CLOSED 14Dec16 [BANKRUPT/IN RECEIVERSHIP] Sheraton Brussels, Belgium [Master Thread]
 

I will be staying at the Sheraton in Downtown for one night to soak in some touristy stuff (my first time in Belgium). I have a 9:45AM flight to the U.S. the next day, what time should I be heading out the door of the Sheraton to catch the train to BRU to catch my flight?

Trains leave from Nord/Noord station to the Airport at 07:45, 07:57, 08:08, 8:21, 08:45 and 08:56. The train takes between 11 and 18 mins to the Airport. Nord/Noord station is located roughly 1000ft from the Sheraton Brussels H&T along Rue du Progrès/Vooruitgangstraat. Turn left as you exit the hotel and walk straight on :)

Err... sorry... what was the question? Oh yes, I'd leave at 07:30 to catch the 07:45 or the 07:57 train. Gets you to the Airport nice and early.

Tom

I walked this route this evening, and it is a little more than 1,000 feet from the lobby to the platforms. 10 minutes stroll.

Yep, that's from the main exit of the station building, towards the left hand side of the tracks arriving fom Midi/Zuid station. You'll exit near the intersection with Bolivarlaan, and have to walk round the station. Instead, follow the signs straight to the "bus station" i.e. towards the southern end of the station - this is also the bit where you arrive when walking to the station from the Sheraton.
Google Maps
OK, .4 km. So 1,200 ft :)
Tom

Would you guys happen to know the cab fare from Sheraton Downtown to BRU (6 or 6:30 in the morning)? And how long is the cab ride?

At that time of the morning, the taxi ride from the Sheraton to BRU takes no longer than 20 minutes, and should cost around Eur25-30. There is a taxi rank outside the hotel and a doorman to help you hail one.

The train service to the airport takes about 15 minutes from Nord (Sheraton), 20 minutes from Central (le Meridien) and 25 minutes from Midi. Trains run every 15 minutes and fare is Eur2.90 one-way from any "Zone Brussels" station. A return is Eur5.80 and has a flexible return date : the ticket has a blank space where you write in your return date when you want to use it. I use this airport train service very often and have found it consistently reliable and uncrowded, even in rush-hour.

Since my flight departs at 9:45 in the morning, and the earliest train will get me to the airport past 8AM and with some walking time, I'd probably be at the Continental counter around 8:30, would that be enough time to check-in, get through security and get to the gate?

How efficient/busy is BRU for international departure?

Pleasant stays in the Sheraton Brussels!
 

For pictures stays: see: http://travel.webshots.com/album/563...YZtepD?start=0

Recently I had two stays in the Sheraton Brussels. For 5 – 10 years I have been a loyal guest of the hotel.
And as I can remember, I have good memories of my stays.

The suite:
During my first stay this year, we were upgraded to a suite on the high floors. We were happy with the upgrade, and enjoyed it.
As a welcome gift we received a nice bottle of wine which tasted very good in the evening!
We liked the living room with the chairs and couch. But we missed cushions on the couch, to sit more comfortable. We asked housekeeping, but
They delivered more cushions for on the bed!
The sink, ( see pic) was ready for a new one, since it was stained heavily.
The coffeemaker and coffee were fine. We liked the Philips flat square tv of the suite.
The suite has two toilets. One of them near the entrance with a very nice interion ( see pic).

Compared to the living area, the sleeping room was rather smallish. The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper was however great.

The bathroom was ok, but rather outdated, for instance the colors and the interior. It seems the hotel does not make any efforts to improve the interiors of the bathrooms. Since many years the bathrooms and bath amenities do not contribute to a luxurious bath experience. For instance if you could compare it to the Westin Brand.

The SPG Clubroom.
The second time ( May) we stayed in a Clubroom on the 22th floor. The clubrooms are still spacious and comfortable, and the rooms on the front have a spectacular view of the city.
The welcome gift was a box of Belgian Chocolate.
The African coffee of the Coffeemaker tasted very good. And we liked the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper. Though the room is spacious, there is not much room for comfortable chairs left, they are placed rather close to each other in a corner.
In the evening the turn-down service was perfect.
In the SPG clubroom we did not have a flatsquare tv. No radio music was available, which we did regret.
The airco was not cold enough during the night, perhaps due to the exceptional warm weather. However we could open the small window, which appeared to be sufficient.
Again, the bathroom does not contribute to a luxurious bath experience. For many, many years the hotel has the same old Sheraton bath amenities. Not many extras for a luxurious feeling. No small plant of flower is placed in the bathroom. No warm colours, only the grey and white.
We noticed the bathrobes did not have the S logo.

