In Brussels we decided to stay at The Hotel Brussels, due to its great location and competitive pricing. The Hotel Brussels is located adjacent to the Parc d’Egmont, which is walking distance from the city center and many tourist attractions. I loved the location of the hotel, and it was a key reason it quickly emerged as a top contender for us. While we never used the metro, The Hotel is also located right next to Louise station, which is on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels metro.
The Hotel Brussels is by far the highest-rise building on the Boulevard de Waterloo, and the exterior looks quite modern. Originally branded as a Hilton (the hotel opened in 1969, so we were there for its 50th anniversary), the hotel underwent a complete renovation in 2011, which was when it started sporting its current facade.
The Hotel Brussels Exterior
The interior of the hotel is hip yet understated, which is a balance that’s hard to strike. I quite liked the muted, dark tones and yellow accents, and the natural light gave the lobby an airy feel.
The Hotel Brussels Lobby
We were promptly checked in, and showed to our rooms. While my dad and I booked a Superior Twin room for HK$1,200 a night, my mom and Hailey had booked a Panorama Suite for HK$2,300 a night, so we asked to be brought to that room first (so we could help them settle down).
I’ll quickly cover what our Superior Twin room looked like first, before moving on to the Panorama Suite.
The Hotel Brussels
Check-in: Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Room Type: Superior Twin
Room Number: 504
Stay duration: 4 nights
Check-out: Sunday, August 11, 2019
Our Superior Twin room was located on the 5th floor, and it was on the small side, which wasn’t a surprise for such a rent-hefty city like Brussels. The room was advertised as being 25 sq. m, though it felt a little smaller, presumably due to the seating area.
The room itself featured two very comfy beds, a TV, and a round desk perched next to a sofa that spanned the length of the room.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room
I was quite impressed by the sofa and found this to be far superior to an individual out-of-place armchair, though would’ve appreciated a rectangular desk (personally I prefer working along a straight edge, and believe conventional desks aren’t round or oval-shaped for a reason). As you can see below, we didn’t have much of a view.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room Seating Area
The bathroom was alright, as it looked quite modern but was quite small. It featured a sink, a toilet, and a shower-tub combo.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room Bathroom
While I’m not a fan of shower-tub combos (I hate when bathtubs are padded with anti-slip material – I’d prefer a walk-in shower at this point), I was glad that there was good water pressure from the showerhead.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room Shower
The Superior Twin room featured CosmEthics toiletries, which I quite liked. While individual bottles of toiletries are great for taking home (especially with university and dormitory life on the horizon), I understand how bad it is for the environment, and certainly don’t mind forgoing an individual bottle of toiletries for a larger, communal, more environmentally friendly bottle.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room Toiletries
The receptionist had explained to us that the minibar was free, though it only featured two bottles of SPA still/sparkling water, a single bottle of juice, and a Coke can (and a can of Stella Artois if I remember correctly, though we shared it before I remembered to take a picture). I’d have appreciated two cans of Coke/beer and two bottles of juice at least, though I did love the fact that it was free. Too often, in hotels, is the feeling of needing a drink in the middle of the night, followed by a groan when you realise a can of Coke from the minibar costs €3.50.
The Hotel Brussels Superior Twin Room Minibar
I thought our room was good enough, and appreciated the sofa space and the comfy beds, despite not being a fan of the shower-tub combo. Unfortunately I couldn’t get myself to connect to WiFi (the login page kept saying that they couldn’t find our last name on record), though that was quickly solved when I went down to reception and they gave me a code to enter.
After spending a few nights in the Hilton The Hague, I was pleased to see that there was free high-speed WiFi on offer. Miss me with the satisfaction of booking a room for €130 a night, only to realise that good-quality, high-speed WiFi costs another €30! For the non-tech savvy, 42 Mbps up and 39 Mbps down is more than enough for streaming HD videos.
The Hotel Brussels WiFi Speed
As mentioned earlier, my mom and sister booked a Panorama Suite. It was much, much larger, though in line with a junior suite – it featured a single large room with a seating area, as opposed to multiple rooms. All of us preferred the open layout, and we ended up spending a lot of time in this room.
The Panorama Suite was advertised as being 50 sq. m, and it certainly felt like it. It was massive, featuring a large double bed, an L-shaped sofa and two armchairs surrounding a coffee table, and a separate desk facing the window (as well as a TV, though you couldn’t watch it from bed – you had to use the sofa).
