Amsterdam’s luxurious Amstel hotel — a favorite with visiting rock stars and dignitaries — was evacuated after a dangerous bacteria was detected in the water, the hotel said Friday.
A routine health inspection on Thursday uncovered the bacteria that causes legionnaires’ disease, the hotel said in a statement. No one was reported sick with the disease, which is not rare but some strains can be fatal if not treated quickly.
A spokesperson for the hotel declined to comment beyond the statement or say when the hotel was likely to reopen.
Britain’s Intercontinental Group plc, which owns the Amstel, said the evacuation was ”precautionary” and guests had been moved to other hotels.
Guests who have visited the hotel in the past month are to be sent a letter advising them to see a doctor if they have headaches, fever, nausea or chest pain.
It was not known whether any celebrities were staying this week at the Amstel, where regular rooms cost about €400 per night.
Rolling Stones stars Mick Jagger and Keith Richards usually stay at the hotel on the Amstel River. More recently, American film star George Clooney stayed at the Amstel during the filming of Ocean’s Twelve. — Sapa-AP