Personnel was friendly. We felt at home in the lounge. It was very nice mrs. Nathaly(?) could speak Dutch!
The lounge was comfortable. During the day you can take cold soft drinks, wine and coffee or tea.
However, instead of the Nescafe coffee a Nespresso would be more tasteful! For instance, in the lounge of the Westin Rotterdam is a
Selfservice Nespresso machine. Guest can make delicious espresso’s and capuchino”s here.
During the past years I noticed many changes in the interior of the lounge. There used to be a couch and relaxing chairs. It more relaxing in the evening and during the day.

We had breakfast in both the lounge and restaurant.
The breakfast in the lounge is much more relaxed and comfortable. The range of products is good, and the quality is fine.
The restaurant: in the weekends, breakfast can become a brunch! Until late in the afternoon one can have breakfast! We liked it!
The buffet has a much wider range of products than the buffet in the lounge. The products were fine. You can have your coffee as you like, since you can find “selfservice”coffee machines.
When we had breakfast here, we noticed on the flyer the buffet included also fresh pastries. However we could not find it. When I asked for it, within 15 minutes we could go for it! However the pastries were not fresh at all, so we did not like it very much.
All in all, we had good breakfast experiences.

The fitness and large swimming pool on the top floor are as always very attractive! I enjoyed my workout in the gym and my swim very much. It is great the Sheraton can offer this to its guests.
Furthermore, many sun beds are placed outside on the terrace so when the sun is shining it is a good rest after the workout or swim.
You can find a small bar for some drinks in the swimming pool area.

When we visited the Le Meridien in Brussel, we noticed how small the rooms are in this hotel. The beds in the standard rooms are not comfortable at all. The deluxe rooms are larger and the beds very huges. We did not like the interior and we felt lucky to stay in “our Sheraton”!
Furthermore, the fitness was so small you could hardly turn around and no club lounge is available for the guests.

Before checking out, we ordered two "asparagus" soup. We had to wait half an hour or more. When it finally arrived we were charged two times for the roomservice: 2x €3. Toghether with the tip I gave, the two soups will cost me €20,--. I changed the bill, for only 1 x €3,--.
On my bill however they did charge me double again for the roomservice.
Furhtermore, the asparagus soup was like a minute-make soup: no piece of asparagus or meat to be found! While this is asparagus time! So €20 for a this kind "asparagus" soup is overcharging the guest, in my opinion.

I have seen and stayed in several Le Meridien properties over the world ( Barcelona, Cologne, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, and now Brussels) and until now this brand seems not attractive for me. It seems I do not like the style and service they are offering compared to the Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis and luxury collection brands.

Well, we did like our stays in the Sheraton Brussels , and I am sure we will come back here again. It is still one of my favourite Starwood hotels in the world!


For pics of my stays: http://travel.webshots.com/album/563...YZtepD?start=0

We've also recently had a good stay at the Sheraton Brussels - the view of the innovative lighting on the building opposite and the very good service was a highlight.

Thanks for the report.. It appears that they just recently upgraded the living and bedroom.. I was there about 2 months ago, and the Suite was with the dated furniture.

I agree with you on the bathroom - really 1970's style.

The hotel is very good for Platinum upgrade to a suite. I have always been upgraded to the suite on the top floor and given access to the Lounge.

Yes agreed! the light show from the building across the street is impressive. The whole entire office building is lit up in multiple colors and patterns... Very impressed!. The light show starts around 10pm. (maybe later given the summer).

I agree, the lighting on the building is very innovative.
Did you stay on the clubfloors, considering the good service?

Thanks for pics & report. Looks like a great place

Nice report.

I stayed there for one night recently. The concierge person I dealt with was very nice (Natalie) was super nice. Got upgraded to a similar suite as the OP (photo).

Lounge was stocked with complimentary Stella Artois. ^

Thanks, you"re welcome! Yes its a great place, perhaps you can try yourself!

Thanks! Indeed, seems you had a similar suite!

Sheraton Brussels Hotel Review
 

I stayed here for two nights in September and would definitely stay again. I was not upgraded, but I did ask for a rennovated room and it was large and pleasant, with two comfortable double beds. We used a cash and points rate and it was a true bargain.
We arrived by train from Germany and we got off at the Brussels Nord Station (One station prior to the main station, I think) and walked out toward the sign that said Place Rogier, and saw the hotel in the distance. I would say the walk took about 5 minutes. We each had rolling suitcases, and it was no problem. We arrived in the afternoon on a Sunday and the street as you walk to the hotel was dead to the world--no traffic, stores and restaurants closed, etc. But once you got to the actual hotel, it was easy to find some open restaurants.

