Hotel berhampiran Parc du Roi Vainqueur di Etterbeek

Als je meerdere Novotels bezocht hebt, ben je gewend geraakt aan bepaalde standaards, van zowel kamer, personeel als bar/restaurant. In Charleroi worden helaas alleen die van de kamer waargemaakt: de mijne was supergroot, netjes, modern en handig ingericht. De regendouche was de beste ooit en het (aparte) bad liep sneller vol dan ik ooit meegemaakt had (en dat op de hoogste verdieping!). De keuze bij het ontbijtbuffet was tamelijk beperkt: met name aan groente en fruit ontbrak er het één en ander. De koffieautomaten bevonden zich buiten de ontbijtzaal (best onhandig) en één van de twee was alle vier dagen van mijn verblijf defect (erg onhandig). De kwaliteit van de koffie kwam overeen met de kwaliteit van de andere ontbijtproducten: matig tot gemiddeld. Dit is het ontbijt dat je verwacht bij Ibis Budget en dat dan ook overeenkomstig geprijsd is. Het personeel, dat hier in de reviews enorm geprezen wordt, moet haast wel collectief op vakantie geweest zijn. De receptionisten die ik trof, waren ongeïnteresseerd, dreunden lusteloos hun standaardriedels op en blonken alleen uit in het actief niet-groeten van de gasten als die voorbij kwamen. In Berlijn zouden deze mensen buschauffeur zijn. Zelfs oogcontact maken was al te veel moeite. De stad Charleroi zelf was daarentegen veel mooier (of minder lelijk) dan verwacht: met name het centrum en stationsgebied zijn erg mooi opgeknapt in een uitnodigende stijl. De meeste inwoners zijn op hun beurt nog niet echt mee geëvolueerd. Ik ben nog in geen enkele Belgische stad zoveel onderontwikkelde (en iedere betekenis van het woord) mensen tegengekomen als hier. Mocht je om het even welke een stad in Henegouwen willen bezoeken, dan is Mons (Bergen) een verstandiger en veiliger keus. Daar kun je na ”sluitingstijd” nog ongestoord over straat lopen, zonder op elke straathoek aangesproken (door bedelaars) of nageroepen (door hangjongeren) te worden. In Charleroi ben je best om 19.00 uur binnen, met de deur op slot. ;-)

Friendly counter and allowed to go to my twin room 4 hours early. Very clean hotel with towels and water supplied. No kettle but I think this must Bea Belgian thing. The station is opposite but it is 20 min walk to the old town. Fine for me but some may want to be nearer. The walk there is the main shopping street. Overall I think it was great value. As a note to other guests, and I always write this, please be more considerate when talking in the corridors especially before 8am. Whisper, your voice echoes and sound meds like you’re shouting. And don’t allow to doors to slam shut!!

In short, a dump for €170 per night (regardless of the rate they advertise). Long version: I checked into a 5th floor room at just after 2pm in mid-October. The only window, which opened to the roof, was open and it was about 10C outside and maybe 15C in the room - too cold to be comfortable. I noticed the smell of sewage. I’m tall, so I looked out the open roof window and could see a sewer roof vent about one meter from the open window. I immediately closed the window and turned on the radiator to “4” (full on) to warm the room up. 15 minutes after, I could smell mold or mildew in the room, possibly from the carpet - hence the open window. I attempted to work on my laptop but the Wi-Fi dropped out every 10-15 minutes. I tried 4 different Wi-Fi’s in the hotel and had the same problems. After 30 minutes, I checked the radiator - stone cold. I went back to the front desk and described the Wi-Fi problem. Response - “nothing I can do but I called the IT guy.” Fair enough. I asked about there being no heat in the room. Response “ give it an hour or two.” I left to explore a bit and had dinner. I returned at 8pm. Different guy at the front desk. Still no Wi-Fi with a stable connection. Still no room heat, and it was getting colder outside and in the room. I went back to the front desk. Responses were “I’ll get the IT guy to fix the Wi-Fi” and “give the radiator an hour or two to warm up”. I replied that I had given the radiator over 4 hours to warm up and the supply lines to the radiator were cold. I asked to be moved to a room with heat and and he said “nothing I can do”. I asked for them to check the furnace and they had nobody who could do that. Perhaps heat was out for the entire hotel and they were still booking and charging rooms on a cold October day. Who knows? I checked out (or attempted to) at 10 pm same day and requested a full refund. They had charged me a full three nights stay immediately upon check-in for a dingy, smelly hotel room without heat in late Autumn. In the end, they refused to refund any of the stay despite not being able to provide a heated room in mid-October in Brussels. What a dump. Save your money. There is a decent hotel 3 blocks away with both Wi-Fi and working room heat.

We went to Jeux D'Hivers, wich is located in Terkameren Bos, and this was only a 10 minutes walk, which was perfect. The hotel room was nice and clean, the breakfast was great. So overall it was a very nice stay and I will absolutely come back when I have to be in the neighborhood.

We really liked the hotel itself and it was all newly renovated and looked good and was tidy, both lobby, stairway/elevator and room. The room was big but with basic interior, like nightstands were stools from Ikea. There was no refrigerator which was inconvenient in the heat. The hotel is rather close to the city center and only takes about 10 minutes to walk to the city center, however the hotel seems to be located in a sketchy neighbourhood and not many tourists in the area. We were recommended by locals to take a taxi/uber back to the hotel during the nights.

Hotel downgraded us from Triple Superior Room to Double standard with an extra bed, Trip.com did nothing to assist us in the matter but offered 1.50€ in their coins as compensation, only at the day of check out trip.com is apologizing and wants to come to the bottom of the matter, too little too late! No more Trip.com Hotel is decent, older, with perfect location in the centre!

Very friendly and useful service from James, with him providing all of the best places to eat and see. However the area in itself felt unsafe and a bit dangerous.

Accessibility and Location: Right next to De Broukere station, perfect for getting around by public transport and on foot to major sights of Brussels. Cleanliness: 10/10 Comfort: 10/10 large rooms, comfortable bed and pillows. Service: Fantastic! Staff were welcoming and attentive. Good self-laundry service.

Definitely not a 5 star hotel, and not at all a 5 star breakfast… If you book this hotel, do yourself a favor and avoid the breakfast buffet. It’s boring, and if you’re not the first ones to eat, you can expect a half-empty buffet and have to ask the staff for things to be filled. Simple things as water weren’t getting refilled. Regarding the rooms, they were ok and big. Besides 2 month old soda in the minibar… Also the bar is never open. We asked two days in a row at different times of the day and still couldn’t get anything from the bar. This hotel is not worth the price

Near to Brussel Noord station, everyday cleaning service. Facilities with free entry to sauna and fitness, highly recommend!