterdam-based creative agency. The new 80-talent-strong agency, “Havas Lemz”, will leverage on the Group’s Together strategy to build a powerful creative hub.
Ciesco Group acted as exclusive advisors to the shareholders of Lemz. We were mandated to seek a like-minded partner that would enable Lemz to operate on a larger scale and increase their impact on the social good scene, without compromising the high-quality creative output the agency has been known for. Havas Group was identified as the perfect fit in terms of vision, ambition, making sense support and chemistry with Lemz. We pursued a very structured process and managed the end-to-end process - from preparing the business for sale through to negotiation of the sale and purchase agreement on behalf of the shareholders with a major strategic player with complementary strengths.
Given Havas’s commitment to creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation and Lemz’s pro-social creative credentials, this transaction makes sense for all involved. It is a huge opportunity for Lemz, its talents and clients to benefit from becoming part of a bigger group. Using the creative firepower of Lemz, Havas can expect to deliver a number of stellar campaigns, while standing for something beyond advertising. The new 80-talent-strong agency Havas-Lemz is set to become the “most meaningful agency in the Netherlands”, a unique hub where ideas, people and talents flourish and turn into impactful integrated creativity.
What were the challenges in relation to finding the best possible partner for Lemz?
A deal like this will always face multiple challenges. Finding the perfect partner who would share Lemz’s vision and ambitions, managing value expectations and execution risks were all critical. Through our unrivalled experience, individual approach and vast industry knowledge we worked together with Lemz shareholders and provided them with independent, sound advice, efficient execution and direct support throughout the process.
How would you describe 2016’s global M&A activity in technology enabled-media and marketing sectors?
By all accounts, 2016 was an extraordinary year that brought with it a myriad of opportunities and challenges across the globe and presented a wide scope of issues and events. Despite the tumultuous year, M&A opportunities within the sector remained buoyant and firmly on the agenda of many corporates.
Each year our market intelligence team at Ciesco tracks global M&A transactions in the sector. We tracked 1,175 M&A transactions throughout 2016, an increase of 6% year on year in global deal activity. The announced deal values totaled over $82bn (excluding the three mega-deals), up 36% from the prior year. This marks the third consecutive year in which deal activity has increased. Marketing Technology remained the most active sector in 2016 in the digital, marketing, media and related technology industry. Despite being the most active sector, the number of deals announced fell by 12% to 102 deals (116 in 2015). As with the previous year, the Mobile sector was the second most popular sector behind Marketing Technology. Similarly to Marketing Technology, deal volume in the Mobile sector was also down slightly, from 102 in 2015 to 90 in 2016. The next most popular sectors were Advertising & Creative, Data & Analytics, Public Relations, Digital Media, and eCRM.
This remains an exciting and dynamic sector for M&A with new technology entrants, start-ups offering specific niche disciplines, a broad array of new media channels that are all combining to disrupt conventional models.
What is Ciesco’s outlook for M&A activity in 2017?
We expect 2017 to be a busy year with new business models developing where their services are powered by sophisticated data capture and analysis and that fuse high quality real-time creative content with integrated media solutions for delivery and measurement through the new media channels. Independent media and data analytics businesses will command a premium valuation in 2017 M&A activity.
We also expect consultancies to continue to make inroads into the marketing sector with an emphasis on strategy/creative and digital services. This will continue to threaten the big agency networks who will struggle to compete with the combination of the traditional and new services now being delivered by the consultancy firms.
About Adriana Roman-Holly
Adriana leads Ciesco’s day to day corporate finance work both originating and working on a wide variety of transactions. Prior to joining Ciesco, she spent 5 years at Pall Mall Capital, a London-based investment banking boutique, handling corporate finance advisory and M&A transactions, as well as working on Equity and Debt placements across a wide range of sectors (business services, leisure, infrastructure, technology, consumer products, etc.). Her earlier career included US experience where she worked on US and international assignments at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, a leading Midwest investment banking firm, as well as acting as a Project Manager for a London-based global consultancy firm specialising in business intelligence services.
Adriana has a MBA degree in Banking & Finance from Case Western Reserve University (US), as well as an MA in International Economic Relations.
Firm Profile
Ciesco is a London-based boutique corporate finance advisory firm, specialising in M&A advisory and business strategy for the digital, media, marketing and technology sectors, with coverage of Europe, Asia and North America. Ciesco works with entrepreneurs and global corporates who require specialist advice on domestic or cross-border transactions, divestitures and business strategy, as well as private equity firms looking for growth or exit opportunities for their portfolio companies. Led by practitioners with deep industry experience and expertise within new media and disruptive technologies, Ciesco is able to deliver its clients independent and sound advice and execution, as well as access to an extensive network of direct contacts with high quality investors globally.
