Getting to Schiphol from Amsterdam city

Hi, i was stayed at a hotel down the street towards the riding arena. there is a bus stop on Leidseplein street just as you on/cross the canal going into town. If you look at goolge maps and go to the street view and move to where you are over the canal, there are 2 bus stops. One near the IamSTERDAM tourist booth going towards your hotel. That is where you can get a bus to the airport. I forget which number, but i would have to bet your hotel would know since the hotel i stayed at told me! OV tickets are purchased on the trams IN THE BACK! you dont need exact change either. i thouht it was a funny system since at home we purchase tickets in the front. you have to remember to swipe the card over the yellow reader BOTH IN AND OUT. also, dont put the card where it can be swipped more than once in or out, or it can get invaldated. Regarding the bus,if you take it, you will buy your ticket at the driver. just tell him/her where you are going and they will tell you how much. i forget how much it cost me but i think it was less then 5 Euros. i also forget how long it took to get to the airport. getting old sucks. this is how i do things when it comes to international flights. you can choose to do it differently and so can others. I choose to get to the airport at the minimum of 2 hours before my flight is suppose to leave. happy trails.

I don't know about more elegant but here are some options my hotel (Hotel Fita) sent to me for my upcoming trip for my AMS to town and return transportation. They said the cheapest is the public bus 197 which is 4 euro per person and runs every 10 - 12 minutes. The bus stop is Museumplein/Concertgebouw which is by the Van Gogh Mueseum which I think is somewhat close to your hotel. Trip time they say is about 30 minutes. Your hotel can confirm a closer bus stop if any. Second is a shuttle bus 15.50 euro per person. It will pick you up at your hotel. Website: http://www.airporthotelshuttle.nl/site/toonhotel.asp?HotelID=293 The third method my hotel gave me was a taxi for about 35-45 Euro. Your hotel will be able to confirm any of these when you first arrive. Choose your your stress level and price range. Oh and your route would also should work but it might not be the easiest method. But I don't know.

"...OV tickets are purchased on the trams IN THE BACK..." Not all trams have ticket booths in the back or middle. On the smaller models you have to go the the front and deal with the driver. Since the transition to the OV tickets more and more of these booths are unmanned these days, and will probably be removed in the near future.

Why don't you just go down to the train station and take a train into the basement of AMS terminal? It's about a 20 minute ride from the main train station, and easy to deal with.
We stayed out in the suburbs by the football stadium and walked to a train stop for the ride to the airport.

@ Michael well, all i can say is that in the 3+ days i was there, all of the trams i used had their ticket booths in the back. so, let the rider beware. happy trails.

I've been to Amsterdam more than 20 times over since 1996, not all trams are created equally.

Thanks, all. I will definitely research Bus 197 and the idea of taking the tram in the opposite direction.