Having stayed in some howlers of hotels during my time I am always much more choosy now when it comes to find places to sleep in Amsterdam or any other city for that matter.
Price is of course important but my main criteria are that it should not be too far from the centre. I admit that you can find much cheaper hotels a little further out of the city but I like to be able to stroll to attractions and restaurants without worrying about how I will get back.
I also like to have a few creature comforts in my room such as satellite TV, a kettle and an iron and ironing board so that I do not have to fork out for costly valet service and I always spend my first night ironing my clothes for the whole trip, which I know full well is pretty sad.
Above all it has to be clean, so I pay great attention to the review sites and if there are any reviews about it being less than clean then I will not touch it with a bargepole.
Booking a hotel can be a risk but there are certain brands and chains that I do trust and you always know you will receive a certain level of service, so I often go for these.