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite
The bed itself was ultra comfy, much like the one in our twin room.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Bed
The seating area was massive, and a really comfortable place to hang out while taking advantage of the free minibar.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Seating Area
Speaking of the minibar, it was free, much like the one in our standard room. The difference was that it featured much more – there were two cans of Stella Artois beer, two cans of coke, still and sparkling water, two bottles of juice, and some alcohol. While the red and white wines were terrible, the fridge also featured two 375 mL bottles of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut champagne, which we certainly took advantage of!
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Minibar
The bathroom was similarly impressive, and was easily the size of our room. It featured double sinks, and the toilet and shower were enclosed in their own separate cubicles. The bathroom itself had its own bidet!
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Bathroom
The walk-in shower was especially massive, though the room didn’t feature a bathtub (I don’t mean this as a complaint – I’d much rather a walk-in shower than a shower-tub combo, as I said earlier, though most suites normally have a separate tub and shower). Here’s the catch, though – the age of the building sometimes showed in this part of the hotel, as the bathtub area would sometimes reek of sewage for a while after showering. This wasn’t a huge issue for us, though it might be a much bigger problem if you’re a germaphobe.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Shower
Across the bathroom was a walk-in shower area that rivalled the size of the standard room’s bathtub.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite Walk-in Closet
Additionally, the panorama suite was on the 18th floor (we couldn’t get rooms on the same floor as all the twin rooms were on lower floors, though at least our keycards gave us lift access to all floors of the hotel), so the room featured beautiful views of downtown Brussels. The room was a corner room, and the windows faced north and east (which meant cool sunrise and daytime views, though no sunset).
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Suite View
The Panorama Suite was obviously more impressive than the Superior room, and I loved the way it was designed. That being said, I was most impressed by the value for money – HK$2,300 (just short of US$300/265 EUR) per night is a really good value for a suite of this caliber so close to Brussels’ city center.
Blinds were electronic in both rooms – a premium touch, especially for a more “historic” city.
While our Superior Room didn’t feature lounge access, the Panorama Suite featured access to the Panorama Lounge, and I was allowed to access it in place of my sister. I checked it out shortly – it was located on the 24th floor.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Lounge Entrance
The Panorama Lounge was beautifully appointed, and featured lots of seating – it was also pretty much empty every time I visited. The confusing thing is that it didn’t feature any staff or a food spread (so breakfast for those with access to the Panorama Lounge was located in the lobby restaurant), though I’d be delighted to do some work here given the chance. This is definitely one of the most beautiful underused spaces I’ve seen in any hotel anywhere.
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Lounge
The lounge also featured a drinks selection. There were a few types of local Belgian beer, including Chimay and Leffe, which are really highly regarded (and I quite enjoyed them, but I’m not quite your neighbourhood beer connoisseur yet…).
The Hotel Brussels Panorama Lounge Drinks Selection
The hotel also featured a gym, which was on the 23rd floor. I actually found it to be relatively underequipped – there were barbells, which was a pleasant surprise, though no rack to use them safely for chest pressing; in addition, I found the resistance machines to be quite underwhelming, and certainly didn’t appreciate the absence of a cable machine.
The Hotel Brussels Gym
In addition, the hotel has a lobby lounge, and a restaurant, aptly named “The Restaurant” (in line with the hotel’s minimalistic branding). The Restaurant is stunning – easily one of the most attractive hotel restaurants I’ve seen anywhere, and it had a “loft-like” feel due to the curved windows.
The Hotel Brussels “The Restaurant”
The breakfast spread was alright – your average continental breakfast spread, mixed in with a couple of hot options that weren’t particularly amazing – though what I most appreciated were the to-go coffee cups located next to the coffee machine, which I found really thoughtful.
The Hotel Brussels “The Restaurant” Breakfast Spread
In addition, the staff at the hotel were friendly, and happy to help (particularly regarding the WiFi situation); in addition, they were happy to help us with bags, bringing our luggage to our room, etc.. I had limited interactions with hotel staff during my stay, though everybody I did interact with was happy to help.
Conclusion: The Hotel Brussels
The Hotel Brussels is a massive hotel, though based on the quality of rooms and value for money I’m not surprised that it runs at full capacity so often. I found our room very good for the price we paid, though the surprise was the Panorama Suite, which would be a great choice if you’re willing to splurge (and don’t mind the occasional whiff when coming out of the shower). The hotel nailed all the basics, such as comfy beds and fast, free WiFi, and also had many premium touches, such as the free minibar.
Paired with the great location, this hotel would be a very good choice if you’re staying in Brussels, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return; if I had work to do and had Panorama Lounge access, I’d try to work there, as it’s a beautiful space, and quiet as well. I can’t say if it’s one of the best options in the city since this was my first stay in Brussels, though I wouldn’t be surprised if this hotel was one of the best options in the city.
Read more from this trip:
What’s your favourite hotel in Brussels?