Hotel berhampiran The World of Kina: The Garden, Gent

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.

Sehr schönes Hotel im Zentrum von Gent. Gebäude im klassizistischen Stil mit modernen Elementen. Tolles Frühstücksbüffet mit aufmerksamem Service. Check-in war ok, die Check-in Zeit 15 Uhr wurde leider nicht eingehalten. Wir haben aber netterweise ein Upgrade bekommen, daher hat sich das Warten gelohnt. Besonders schön sind die Zimmer mit Balkon zum Innenhof. Das Restaurant hatte geschlossen. Die Drinks im Innenhof waren sehr gut, der Service abends etwas langsam. Man ist vom Hotel schnell zu Fuß in der historischen Innenstadt. Gym und Pool klein aber gepflegt. Insgesamt ein tolles Hotel.

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?

Leuke ambiance, kamer was wel erg klein als luxe kamer (begane grond) en we hadden een terras uitkijkend op grof vuil op de binnenplaats ( ook zaten er nog sigaretten in de asbak buiten ) Gezien de tijd van het jaar was het uitzicht voor ons geen probleem . Misschien tip voor hotel om afval achter een schutting te plaatsen . Kamer was ook best koud , volgende keer nemen we pantoffels mee. Heerlijke douche , mooie badkamer. Heel vriendelijk personeel. Leuke aankleding , heilige hoekjes met een knipoog. Uitstekend ontbijt in mooie zaal, erg uitgebreid. Ook in de ontbijtzaal was het was fris, vooral aan de raam kant maar goed je kan je er op kleden.Ligging is perfect !!! Een aanrader ondanks wat puntjes!

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

We picked this hotel for a long weekend stay in Ghent. Location was convenient, direct tram line to the central station, while walking distance to everything worth seeing in Ghent. The room was comfy, standard ibis equipment, nothing fancy - but clean, very neat and everything was functioning rather well. The breakfast was ok, nothing to write home about, but it was reasonable to set one up for a successful day of sightseeing. WiFi worked good.

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.

The hotel offers spacious rooms with minimalistic design, superb services and friendly staff. The hotel is usually busy, so popular. We indulged in the foods and drinks offered by the nice restaurant and enjoyed a spacious room with all tailored amenities. Any issue can be addressed with their responsive staff!

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