Check in was a breeze and there were a number of people arriving--it seems that the hotel is big on conferences. We ate that night at the Brussels Grill, next to the hotel which was the only place we found nearby that was low-priced and simple. It was packed with all sorts of people, and the service was good.

The next afternoon we took a walk to the main attractions of Brussels and were awed by the Grote Markt, or Grand Place, which was amazing. The walk from the hotel took about 10 minutes, and although you walk by a few seedy looking dives, it looked quite safe, so we went back in the evening to see the place in lights and found a cheap and delicious place to eat that was right off the main square called EXKI, which seems to be a chain of natural, fresh food that you can take to go on a tray. You do not eat inside--they have outdoor tables on a small parklike side square--and we took our soups and quiches to sit there and had front row seats to hear a talented (British) guitarist/folk singer who played an hour long concert of all sorts of "oldies" such as Beatles, Dylan, James Taylor, etc--and he drew a large following.

One thing we liked about this hotel, by the way, was the free internet use on public computers in the lobby.

I stayed here for 3 nights last week, my second stay in a few years. On both ocassions I've been upgraded to a suite on the club floor, similar to that shown in the reviewers pictures. I really don't care for a dated suite like this, I'd rather a smaller more updated room. I'm not sure if there is anything like that in the hotel, maybe I should ask for a downgrade next time? Overall, my room was dated and really showing wear. I usually stay for the sweet sleeper bed, as many other hotels in Brussels that I have tried have terrible beds.

There are 2 parallel roads, just a few metres apart, that you can walk down from the hotel to the Grand Place : the one on the right, the main road, does indeed pass by several seedy shops and clubs, but the other, on the left, runs down the pedestrianised main shopping street, past the big INNO store, and is a much more wholesome experience.

Agreed. The suites (which I think are on floor 25 and above) are huge, but badly laid out (enormous living room with furniture seemingly flung to the walls, but the bedroom is way too small) and dated (dig that 70's tiled bathroom) : I prefer a club room (floors 18 to 24) too.

:confused:

I've no idea what you mean by that :p

Is that the toilet or the sink? :confused:

Thanks to FlyingOnceMore for posting a picture of the sink in the 2nd toilet in our suite from the weekend. The picture doesn't do the whole visual experience justice!

Anyway, back from a stay at the Sheraton Brussels over the weekend. Upgraded to a 1 bed apartment suite which is rather large, but also a bit 1970s with the decor. However a nice enough room, a good location and excellent service from the staff at the hotel. Will definitely stay here again if in Brussels in the future.

I'm finishing up a stay at the Sheraton Brussels for a quick weekend jaunt (mostly to eat some good food). My UA flight arrived about 40 minutes early. By the time I got past customs, took the train to Nord, and walked a few minutes to the hotel (you can't miss it), it was 8am.

I checked my reservation the night before, and saw that I was upgraded to a King bed on the Club Floor. When I checked in, the front desk staff told me that I had been upgraded to a one bedroom suite on the Club Floor and it was available immediately. Sweet! I was also given an Platinum amenity offer - I took the points, which explains why I didn't receive anything in my room after I checked in.

As others described, I found the suite to be outdated (from the 70's), but actually well maintained. My bathroom tile was a funky orange. However the sink area was renovated and is now a white marble. The suite also has enough closet space that it took me several minutes to find the safe. I actually called down to the front desk to inquire if there was a safe in my room - they told me to "keep looking". Haha. When I found it (it was in the closet near the connecting door), it was a pretty good size.

I was a rather disappointed with the Club Lounge. It offered more of a continental breakfast in the mornings. As a new Hilton transplant, I was expecting some hot breakfast items. However, they had boiled eggs, which was good enough. I might take a look downstairs tomorrow morning to check out the restaurant (26 Euros). The Lounge is unmanned after breakfast (including the evenings), and the Sheraton gives you a separate Lounge key to use. Soft drinks and water are available throughout the day. Again, I was expecting more items in the evenings. It was limited to chips, nuts, cookies, tea, coffee, soda, and such. Well, tonight they put out some huge prawns that were quite good. However, the staff only put out 4, so I refrained from taking more.

As far as booze, it was another disappointment. Don't ask me why - I rarely drink. They put out a red and white wine. Stella Artois beer was put in the fridge with the soft drinks. Which meant a total of 4 beers were in the fridge. Needless to say, they ran out fast. No hard liquor either. I'd have to say the Executive Lounge at the Hilton Brussels across town is much better.

Aside from the food, there were two computers for people to use, and wifi was free. As my room was near the lounge, I was able to access the Lounge's internet from my room.

