More about Stanhope Hotel
No 5 star hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member antiquehound
I just came back from Belgium, I am still getting over my jet lag. I stayed at the Hotel Stanhope for three nights. The hotel does not deserve a 5 star rating. The negatives are if you are a senior citizen it is a long walk to the tourist attractions with the exception of the Royal Palace. The hotel had no concierge, no door man, no continental breakfast, any additional services were extra with regard to $$$. When I checked in a group of teenagers were also checking in and were unruley and vulgar with language. I had pre-paid the room months ago but the front desk insisted that I had not. In the end they found that I had pre-paid for the room. On a positive note my room was large and comfortable but the walls needed painting.
Great value for the money
by TripAdvisor Member vette10
Fortunately I am a reviewer who encountered no problems at the Stanhope! My aunt/uncle were visiting from Florida and I wanted to choose a place that had a bit of luxury without the cost associated so we stayed in the main building. We had no problems checking in and had lovely accomodations. The reception was very knowledgable on things to do and places to eat (although we got lost in a pretty scary neighborhood). This hotel was definitely worth the money; Molton Brown bath soap and other cool ammenties. I'd definitely stay again!
Worst hotel experience in many years
by TripAdvisor Member RCK52
The Stanhope is considered one of the better business hotels in Brussels. I have often stayed there instead of the Conrad and some of the other fine hotels because of the service, nice restaurant and decent location.
However, my last trip was an unmitigated disaster. I had just had knee surgery. I did not need crutches but had great difficulty climbing stairs. In planning for my first post-surgery trip to Brussels, we called the Stanhope, requested a nonsmoking room near the elevator with a high speed internet connection and a safe. In addition, we asked if ice could be available when I checked in because I need to ice my knee.
I arrived, was given a room key and told that ice would be in the room. I went to the elevator, but soon discovered that my room was not on any floor served by the elevators. When I inquired, I was told that I had been put in the annex and would have to climb two flights of stairs. I asked for assistance with my bags and was told that no one was available.
I finally made it to the room and discovered a wreck. It had obviously been a suite and one part of it was being used for storage. No high speed internet connection, no safe for my laptop, no minibar, no ice, exposed pipes and a musty smell coming from the open storage room next door.
When I complained, I was told that it was the best they could do. If I wanted a smoking room, I could have it but would have to move my self (it was 11:00 pm). When I asked what I was being charged for this mess, I was told the same as any standard business room. Finally, the reception staff said that they might be able to move me the next day but couldn't guarantee it.
It is always sad when a good hotel falls apart. I am afraid that the Stanhope has reached that point.
Terrible - given 2 rooms stinking of paint, took 1 hr to sort out
by TripAdvisor Member Monday1000
If you intend to stay at the Stanhope, make sure you ask for a room that has not been recently painted. You can do this by asking for a room in the new block.
I had a terrible experience this week. On arriving I was given a room in the old block, which is currently part way through a renovation. It was 32C outside and I was given a room where the air-conditioning had not been reconnected and smelt faintly of wet paint. The whole of this side of the hotel is in the middle of a renovation, the walls of the corridors are recently painted with an undercoat and the whole area smells of solvent.
I asked them to sort the air-conditioning out and was moved to another room in the same block. This room smelt much more strongly of paint - although the aircon did work, but with some of the plumbing still exposed. The carpet also had paint splashes in several areas. After 3 minutes it became clear that the level of paint solvent in the room was so high that it would be impossible to stay in and went back to reception to ask to be moved again.
I all it took 1 hour for me to be given a habitable room. The staff were either indifferent or under trained. There was no apology until I asked for one and that was half-hearted. The sales manager's, position on the paint smell in the 2nd room was to quote "Well that's a matter of opinion."
The point is that this is a well established independent 4* hotel serving the business community and more discerning independent traveller. The fact that rooms were offered in this state and they were initially so unprofessional in resolving the problem is an insult to their guests.
I have been a regular guest at the Stanhope over the past 5 years, staying there up to 20 times a year. Standards have gradually declined over the past 2 years and the hotel has lost the special touches that used to make it a pleasant place to stay. If you do not have any problems, you will no doubt enjoy your stay.
The restaurant is however very good and if you are a guest the set menu at Euro 39 is well worth the money.
very good but not great
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at the Stanhope December 2004 with my boyfriend as we were visiting the Christmas markets and thought we would treat ourselves to a 5*.
We stayed there for 3 nights in a standard room which was comfortable and clean, the bathroom adequate, though a bit small for a 5*. We had all the usual ammenities robes, towels, toileteries etc, it was pleasant enough but not worth the money.
The curtains had a huge brown stain on it, I didn't bother saying anything as it didn't effect our stay in the room. Check out was at 12 noon but housekeeping came to our room every hours from 8am and woke me up with their constant knocking. When we went to the bar one evening there was no one there to serve us and in the end we gave up.
Not any major problems but small things which makes me think that it was good but not a 5* and not really worth the money, I've stayed in 3* hotels before, which although don't give you the fluffly robes etc have been just as good in every other way.
Outstanding value -- in the summer!
by TripAdvisor Member StarMonkeys
After previously having stayed in some super high-rise Brussels chains and being a little disappointed, our stay in the Stanhope was a really pleasant surprise. The hotel is small and has bags of character, and when we visited in the summer appeared to be virtually empty. Further evidence for this came when we were upgraded to a suite, and in the evening when we had the free run of the (small-ish) fitness centre. And the suite was fabulous. The decor is English country-house style, the bed very comfortable and our living room had a bigger sofa than I have in my flat. There were also two TVs and seemingly dozens of phones. We paid a shocking £65 per night for all this -- pence when compared to the €475 rack rate we saw advertised. If I'd paid anything like that amount then I might have been a little disappointed with the size of the bedroom (though not the bathroom, which was large) -- but overall, we were seriously impressed.
Good first impressions ,but!
by TripAdvisor Member wiggiatlarge
The problems we had on our stay were not with the staff,the amenities ,breakfast etc,but with the room that at time was not changeable,a standard room that was furnished as the others i saw,but was the most impractical room i have ever stayed in at ANY level,no storage of any type at all,no shelving for toiletries etc in bathroom,no towel rail or ring in bathroom,a seperate toilet so small you had to reverse in ,a settee in the lounge area so low and so uncomfortable you couldnt use it for any length of time,many other smaller matters and during stay no hot water being completely cold on our last morning,tepid the rest of the time despite complaints,not just from us,maybe we were just unfortunate on this occasion,but not5* on this visit,this room and it had duplicates in a 5* hotel was a joke,and ive stayed in enough over the years including other Summit Hotels,simply not good enough.This is the first time ive ever felt the need to comment like this.
Great Hotel, Good Location
by TripAdvisor Member Germerican
This is a great business/tourism hotel. You can walk to a lot of the major attractions/sites. The staff was quite friendly and seem to go the extra mile to help you out. Parking wasn't a problem since we parked right outside of the front door. I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Brussels.
A stylish hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member smilingtravellers
This hotel was superb. It was in a fabulous location, was very clean, the staff were helpful and our room was gorgeous. Excellent value for money - would recommend this to any visitor to Brussels.
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