Small spaces, big ideas: what SWEETS Hotel teaches us about hospitality

Walk through Amsterdam and you’ll see them everywhere: tiny houses perched on bridges, woven into the fabric of the city. For decades, their purpose was purely functional. Today, they represent something far more powerful: a blueprint for how hospitality can evolve. 

In a recent Matt Talks podcast episode, Mews CEO, Matt Welle, sat down with Suzanne Oxenaar, Co-Founder and Curator of SWEETS Hotel, to unpack one of the most unconventional hotel concepts in the world.  

28 bridge houses, scattered across Amsterdam, each transformed into an individual hotel room. No central lobby. No standard layout. No predictable guest journey. 

At first glance, it sounds inefficient. Operationally complex. Impractical, even. But look closer, and it becomes something else entirely – a masterclass for hoteliers in experience design and the creative use of space. 

Rethinking what a hotel is 

The starting point for SWEETS wasn’t hospitality as we know it. It was a question: what happens when unused real estate meets imagination? 

As Suzanne explains, the opportunity came when Amsterdam began centralizing its bridge operations, leaving dozens of bridge houses empty. “We like to wake up where we want to be,” she recalls – a simple idea that sparked a radical concept. 

For decades, growth in hospitality has been tied to development – new builds, bigger footprints, standardized rooms. Instead of building something new, SWEETS repurposed what already existed. 

For hotel owners and operators, this opens up a different kind of opportunity. Think underused spaces and unconventional locations. Think beyond the walls of a traditional property. The next great hotel might already exist – just not in the form you expect. 

Experience over uniformity 

No two SWEETS rooms are the same. They each boast different architects, eras and sizes. All come with quirks – from passing trams to the mechanical rhythm of opening bridges.  

Through an operational lens, that’s a headache. From a guest perspective, it’s magic. This is where SWEETS makes a bold trade-off: consistency for character. 

In traditional hospitality, standardization is a strength. It drives efficiency, simplifies training and ensures predictable experiences. But it can also lead to sameness – the kind of stay where, as Matt puts it, “I wake up in a hotel room and I don’t know where I am because it's some bland hotel.” 

SWEETS leans the other way. Each stay is deeply tied to its surroundings. Each room tells a story. Each guest experiences a different version of Amsterdam – and it leaves a real impact on each person. 

“Ninety nine percent of the guests writes a letter,” Suzanne shares. “So we have beautiful books of all these letters. Or people make a drawing of the house, or they leave something.” 

That level of emotional engagement is rare. It’s what turns a stay into a memorable experience – and a guest into an advocate. 

Turning the city into your lobby 

Without a central building, SWEETS had to rethink the entire guest journey. No breakfast buffet, no front desk, no concierge in the traditional sense. 

Instead, the city becomes the hotel. “We see the neighborhood as the lobby of the hotel room,” Suzanne says. 

Guests are guided to explore local cafés for breakfast. They receive curated recommendations tailored to their exact location, meaning each bridge house acts as a gateway into a different part of Amsterdam. 

This moves hospitality beyond the property and into the destination itself. Rather than trying to offer everything under one roof, SWEETS focuses on enabling discovery outside of it. 

It’s a model that aligns perfectly with changing guest expectations. Today’s travelers don’t just want to visit a city – they want to live it. 

Technology as an enabler, not a barrier 

A concept like SWEETS needs modern hotel technology built into its foundations. With 28 rooms spread across the city, traditional operations break down quickly. There’s no easy way to manage check-ins, communication, or maintenance using legacy systems. 

Technology in hospitality is often framed as a trade-off – efficiency versus human connection. SWEETS proves that’s a false choice. 

By removing friction – queues, paperwork, rigid processes – technology creates space for more meaningful interactions. A handwritten welcome note. Thoughtful local recommendations. Seamless communication, even if your night receptionist is based in another country. 

Technology shouldn’t replicate old processes. It should unlock entirely new ones. 

Embracing complexity – strategically 

Running SWEETS is not easy. Housekeeping teams cycle across the city. Every room requires different maintenance. External factors – from bridge closures to city works – constantly disrupt operations. 

And yet, the concept works, because it’s tied directly to the value delivered to guests. Too often, the industry optimizes purely for operational efficiency. SWEETS, on the other hand, accepts certain inefficiencies in exchange for a differentiated, high-impact experience. 

With the right mindset, not all inefficiencies are bad. Some are investments in uniqueness, brand, and guest connection. The key is knowing which ones are worth it. 

The takeaway: bold ideas win 

SWEETS Hotel is not a model that every hotel business can replicate. Nor should it be. But it does something more valuable: it challenges assumptions. 

It shows that:

• Hotels don’t need to be centralized  

• Rooms don’t need to be uniform  

• Operations don’t need to follow legacy playbooks  

• Technology doesn’t need to reduce humanity  

Most importantly, it proves that bold ideas – even the ones that seem impractical at first – can redefine what hospitality looks like. For an industry often shaped by tradition, that mindset might be the most valuable takeaway of all. 

Watch or listen to the full Matt Talks episode (any many more) wherever you enjoy your podcasts. 

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