The gym is kinda nice on the top (30th) floor. Showers and lockers are available. Good selection of weight machines and free weights. And four treadmills (the only torture machine I was interested in).

All in all, while not central, the location was pretty good. It's within walking distance to the center of town. Proximity to Nord station is a plus, and is right on top of Place Rogier metro. Lounge disappointments aside (and I'm okay with the retro suite), I'd definitely stay here in the future.

I guess this hotel isn't that popular with Flyertalkers? I stay here from time to time and just got the best upgrade I've ever had here. A huge apartment suite with a mini-kitchen, right next to the Club. Not bad and super cheap for a central Europe Sheraton.

Just finishing up a second stay at this property, and thought I should post an update, since things have changed in a couple of significant ways.

Upgrades: I booked a standard room including minibar, movies, and internet in the rate. As platinum, I received a room on a Club Floor (19th). I will note that the last time I stayed here, I received the same level of upgrade.

Lounge: The lounge has now moved to the first floor, and is a converted conference room. I don't know if this change is permanent, but it is not as nice as the lounge on the 26th floor. More importantly, when I previously stayed here, a complimentary breakfast was provided in the lounge. This has been replaced by a cold buffet charged at the extortionate rate of EUR 26.50 a person. This is important to note, since many people visiting the lounge might think that the breakfast is included with lounge access, since there is no sign, menu, or attendant that will inform you otherwise until after you've sat down and started eating. (Yes, this happened to us) I figured that there was some sort of charge, based on the extensiveness of the offerings when compared to those provided during the happy hour, but I didn't think it would be THAT much. It is most certainly NOT worth EUR 26.50.

Food: A very pleasant surprise. I had not eaten in the hotel when I stayed there before, but had a chance to try the burgers, club sandwich, and lasagne on this last stay. All the food I had at this hotel was excellent and far exceeded my expecatations. I can't imagine that you could have a bad meal here. Furthermore, for hotel food, the prices were actually pretty reasonable (except for breakfast) and certainly commensurate with the food quality.

SOAP: Thought I'd single this one out given the recent thread about one vs. two bars of soap as part of the amenity offerings. We intially received only one bar, if anyone cares. However, another one was given on the second day, and we then used both throughout the rest of the stay.

I wrote to the hotel about the breakfast in the lounge and got the following response:

"Thank you for your e-mail.

Our Club Lounge is open everyday from 7 till 23 hour.

The breakfast is free for our Platinum members and it's served at the
Lounge from 7 till 11 o'clock in the morning."

Not permanent. The lounge on the 25th floor is open as normal. Here now enjoying my free plat breakfast. :)

There has been a change, however, since my last visit : the club reception desk at the entrance to the lounge has closed, so elites now have to check in and out in the lobby with everyone else. :( Entry to the lounge in the evenings is via a keycard lock.

Me too.. right now :)

You'll be able to spot Oxon Flyer if he is still there. He's the one casually placing the free pots of jam into his bag :D

This should probably be mentioned under the hotel's "Special Conditions" on the SPG website. But since they don't tell you, I will.

There are currently construction works in front of the Brussels Sheraton. And they start drilling at 7am. So if you want to sleep longer than that, avoid this hotel or make sure to get a room at the back of the hotel (away from the square). (Stayed there 2 nights this week...)

Yes, there's been construction work taking place in Place Rogier for several weeks now, some days starting before even 7am. The noise intrusion at the Sheraton is less than at the Hilton opposite, which is closer to the works and has less effective double-glazing than the Sheraton.

I just wish they would stop sending me emails all of the time. The worst is that i have never even stayed there. Help us lurker.

Just checked-out from Sheraton. No noise ! Very helpfull and treating Platinum members very well.

You can help yourself by opting out of hotel promotions. ;)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

***** stay in the Sheraton Brussels hotel and Towers!
 

See for pics of my stay: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576027989SmaUAP

This Starwood property is still one of my favorite hotels of mine. We were upgraded to a spacious modern suite on a high floor, since it was for a special occasion for us.
When we checked in mrs. Roserie de Wild greeted us and gave me information concerning certain changes in the hotel. I have stayed here many times before. It seemed these changes have downgraded the hotel from 4 to 5 stars.
The changes were called: “a green way of thinking.” Very good, but actually a way to save money for the hotel. But these are hard times for hotels so I can imagine these new changes.
For instance, the newspapers for loyal guests were not delivered to the guestroom, but instead guests have to pick them up at the concierge. It seemed many guests actually did not read the newspapers at all and were thrown into the garbage bin.
Another change is the club lounge was not attended with personnel anymore and no check-in desk was available. Another change concerned the Turn down service. It seemed Sheraton hotels worldwide did would not give this service anymore.

