This was initially not the hotel I booked, as I had booked the Express by Holiday Inn which was about 5 mins walk from this property.  However on the day of my arrival, I received a call from the property that they have moved my reservation to this property - I assume due to the HI Express being full and overbooked and my elite status.  However this turned out to be a nice surprising stay especially my impression of the new Holiday Inn remodeling/branding.

Location

This property like it's sister property is located at the edge of the city centre of Hasselt which itself it not too big, it is from either hotel (using the main market square as the centre) about 8-10 mins walk.  This Holiday Inn property is located in a more open area with a big square in front of the hotel and to the back another large square leading to the shopping/centre of the city.  

The city of Hasselt has grown a lot since my last view > 8 years ago and opposite this property is the new re-developed small harbour area with a mix of shops and eateries and modern residential blocks.  There's really nothing to be missed when staying at this location.  

Parking options are quite varied with a few parking garages in the vicinity of the hotel and street parking (though a bit more difficult during the week due to the charges and some are only limited to 30 mins or 2 hours).  The hotel has it's own parking garage which can be accessed directly from the lobby via the lift. 

Check In

I arrived about 16h at the property and there was one other guest at the front desk, and within a few mins, I was helped by the 1 front desk agent working.  The check-in process was fast and efficient.  I was informed of the different facilities of the property and the breakfast times.  It seems that at this property they are still practicing time reservation for breakfast.  

The lobby area was well appointed being bright and modernly decorated with an inviting atmosphere to spend time if one wanted.  Passing from the front desk to the elevators, there was also a special room converted to those blown up Castle for children (maybe it's only there during the summer period).  

Room

I was given a room on the 2nd floor (the hotel is only 3 stories high) on to the right wing of the hotel (after exiting the elevators).  It was very clear that the whole hotel recently went through some major renovation - with a nice bright design at each floor hallways and combined with a dark theme as contrast.  The room size was sufficiently adequate and spacious.  The newly renovated room was very well done - and I was very surprised by it, as it was much like the higher end Voco hotels - with the current trend of using dark colours and mixing it with trendy chairs and furnitures.  It was to me very well done, keeping it simple yet modern and functional. 

On the right of the entrance was the bathroom/toilet and the left side was a wardrobe with the built in safe, minibar and coffee/tea making facilities.  I was not sure if I received a higher category room, but there was a Nespresso machine and for me, the minibar was also complimentary which was a very nice surprise (and certainly elevated the experience and impression)

There was also quite a large sofa area and another single chair in the far corner of the room, making the room very inviting, and despite the amount of furnishing, the room never felt small or crowded.  There was a large working desk (which functioned as the TV stand).  All around the room was sufficient (EU) electrical outlets and a number of USB charging outlets (at the desk and next to the bed - on the bed lamps).  

Sleep quality was very good - even though the room faced the square in front of the hotel, the windows were very well noise insulated and I did not hear any disturbance from outside during my whole stay.  Interiod noise was minimal - occasionally you do hear people talking as they passed the room but nothing too disturbing.  Climate control in the room worked well - with minimal fan noise.  The matrass was ok, luckily even without a mattrass topper, it was not too hard.  

View from the room (across was a residential building)

TV channels were a mix of local and international.  Internet speed was good and stable, with the login just a simple click and acceptanance of the terms and conditions.  

Th bathroom size was also ok - this was also well renovated with a walk in shower area.  Water temperature and pressure was good.  This was also my first time seeing better toileties used at a Holiday Inn - Ritual products in wall mounted bottles.  They did also have some individual mini bottles.  

Breakfast

I made my reservation for 9am the next day, although I did arrive slightly later than that and I was surprised to see the place on the crowded side (because during the few times I passed through the lobby, i never imagined that there were so many guests).  They did still have more than sufficient sitting area as breakfast is served too at the main restaurant of the hotel.  

The spread was ok - with 4-5 different hot options and the cold options were ok too - I am not sure if eggs to order was available, but I doubt so.  The only small problem here was that since the buffet area was concentrated only in a small area, this place did always get a bit crowded.  The worst was the only single coffee/tea making machine, which most of the time had a line.  The staff were friendly during the breakfast service.  

All in all - a normal breakfast level and service for a Holiday Inn (just slightly better compared to the Holiday Inn express offerings). 

Overall

All in all, a very good stay - especially for a Holiday Inn, which in my books never was one I would go for especially with their old furnishing and rooms, but this property surprised me with it's modern rooms and what seemed to be the new identity for Holiday Inns - reviving the brand.  Normally this property is slightly more expensive than the Express, but with the quality of the rooms this is certainly worth the value especially if there's also additional perks for One Rewards elite members.  Based on this stay, I would certainly recommend this property if one needs to be in the area and looking for a good clean comfortable room.