Madrid based Room Mate Hotels has signed a 25 year lease on a new design hotel currently being developed on Amsterdam’s “IJ” waterfront.

The 293-guestroom hotel is currently being developed as part of the IJDock, which will also house the city of Amsterdam’s justice offices and courts and a marina. It overlooks the IJ estuary, Amsterdam’s former seafront and is just a couple of minutes walk from the city’s central railway and busstation. The ferry across the water from the station will take travellers to the north side of the city, home of the spectacular new EYE film museum.

Designed by Dutch architect Jan Bakers, the all-glass new hotel is scheduled to finish by the end of the year. Then Spanish designer Tomas Alia will oversee the interior decoration of the Room Mate Hotel to be finished in spring 2013. Alia already designed several hotels for Room Mate, which properties are being famous for being centered around a fictional personality or friend who knows the city’s ins and outs. Room Mate operates mainly in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Oviedo, Granada, Salamanca) but also has hotels in New York, Miami Beach, Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Other than the Amsterdam opening, Room Mate Hotels will also open in Italy, England and Colombia plus more hotels for Madrid and Barcelona.

Room Mate Amsterdam, which has no personal name yet (I would suggest Room-Mate “Chiel”) will also feature a large restaurant overlooking the marina, part of the complex, plus a gym and spa.