Heralded as the dawn of a new era for the Howard Johnson Company, work began on the Amsterdam property in August of 1968. It was "to be operated by Koluma Hotel Maatschappij N.V., a new corporation formed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Herbert Pulitzer (Pulitzer, heir to the Pulitzer publishing empire, operated the circa 1966 Miami Beach Motor Lodge, and he is best known for his messy marriage and divorce from "Foxy Roxy").

The project was described thusly:
"The hotel is basically a 5-story structure featuring an inside courtyard with some 2-story levels. It will have 180 guest rooms. The restaurant, seating 140, will occupy two levels within the hotel building."

The Amsterdam Howard Johnson's was created and opened with much pomp and circumstance -- meant to impress both the public and well heeled investors. Unfortunately the Howard Johnson Company was ahead of itself. Mired in its Motor Lodge mentality, it was not prepared to be a global player in the hospitality industry.

Moreover, its success was based largely on a model of efficient standardization with strict quality control. Methods had been devised at every level and for every aspect of operation based on standards which importantly included architecture, fixtures, and furnishings. No matter how "nice" the Amsterdam location may have been, it was the complete opposite of a standardized Howard Johnson's! The structure itself consisted of fourteen 2 to 5 story 17th century buildings that had been gutted and reconstructed. The finished project included 176 guest rooms of which no two were alike!

The hallmark of Howard Johnson's was its standardization, an unstandardized HoJo's is hardly one at all. The Amsterdam Hotel ceased using the Howard Johnson name by the second quarter of 1972.