suggestions visiting Amsterdam for the first time

If you are interested in Anne Frank you would enjoy the Resistance Museum (on opposite side of town from the house). Also we enjoyed the Van Gough Museum a lot. Both Anne Frank House and Van Gough Museum need advanced tickets. I would get online now to figure out when tickets go on sale.

If doing the Anne Frank House and the Corrie ten Boom House, as noted already, definitely add the Resistance Museum. It is a very informative trio of museums.

Reserve your tickets for the Corrie ten Boom house NOW. They are very limited and sell out very quickly. I reserved ours 9 months out.

Also, be sure you understand the Anne Frank tour ticket website and the exact time they go on sale to purchase your tickets. And set your alarm because the tickets go on sale on Tuesdays at 10am Amsterdam time. If you wait until later that day most time slots will be sold out.

You don't list either the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum. Art lovers shouldn't miss either one IMO. I also highly recommend the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, since you already plan to be in that city.

My other advice is to watch out for bicycles. They can be a serious hazard to pedestrians in Amsterdam.

Please be aware that there isn’t a Rembrandt Museum in Amsterdam. There is a Rembrandt House though, housed in Rembrandts former home. This museum focuses on Rembrandts life and how he worked. Although they do have some etches made by Rembrandt they don’t have any paintings on display. If you want to see those, you need to go to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and/or the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

As far as other things to see and do, what are your interests? Why did you decide to visit the Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular? Tell us a bit more about yourself and we can help you better.

Check out lodging on booking.com, research reviews, but book directly with the lodging for the best prices. It's advisable to book lodging asap, and expect about $400 a nite for moderate accommodations, according to Cameron's Blog posted on the Forum.
The RS Guide discusses hotels. Getting a hotel with a lift will be a little harder, IMHO. The RS Guide can answer many of your other questions.
I'm sure you'll enjoy this intriguing city. Safe travels!

We were in Amsterdam last February. We stayed at the Hotel Estherea and absolutely loved it. It has an elevator and is right on a canal in a quiet area. We found a promo on their instagram page that covered breakfast, so that was a huge savings, and their breakfast is excellent!

This is the canal cruise that we did. You can join in on a group one (max 8 people) or do private. We did the group one, but were the only 2 people that night, so had a private cruise. Jack was excellent and so much fun! We did a regular canal cruise as well, but I would not do that again. It was just ok, and after going with Jack, you get spoiled.
https://amsterdamprivateboattour.com/tours/

Last fall, I stayed at Hotel NH City Centre Amsterdam, which is near the Nine Streets area, near canals, shops, cafes, and restaurants. It has an elevator.

https://www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-city-centre-amsterdam

The Hotel NH Collection Amsterdam Flower Market is also in a convenient location.

Thank you all for your help! I'm still struggling to choose a hotel!

If you go to Haarlem we really enjoyed the https://teylersmuseum.nl/nl. It is unique —almost a museum of a museum (1778). It is lit by natural
light as it was when first opened.

My two cents about Amsterdam — if you plan a day out of the city I would do that on a Saturday. We arrived on Friday, Saturday was our first day and I didn’t really enjoy the city because it was overrun with young adults celebrating. When we explored Amsterdam on a Monday, it was a completely different city.

As recommended by mikliz97 above, 1000% take a boat tour with Captain Jack. He'll send you the exact address you need to go to, and you'll walk past it, then turn around, walk past it again, stand there and ponder whether you're lost for a few minutes, then he'll pull up in his adorable boat and you'll be smitten, lol.

Also, be sure you understand the Anne Frank tour ticket website and
the exact time they go on sale to purchase your tickets. And set your
alarm because the tickets go on sale on Tuesdays at 10am Amsterdam
time. If you wait until later that day most time slots will be sold
out.

I just want to highlight this comment as it is very important - you will be visiting during a popular time. You can search this forum for tips on ticket strategy, but make sure you don't miss purchasing your tickets on the correct Tuesday six weeks before your travel dates. Depending on your time zone this is very likely the middle of the night (as the ticket window opens 10 a.m. Amsterdam time). Your travel dates may also affect this as the US changes to daylight savings earlier than the Netherlands does. A website like timeanddate.com can help you plan this out for specific dates. It helps to practice the week before to see how things work. FWIW I recommend getting tickets that include the introductory program - you get a bit more background information before going in the museum and use a separate entrance from the main tourist crowd.

The Van Gogh museum is advance ticketing only (cannot buy at venue) but doesn't have the rigid timing issue. I would purchase those as far ahead as you can though, another popular place. I also suggest Rijksmuseum but if you're only there for four days you may have enough on your plate already.

Sorry I don't have hotel recs as the one I stayed at most recently in the central city did not have an elevator, and your two listed hotel ideas are above my usual budget range. FWIW prices have shot up astronomically since I was there (I just looked at the property I booked in 2022 and it is currently more than double the rate I paid). If you find something in your price range that meets your requirements book it immediately. Best of luck!