Website: http://ciescogroup.com/
The first hotel that our March Business Voyage section looks at is the elegant and artful Ambassade Hotel. Nestled in the heart of one of the most romantic and scenic cities in Europe, Amsterdam, the hotel enjoys an exceptional, quiet, yet very convenient canal-side location in the famous Nine Streets area. Amsterdam’s major attractions, such as the Anne Frank’s House and the Vincent van Gogh Museum, as well as prime retail districts are all within close walking distance.
Ambassade Hotel comprises a unique ensemble of ten canal-side houses, legacies of the city’s 17th century Golden Age and perfectly captures the pulse of the canal-laden city. The hotel’s 56 tastefully-decorated rooms and suites have preserved the typical mansion architecture of the period, which combined with all modern comforts, results in typical Dutch cosiness. Although all rooms and suites are sumptuously furnished in the buildings’ original style, each room has its own individual character and its own story. The lavish Louis XV and Louis XVI-inspired furnishings, which are intelligently blended with predominantly 20th century paintings by Dutch painter Theo Wolvecamp and a number of other artists from the CoBrA movement (a group of post-war artist from Europe), help create the perfect balance between traditional and modern culture. What more could you possibly ask for, when in Amsterdam?
One of the many highlights of the Ambassade Hotel is unarguably the Library Bar, which is located adjacent to the opulent lobby. Lined with more than 4000 first-edition autographed books, it offers an inviting retreat for a relaxing drink or an informal meeting. All of these books are written by authors who have stayed at the hotel, which has always had close links with publishing houses in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. Among the authors who have stayed at the hotel and whose books you can find on the Library Bar’s bookshelves are Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, Paul Auster, Isabel Allende, and many more. The aura of class is heightened by European artists’ paintings that grace the walls of this extraordinary hotel bar. The drinks menu consists of classic cocktails, a selection of beers, some of the finest international whiskeys, as well as aperitifs, digestifs and cappuccinos.
Inspired by French cuisine, the Brasserie Ambassade offers exquisite fine dining experiences in an elegant and art-filled setting, which overlooks the beautiful Herengracht canal. Breakfast is also served in the Brasserie and is presented buffet style with hot dishes served on an a la carte basis. There is a large, superbly presented spread of fresh fruit, vegetables, pastries, a granola station, cold meats and a selection of Dutch and French cheeses. Guests are also offered sparkling wine to accompany their breakfast, should they wish.
All of this is carefully wrapped into a sublime customer service and a superb welcome with a concierge service. Whether you’re flying to Amsterdam for a business stay, or are about to visit the Netherlands’s vibrant capital as a tourist, and would like to dive into the art and culture of the city, then look no further than the exceptional Ambassade Hotel. Literature, art, exquisite dining and canal views. There’s little here not to love.
*I’d like to thank the Management and Staff of the Ambassade Hotel for their warm hospitality and kindness, and especially Mr Eelco Douma for his assistance, knowledge and erudition.
For more information, please email info@ambassade-hotel.nl or call +31(0)205550222.
Written by Katina Hristova
Another option for your business travel or holiday, also located in the dazzling Canal District, is the superb Seven One Seven Hotel. Housed in a stunning 17th-century building which overlooks the Prinsengracht canal, the boutique hotel could easily be mistaken for a private house. Despite its central location, once you walk through the dark-green door of Seven One Seven, you will feel worlds away from the hustle and the bustle of the bars, restaurants and coffee shops nearby – something that reserved romantics will definitely appreciate.
Beyond the entrance is the salon – a gorgeously assembled, high-ceilinged space, adjacent to which is an elegant lounge area, decorated with sumptuous furnishings, designer pieces and original art. The nine suites, which reflect the lounge’s interior design style, combine elegant, antique décor with modern and homely feel. They vary from spacious to very spacious, not only according to central Amsterdam standards. The two executive suites (called Schubert and Picasso) have high ceilings and boast prime views of the Prinsengracht canal. All rooms feature the latest in-room advanced technology, including audio system. Each suite is a room of enchantment, crafted from a range of furnishings, decorations and works of art that have been thoughtfully assembled to create a truly magnificent atmosphere.
The delicious breakfast that the hotel offers in a cosy and tastefully-decorated restaurant area, is served a la carte and includes eggs, cold meats, a selection of cheeses, pastries, fresh fruits and juices. The friendly and knowledgeable staff offer impeccable service and tend to the needs of all guests at all times. Their discreetness adds to the low-key and domestic aura of the Seven One Seven Hotel.
Breathe in the Dutch air, absorb everything that Amsterdam has to offer and make yourself at home in a stately Amsterdam canal house. The laid-back, guesthouse feel of the splendid Seven One Seven hotel will undoubtedly make your stay in the culture-filled and spirited Dutch capital truly unforgettable!
For more information, please call +31 (20) 4270717 or email info@717hotel.nl
