MVA03

For those who have stayed at both would you recommend aloft or Sheraton? We will be there on vacation so convenient location is our primary concern. I stay at an aloft every week so no concerns about the aloft atmosphere. Thanks!

365RoadWarrior

Sheraton has the better location for tourist things. Better gym. Lounge. It's not perfect -a bit worn down and dated - but it's been okay for me, two weeks a year for the past five.

stimpy

Not sure I agree that the Sheraton is better for tourists. There's not much near there except office buildings and the red light district which most tourists should avoid. The Aloft is also near office buildings, but most of those are dedicated to EU agencies and it's a much higher scale neighborhood. In either case, you'd have to take a taxi or public transportation to the center where the Le Meridien used to be.

Frankly with the loss of the LM I wouldn't recommend tourists to use Starwood in Brussels. The LM is now a Hilton and probably the best choice for tourists. Or the Novotel next door.

geilux

I agree 100 %. Sheraton is not the right place for tourists !

hendricks

I agree with the last point, if you are flexible with your loyalty preferences.

However, assuming OP is not willing to use another chain, I'd still go for the Sheraton - The Grand Place is walking distance, maybe 10-15 mins, as is the Royal Palace, Mont des Arts - not a short walk, but if you're they're to visit the city, it's certainly doable.

The red light district is in completely the opposite direction to town so can be avoided, and the somewhat seedy Boulevard Anspach can also be avoided by walking down Rue Neuve that has all the shops.

The Aloft, however, is a bit of a trek into town, involving at least a 10 minute walk, followed by 3 stops on the metro. For me, its for sure less convenient.

Plat benefits are pretty good at the Sheraton as well.

gojko88

I agree entirely with the last post, except for the walking distance from Aloft to the Schuman metro - it's not more than 3-4 minutes even for the slowest of walkers.

Oxon Flyer

For visitors from afar, the Sheraton is significantly quicker and easier to get to from the airport than the Aloft. Fast train straight to Brussels North 15 mins max, then a short walk.

Koby

Or 20 minutes by airport express bus, and a short walk, to the Aloft. (On weekends and after 8pm the bus from the airport even stops in front of the Aloft.)
I currently prefer the Aloft because I like the area, and it's newer (and the Sheraton is getting really old ).

stimpy

A short walk? It is an awfully long walk from the tracks to the Sheraton, often taken in cold wet weather which makes hauling your luggage a miserable experience. I've done it many times and I travel very light. I would hate to imagine a family of tourists making that trek with loads of baggage.

If I were with family I would take a taxi from Midi or the airport. Again, this is where Starwood misses the LM which was a short walk from the Central train station.

Oxon Flyer

I use the standard Eurowalk calibration, where anything under half a kilometre is a short walk.

stimpy

If you measure from the tracks to the hotel, it's well over a half kilometer. And on that street there always seems to be a strong cutting wind.

365RoadWarrior

I had considered the Sheraton "close" because it's just a half block from the popular pedestrian mall that runs right to the center of the tourist action (restaurants, Grand Place). The aloft, as someone else noted is a ten minute brisk walk to the edge.

hendricks

I think this is very good advice, particularly taking a cab directly from the airport. If you take one that has "Autolux" in orange letters on the passenger side wing mirror, you can get a return to use within 2 months for around 60-65 euros. If you figure that the cost of a single from the airport to Brussels on the train is 8.50 euros, then the premium on going from arrivals directly to your hotel is about 10 euros or less each way for a family of four - well worth it IMO.

FD1971

It is a ten minute walk from Gare du Nord and, as mentioned by others, not nearly as convenient compared to the walk from Centra(a)l to the LM/Hilton Grand Place. But it is certainly walkable and a bit more convenient, if you take the road leading to the Tour Rogier/Hilton Brussels City and not the main road leading to the main entrance of the Sheraton. But as we all know lots of construction going on, so expect some detours, closed walkways etc.

In terms of tourist activities, the Sheraton is right opposite of the end of the ped. zone (Rue Neuve) , so a quick 10-15 minute walk gets you to Place des Martyrs and up the hill to the Cathedrale Saint-Michel and the Carrefour de L'Europe, absolutely no need to take a taxi or the metro. There is really no need to take public transportation or a cab in Bruxelles at all, except for the Atomium or Waterloo or if you have problems walking up the hill to Beaux-Arts/Royal Palace area. In this case taking the metro to Louise or Stephanie and walking downhill is recommended.

Right now, after the renovation, the Sheraton BRU is the best property in town, followed by the Sheraton, the 4P and the Aloft. If you have your own car, I recommended the 4P with their own parking garage and relative ease to get there by car. The location, right off Boulevard Louise should not be underestimated as well in terms of shopping and restaurants.

UA-NYC

Anyone familiar with the Marriott vis-à-vis the Sheraton's location? Looking at a map, the Marriott is not quite as central as the LM was, but seems to be "pretty good" and better than the Sheraton.

Staying for ~20 hours, would love to at least walk around in the afternoon & check out the sights. Easy access to/from BRU would be a bonus but not a mandatory (that's one bonus of the Sheraton, right?)

Thanks for any cross-chain comparisons.