Review & Pictures by Shaun Troke
The warmest of Belgian welcomes came from none other than The Hotel!
Located on fashion-shopping street Boulevard de Waterloo, The Hotel is neighboured by high-end fashion stores such as Tiffany’s, Prada, and, Emporio Armani.
These surrounding exteriors already give a sense of what to expect from The Hotel’s interior…
THE ARRIVAL
The Hotel’s main entrance could easily be mistaken for a glitzy jewellers, as it opens up into a glamorous spacious lobby.
The ground floor stretches out to the back of the building, housing many comfortable & relaxing loungers (where I’ve actually written most of this review!)
At the rear of The Hotel is The Restaurant, and you’ll pass six grand elevators on the way, used to usher residents to all twenty-seven levels…you’re never waiting too long for an elevator to arrive.
THE ROOM
My room was to be a Deluxe Panorama Room on the 21st floor.
Along with The Hotel’s Suites, a Deluxe Panorama Room comes inclusive with access to their Panorama Lounge, more of which I’ll talk about later…but, right now, let’s talk about the room, because there’s much to talk about!
Upon entry, one can only be blown away by the beauty of this room. Its modern design, accompanied by its theme of fashion, has an open walk-in bathroom and a comfortable king-size bed.
The adjustable lighting panels only add to creating a relaxing environment, particularly when you’re perched on the long window sofa, overlooking the most remarkable views over Brussels.
Already I didn’t want to leave!
In fact, I didn’t even want to go out at all!
However, with a brief errand to run, a brisk walk around the city of Brussels was to be had…
But, before long, I was back at The Hotel, with the aim to make the most of this brilliant hotel & its facilities…
THE STAY
Back in the room, a coffee was made from the Nespresso machine (if you’re more of a tea lover, there’s a kettle in the room, too)…
The Smart TV gave an up-to-date weather forecast (as well as hotel information)…
My laptop was hooked-up to the MediaHub to make use of the fast wifi…
And, from the mini-bar in the private fridge, I grabbed a complimentary bottle of water before heading to the sauna (I’m not sure the available alcohol would’ve been the ideal drink to take to the sauna).
On the 23rd floor are the Urban Spa & Fitness rooms, with a steam room, gym, treatment rooms, and, of course, a sauna (where clothing is optional, apparently).
I had a Brussels Card Manual to read & digest (more on the Brussels Card in the next chapter), so this Finnish designed sauna was the ideal place to study this tiny book. Toxins seeped from pores, while knowledge filled the brain.
Once cleansed & showered, I faced one more decision: To go out or Not to go out. When you’ve a perfectly good-looking hotel room that overlooks a city, what reasons did I need to go out!
So, I didn’t.
The Panorama Lounge on the 24th floor is accessible only to guests staying in Deluxe Panorama Rooms & Suites, and there’s a reason for this – the drinks within this lounge are complimentary! The bar content ranges from wines to beers to soft drinks, all of which you can help yourself to!
After a glass of red wine & a glass of champagne, it was time to retire to the room…
With lights out, and the electric curtain button pressed, the last thing seen was the night-time illuminations of the city as the room faded to black.
CUT TO:
The alarm goes off.
The button pressed, and the curtain raised…
This morning, the sun is shining in Brussels.
THE BREAKFAST
One last thing to try before check-out was the breakfast served in The Restaurant.
In the form of a buffet – styled by Belgium born chef Pierre Balthazar – the breakfast gives enough food to help fuel you for the day ahead.
From its bacon (oh, I had a lot of this bacon!) to its fruit, the breakfast buffet caters for everybody…
THE END
The Hotel had been the perfect place to start this trip to Brussels.
With 420 rooms in this towering building, The Hotel stands above the surrounding architecture.
This also creates a helpful reference point when you’re new to the city (yes, that’s another way of saying that I got lost!)…
AND, it’s a pet-friendly hotel, too!
By this point, the rest of Brussels had a lot to live up to…