I do understand hotels have to make changes in these hard economic times. Only, these little extra’s make my stay somehow a little special. I do like the turndown service and appreciate especially the small fine chocolates! I hope Starwood hotels can deliver this kind of service upon request of guests?

Our stay in the hotel was perfect. And mrs. Roserie took good notice of my words concerning the turndown service. So we had our turndown service and we enjoyed it, especially the chocolates….
The suite was very spacious an luxurious and offered a nice view of the city. The suite offered a kitchenette , a large dining table, a comfy couch and seats, a separate bedroom with of course the 5 star King bed Sheraton Sweet sleeper. The flatsquare tv in the livingroom, could be better placed on a table of on the wall! I would be more stylish and these flatsquare tv’s are made for more modern ways of displaying itself than hiding it in a tv cabinet.

The bathroom was spacious but a little outdated in style. In general I do not like the bathrooms in this hotel. I do really not know why the hotel does not improve the interior of the bathrooms! The bath amenities have been improved and I liked nice range of products with mandarin/mint aroma. We had some relaxing baths here.

The view from the room was great and we could see the Grote Markt!

The Club lounge located on the 26th floor still offers a great view. I always like to have breakfast here, it is a feast. Personnel gives a perfect service and with a friendly professional attitude. They will make a stronger coffee instead of the standard American coffee if you want to. Though the range of products is, as usual in a club lounges, limited the quality of the products is high.
During the day you can have some cold drinks and coffee and tea. The coffee is available in jars. I would recommend the hotel to have a Nespresso machine here. It fits more in a 4 – 5 star property than these jars with coffee. The former Westin Rotterdam and f.i. the Sheraton Sao Paulo offers this to their guests in the lounge. Movenpick hotel in Amsterdam even offers this in the rooms.
In the evening a selection of the white and red wine ( Norton) is available, we liked this wine very much, and much effort was made to display the snacks and healthy sliced veggies with delicious mustard in the lounge. We liked it very much and enjoyed it. Even after our stay in the hotel we made this healthy snack at home.
Service is friendly and professional, the butler made one step further so we could have some more delicious mustard with our snacks…..

Breakfast in the main restaurant is a world of difference. In the weekends it offers breakfast until 2 pm. Especially nice after a late night out when you need to sleep a little longer! The range of products here is much larger and the quality is high. I liked the quality of the ham. And the freshly baked waffles with fruits. However the quality of the cheese product can be improved.
The danger here is: one can eat too much.
Recently I was in Starwood hotels in San Francisco, the St. Regis and The Palace. The breakfast they offer is not so healthy. A small range of healthy products in contrast with a lot of fat and baked products. So I was happy with the healthy range of products in the Sheraton Brussel.

The work out room is just fine. Not large but good for a nice workout with state of the art machines. I do regret the water machine is gone however! I enjoyed my swim in the large pool on the topfloor. A few guests were looking for a whirlpool. I guess it would be great if the poolarea could offer this. These guest were disappointed and thought they had chosen the wrong hotel. ..
After the swim I had a relaxing time in the sauna. Not large but it is ok.

Our stay was superb, and we hated to leave!
I do know from many reviews I have read, many guests complain this hotel does not give a good quality in product, service is bad, the rooms are not luxurious and the location is bad. My complain would only be the lack of turndown service and the lack of quality newspapers on Saturdays in the lounge.
I do like to have the newspaper delivered to my room. But when having a clubroom, it is ok to read the newspapers in the lounge. When having a regular room, I would find it annoying to go to the concierge desk before having breakfast, since I like to read my newspaper during my breakfast.
If the hotel would deliver these services upon request I would not have any complaints at all!
Well even with the changes in delivered services I still prefer this Starwood property compared to other Starwood hotels. Even though I have seen so many Starwood properties around the world.

We truly experienced out stay as a 5* stay in a 5* Sheraton hotel. So for us it was strange this property was now a 4*property. I do know Starwood properties which are rated 5* but should be downgraded instead of this fine hotel.

We are really looking forward to are next stay in the Sheraton Brussels hotel and towers….

See for pics of my stay: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576027989SmaUAP

Is the club lounge back on the 26th floor? Last time I was here it was on the second floor I believe.

Yes, it is!

Awesome!^:D

Huh? I don't ever remember it being on the 2nd floor. For the last two years or so I have stayed several times and it is always up top.

Maybe a temporary thing due to renovation?

It was there in September when I stayed there. But it seemed like a temporary thing.