small ring

The one difference I did not see mentioned is that there is a lounge at the Sheraton that includes a nice breakfast which is a good perk for Plats.

-p

stephem

I have stayed at the Sheraton a few times and am not a fan of the condition of the rooms I've gotten. So I'm looking for a new home. The beds are decent though, something I really struggle with in Europe. I've had some bad experiences with rock hard beds at LMs in Asia... How are the beds at the Le Meridien Brussels?

WorldflyerLondon

Le Meridien is more central, only a short walk from the main square and seems to offer quite generous upgrades to elite members. Sheraton is a bit of a walk from the central area but has indeed got a club lounge and club rooms are quite large.

62asr

Thought I would get this discussion going again - which do I choose? Location is important to me, as is platinum treatments. Is Sheraton lounge breakfast any good? Any other treatment/amenities with these properties?

Thanks

Condition One

As others have posted, the Le Meridien has the best location. Upgrades will be to a deluxe room. I've never been upgraded to a suite.

The Sheraton is further away, but very close to Gare Nord. Plats can expect an upgrade to the Club Floor, with a great likelihood of a dated suite that's quite large. Lounge offerings are very bare. Bare continental breakfast, two hot items in the evening. The ability to grab sodas and whatnot was the only positive in my opinion.

In my opinion, the Le Meridien is the place to be.

pititom

The Sheraton is terrible. It has been in need of renovation for years, but still nothing. Avoid it.

skrosvik

Agreed! Stayed at the Sheraton several times, and always upgraded to a large suite. But suite and bathroom = very outdated, old and tired. Looks like it haven't been touched since the late 70s. Lounge is pretty minimal as well - the evening snacks are worthless - just cut vegetables, nachos and some other very minimal dish. Sure, you get a minimal breakfast, soft drinks and beer/wine. But in Belgium you can buy beer, wine and soft drinks for a small amount of money in the grocery store and bring it to your room at Le Meridien - which have very nice and updated rooms!

Antonio8069

I completely disagree. From the outside, the hotel looks like a dump (welcome to Brussels!). Inside, the rooms are spacious, renovated. They have an outdoor pool & the lounge is fantastic. Full buffet breakfast, snacks continuous through the day, & large! Meridien doesn't have a lounge.

Oxon Flyer

+1

IME, the only 'platinum' treatment you'll get at Le Meridien is a modest upgrade. No lounge, no drinks, no snacks, no breakfast. At the Sheraton, you'll get at least a decent-sized high-floor club room and a decent lounge.

I've taken breakfast many, many times in the club lounge here and don't recognise these descriptions at all. Sure, it isn't the "Full American", but includes sliced meats & cheeses, smoked salmon, breads, crossisants, pastries, yoghurt, fresh fruit and waffles.

CIT85

There are contrasting opinions of Sheraton Brussels. I am leaning toward Hilton Brussesl City, but considering Sheraton Brussels because of low rates.

Can anyone compare these two? I am HH Diamond and SPG Plat. Comparisons of the lounges and breakfast would be helpful.

iahphx

I have a similar problem: I'll be travelling with my family, arriving at around 6 pm on the high-speed train from Koln. I'm pretty sure that only gets me to the Midi station. We have a 10 am flight back to the States the next morning.

The in-terminal Brussels Airport Sheraton has some appeal, as I presume we could just switch in Midi to the airport train, right? But it also has some drawbacks. It seems like the airport hotel doesn't have rooms for 4 people (why on earth you don't have rooms with 2 double beds at an airport hotel I'll never know, but I'm not European). So that would mean 2 rooms which, even on C&P as a Cat. 4 is a real expense, especially for an airport hotel. I think the LM may have the same bedding issue, but at least it would be a nice downtown hotel (but I'd have the annoying switch from Midi to Central when I arrive from Koln, I guess). The city Sheraton would probably solve my "2 room" problem, but the location and hotel are definitely worse (I've actually stayed at that one a few years ago).

The other problem with heading to the airport is dinner. In a perfect world, I'd like to get my family a cheap, atmospheric Belgian meal before heading home (remember, we'll be coming from Germany, so this would be a change of pace). I assume that would be difficult to do at the airport, as I assume food and drink are crazy expensive at the airport hotel. I recall that there's a grocery store at the airport, but that hardly seems like an ideal choice for dinner.

I've also heard of folks getting crazy low priceline bids accepted in Brussels, so I may try a couple of 4-star rooms for $50 and deal with whatever geographical inconvenience I suffer.

stevens397

I have two nights booked at Le Meridien in December. We have a 10 AM flight home to the states the following day.

Anyone know how far this hotel is from the airport? Does it make more sense to spend one night at Le Meridien and the second night at the airport hotel? Thanks for any feedback.

yycworldtraveler

Brussels Central Station is right out the front door of the Le Meridien. The train takes about 20 minutes. I had a 6:50 AM flight...took the first or second train of the day to the airport.

Staying at the airport will save you 30 minutes max in the morning. I was very glad I chose to spend my evening in the city and not the airport.

stimpy

It really doesn't matter to me if I stay at the LM, or Sheraton or airport Sheraton. They are all well connected by train. I usually choose the Sheraton because it is cheaper. The LM has nicer rooms, but the Sheraton isn't bad. And it's right across the street from the Hilton and Crowne Plaza if you have friends or colleagues staying there. To me the lounge isn't that useful as I'm not a breakfast person. I used to like it for the free internet, but now that Plats get free internet I don't even go in there.

iahphx

Yeah, when I see how fast it is from the city to the airport, it's hard to get excited about staying at the airport hotel even if you have an early morning flight. Now if the airport hotel were cheaper, it might be another story, but prices (both in money and points) are about the same as the nicer city hotels.

How much hassle is transferring from the Midi to the Central stations in Brussels? It seems like there is some hassle involved. On the other hand, it also seems like no one really wants to stay by the Midi station.