I can't understand how this is called a hotel, this is a hostel by all means!
I had a horrible experience staying there, smelly bathrooms that didn't lock properly and tiny rooms with very steep stairs that made it very difficult to carry my hand bag even! the is
no phone in z room for reception so I had to go all the way down from the 4th floor whenever i want anything:(
and to top it off i found a hair on my pillow and the sheets were not changed in one of the beds!
in summary avoid it while u can..

The overall impression is: shabby. Toilet was smelly. Rooms are carpeted and this gives you the usual dusty and smelly carpets, if they are not properly maintained. Breakfast: essential, not much variety if you stay more than 1-2 nights.

Firstly, I would like to say that I am not a person with a delicate stomach. Unfortunately, my friend and I ended up searching for a hotel at the very last minute and this one suited our budget. I didn't know what to expect from a 1 star hotel, however, in spending 97.50euros per night I'd expect something better. It is too much for the quality you get. The cost is only justified by the location, I believe.
The photos on their website could date back to when the hotel was NEW, or perhaps they took photos from another hotel??.
We stayed in room 17 (twin room with shared bathroom). There was hardly any space to move between the beds and in the room in general. There were clean towels and soap (squeeze bottle, which is hygenic enough). This was the only good point about the room. The hand wash basin seemed clean, but the glass shelf attached to the mirror had not been wiped. The duvets seemed clean. We didn't feel itchy or suspected there were any bugs, as you often read in other reviews. I found a hair after I first sat on the bed, but that could have been one of mine.
The cupboard was about 50cm wide and there was just one hanger. The carpet was dusty and smelly. The smell was not pleasant but after a while in the room we got used to it! There was a small brand new LCD screen that really clashed with the rest of the room. It was only possible to listen to the music played by the hotel staff (I assumed). No remote control in sight, couldn't figure out if it was meant to be a TV. The toilet was right next to us and was always smelly. They put a deodorant spray bottle, that we used all the times when going in. Initially I thought that perhaps the staff only cleaned once a day and the rest of the day the toilet could be left dirty by the customers. However, after 2-3 days, the smell was always the same, which told me there was something chronic about that toilet. I wiped an antibacterial tissue on the toilet seat every time before using it. The shower was also average. Hair left by previous users didn't make it showering in there a nice experience.
The staff was always friendly. There are 3 computers that can be used for free 24 hours. That's another good point. They also have 2 types of good free city maps, and all sorts of brochures.
The breakfast room is not the usual breakfast room you may expect in a hotel. It does not look like the one in the photos (I didn't see any romantic fireplace, plants, etc). It consists of a few tables (no cloth) and chairs on either side of the reception desk. They give you the usual butter, jam, bread slices, cheese slices and ham, tea and coffee, pineapple and orange juice (which tasted as if water had been added into them), serviettes. That's it. There is a toaster and a sandwich maker. If you try to take food away (as in a takeaway sandwich) there is a fine of 20euros.
Initially, we looked for a place that was in between the city centre oval and the museum area, so this seemed a good area. The location is good because it is close to the Heineken Brewery, Leidseplein, Albert Cuypstraat market and a short walk to the Munttoren (Minttower, Flower Market).
However, as we learned after booking, with a transport card (7.50 for 24 hours, 11.00 for 48 hours, etc) you could really book anywhere around the city, finding affordable renovated (=clean??) hotels in a nice residential area such as around Vondelpark and Museuumplein, thus avoiding both the 5% city tax that you pay if you stay within the canal circles and possibly shabby places like the Sphinx Hotel.
Finally, I can confirm that NO, we did not see any mice in our room, even if I was thrilled at the idea! However, in the morning of the 3rd day, a couple of Spanish girls complained that they had found food packages chewed and they suspected there were mice. The only thing the girl at the reception commented was: YOU SHOULDN'T LEAVE FOOD IN YOUR ROOMS! That's right! How about: We shall DISINFEST ASAP? I believe we did not see any mice because we were on the 4th (last) floor and they might not get that high up. On the other hand, the stairs were unbelievably steep and 4 floors were a killer to climb twice a day. However, this seems to be a common feauture of Amsterdam old buildings, so no point in complaining. But if you really wish to stay at this hotel, remember: lower floors = risk of mice; higher floors = steep climibing. We only had hand luggage, luckily. And remember to bring downstairs your own rubbish upon checking out, thanks!

I stayed there back in 1997 and it was a nice hotel, sadly my image of the hotel was from that time and I made the big mistake of not reading other peoples reviews of the hotel. the hotel should be renamed HOTEL STINX. its nothing more than a 1 star hostel and 1 star is being generous. rooms are small and shabby- shower door came off when my wife was using it, drawers broken on bedside cabinet. single wardrobe in a double room. room had not ben cleaned and we had toask for clean towels as they had not been changed, breakfast was DIY toasties, sorry looking cheese and ham in plastic boxes and tea/coffee in flasks. we were charged 500 euros for 5 nights, in hindsight we should have left and gone elsewhere but we would have lost some monies in cancellation charges, but some money would have been better than staying the full term. we also had to pay 5 euros for a pass key. safe was broken in room so we had to lock valuables in case. Please please please do not stay in hotel sphinx

The Sphinx Hotel should be renamed as The Hotel Stinks.... Myself and a friend booked a private twin room. The room we were given was poorly decorated, with holes in the wall and a wall light that was held together with a piece of string. curtains to short for the window offered no privacy from onlooking buildings. The room was dirty. Between the two beds we had approximate 10 cm's to move between the two, only one person at a time could move around the room. We had a shared toilet right outside our door that stank and was used by most if not all occupants of the hotel....keeping us awake when marauding youngsters came in from their night out at 3am, vomit, urine all over. breakfast consisted of a slice of ham and cheese to be toasted yourself on a dirty snackwich maker used by all the residents at the same time.... Not enough space for everyone to have breakfast, we sat on the step outside on the road with our toast and coffee. Dont consider entering the shower without protective gear, someone had used the shower as a toilet, tiles on the Walls had thick layer of dirt in the grouting, we ended up washing in the sink in our excuse for a room. We were fortunate enough to be given the converted store room as our room on the ground floor but for other occupants upstairs and downstairs the steps were lethal, sharp incline or decline depending with no hand rails. For the astronomical rate charged i truly was fooled into expecting more...more fool me. Hotel is quite a walking distance from everything except the Van Gogh Museum which was a treat and one of the receptionists on duty during our stay was quite helpful. Overall a disappointing experience and we will never recommend to anyone young or old The Hotel Sphinx.