Hotel berhampiran Dok Noord, Gent

quite far from the train station but close to attractions. a rather old hotel. the door locks are the round shaped ones. the hot water supply of the shower was not quite steady. the room is quite small for europe i think. the plus side is they gave us the room well before the official check in time. we arrived at around 10:30 and they gave us the room right away. there is a free breakfast buffet as well (even my room choice is the most basic one).

Een klein minpuntje, jammer dat er in de badkamer geen kastje of een tafeltje is om toiletspullen te plaatsen

Overall, this hotel disappointed me greatly. I had chosen it partly because it was advertised as being convenient to public transit. Not so. The #1 tram, which my reservation confirmation mentioned as an easy way to reach the hotel, has been out of service for a while now and will remain so for the next four years while the city renovates the route. Yet the hotel's final communication with me, just before my arrival, failed to mention this. This caused me no end of trouble. But it was also typical; I never felt that I was in a hospitable hotel where anyone cared about my comfort or convenience or even whether I enjoyed my stay. The proprietor, who does everything from making the beds to setting out the breakfast to staffing the office, gave the impression that beyond his considerable responsibilities, he had no time or energy for anything but the absolute minimum. Luckily, the people of Ghent welcome visitors, and it was thanks to them that I enjoyed the city at all. Despite the physical signs of wear and tear, the Erasmus Hotel has some charm. One afternoon, I was returning from a museum visit and heard someone play the antique organ on the premises, and someone singing lieder to it. I've also never eaten breakfast in the shadow of a suit of armor. Nevertheless, I wish I'd stayed somewhere else.

It is a great hotel, but it can be a better one if it hire quality staff. The front desk staff ( chubby guy with a glasses ) is a bit rude, throwing my passport to the desk after confirming the details. That’s make me wonder whether Belgians are in general that unfriendly, especially unfriendly to asian like me?

The room was modern and the building was older. The bed was huge! We did need to carry our cases up stairs but I knew they didn’t have a lift. It was fine and they offered to help. I really liked the room setup and the shower was great. Lovely temperature and water pressure. The pillows were comfortable too. My favourite thing of course is that there was a kettle and tea. The room was clean. It wasn’t too far to walk from the station or you could have got a tram. As an added bonus for us, there is a vegan bakery at the end of the street. Lovely staff.

Omdat wij in België bij ons uitstapjes in het weekend steeds gebruik maken van het openbaar vervoer (trein-tram-bus) kozen wij voor dit hotel dat op amper 300 meter van het Sint-Pieters Station in Gent gelegen is. Aldaar aangekomen kunnen wij ons dan onmiddellijk opfrissen en met de tram de mooiste plekjes in Gent gaan verkennen en genieten van een diner in de tal van goede restaurants dat Gent rijk is. Het eerste wat ons opviel in dit hotel was het zeer vriendelijk onthaal aan de balie. Wij hadden verder ook een ruime, mooie en hygiënische kamer met alles erop en eraan. Zeer belangrijk was ook de rustige ligging, niettegenstaande de korte afstand van het station. Wij genoten er ook nog van een uitgebreid en lekker ontbijt met een uitstekende service (vb. een afzonderlijke kaart waarbij u kan kiezen uit enkele eiergerechten die à la minute worden klaargemaakt! Kortom daar gaan we zeker nog terug.

A little disappointed with the decor, quite run down and desperate for a refurbishment staff on the other hand were excellent and very attentive. Unfortunately being of low cost, attracts some of the wrong sort of clientele, too! We suffered with noisy people partying until 2am when we finally decided enough was enough and tried ringing reception, phone didn’t work, so personal visit to reception sorted the issue. Non-smoking rooms, stunk of smoke. Otherwise clean and reasonable beds. Breakfast was ok.

When it comes to thinking of places to visit in Belgium, the town of Aalter in East Flanders, probably isn't the first place to spring to mind. Granted it doesn't have the charm of the Belgian coast, or the bustling hubbub of the larger, more tourist-oriented attractions, but its central location halfway between the cities of Gent and Brugge make it an great place from which to explore. The 4-star Best Western Hotel Orchidee in the center of Aalter provides an ideal base where you can plan your explorations. Aalter train station is a 15 minute walk away, and from there you can catch one of the regular trains to Gent or Brugge, with either journey taking half an hour. Alternatively, as the E40 motorway is just a few hundred meters from the hotel, both cities are accessible by car in around 20 minutes. I stayed at Hotel Orchidee for 3 nights just after Easter, 2022. The earliest check in is 2pm, and so this was the time I designated upon booking. (A word of caution for those hoping for a late check in. The reception desk closes at 11pm.) I arrived at the hotel at 2:05pm and was greeted by Piet, the hotel manager, who told me that my room would be ready in 10 minutes. There are several facets that I would expect from front of house staff - especially the manager - of a 4-star hotel. One of these is that they should be well groomed, besuited preferably, but nevertheless tidy in appearance. After all, they represent the hotel, a guest's first impression of what they might expect; and as the saying goes ”You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.” My first impression of Piet was that he was someone for whom sartorial elegance was not a phrase he was familiar with, with one too many buttons open on his creased shirt and apparent indecision on whether said shirt should be tucked in his trousers or not. Still he was amiable enough and pointed to the spacious, well-appointed bar off to the right of reception, where I could wait for my room. Whilst waiting, in addition to noting that the bar staff were better attired than the manager, I had time to peruse the menu, and discovered that a hungry guest could choose from crisps, nuts, a plate of cheese and salami, or a Croque Monsieur. Not exactly what I would expect from a 4-star hotel kitchen. I would later discover that the reason for this limited dining experience is due to the fact that the hotel does not employ a chef. Piet the manager is apparently chief, cook, and bottle washer, which probably explains why room service is not offered. My room was on the second floor overlooking the car park (which incidentally provides free parking, except on Saturdays when the Farmers Market is held), and no fewer than six bottle banks that are almost constantly in use throughout the day. If, like 1970s singer-songwriter Nick Lowe you ”love the sound of breaking glass”, this will make you feel right at home, otherwise it's somewhat irksome. The room was spacious enough, clean, with modern decor and