Hotel berhampiran White Stone, Zulte

Réservation que nous avons fait à la dernière minute et malgré cela l'hôtel nous a reçu de la meilleure des façons. Très bonne réception, la chambre a été prise très rapidement, l'endroit nous était idéal. Petite chambre mais tout y était. De plus nous avons égaré une paire de lunette et l'équipe s'est chargée de nous l'a renvoyer ! Bravo et merci !

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

Great location with free parking. Friendly, efficient staff and the room was clean and comfortable. Decent WiFi and TV had several English speaking channels. Only tiny quibble was the hairdryer which wouldn't have been able to blow out a candle (first world problems and not worth dropping a star!).

My partner and I travelled to Ibis Kortrijk on the way back from the alps for a few night. When we arrived, the reception were polite and informative which we appreciated greatly. We were given a room card on the third floor, the corridors were dark and outdated making it an unpleasant feeling. Our room was no better, photos online of the rooms are very misleading and after we paid over £200 for 2 nights, we were not happy with the room considering we were shown different photos of our room when booking. We went back to reception and asked to upgrade our room, in the end we ended up spending £220 for 2 nights which is obscured for an ibis hotel. We also paid an additional €20 for late departure (17;00 instead of 12;00) as we had a late euro tunnel to catch. The following morning, the breakfast was okay. The yoghurt was all curdled, there were flys on the food and fresh food wasn’t brought out regularly. Once the fruit in the clear container was done, they didn’t bring more out?? The bread and meat however was lovely. But this area needs improvement. The room key cards also disactivated themselves so frequently. We would go out to explore, come back and doesn’t work on the room, so we made numerous trips to and from reception getting this sorted. Parking was near the hotel, but at an underground car park. No street parking nearby. For 2 nights in the hotel, parking cost us €55. €55 for parking, €240 for the hotel including late departure in means almost €300 for 2 nights at an ibis!!!!! The bed was comfy, but the towels in the bathroom were big enough to cover 1 leg, let alone a whole body. The bathrooms were also not particularly clean which again is such a shame, these are such small things to get right! Finally when we came to departure, it came to 12;00 and we had people knocking on the door waking us up as we were trying to get final bits of sleep before a long journey to say we need to leave and we had explained we weren’t checking out until 5. We then go back to bed and at 12;30 reception called saying we’re 30 mins late from checkout???? We had paid the additional €20 for late checkout and this should’ve been communicated and added to the system as we were woken up twice from this which again isn’t on. Overall a pretty disappointing stay. Save your money and go elsewhere!!

We have booked a suite for 2 nights. It is much more dressed up room since we have used it few years ago - shortly after its opening, it has pictures, shelves and other decorative items making it look more homely in modern scando style. It is very spacious and clean and mini fridge had complimentary drinks. Windows open, we did not use aircon. I liked that it was switched off upon arrival. Temperature was comfortable, not too warm or cold. Bathroom is superb with softest bathrobes I have ever had! They even add Rituals toiletries. Parking is free in front of the hotel but not gated. As gold member I got little handwritten card with three chocolates in the room and 2 drink vouchers which I had to chase. We chose coffee which was very well presented and large glass of wine which was good quality. When I requested late checkout by just 1 hour, they wanted to charge me extra - I had to remind them it is part of my membership privilege… What prevents me from giving it 5 stars is that they have not prepared sofa bed for our teenager- although reservation was for 3 people and I reminded them in extra requests section. When you arrive on Fri at midnight last thing you want to do is to chase it. In the middle of first night, suddenly TV has switched on by itself which woke us all up! Not sure if it was some sort of stupid alarm setup or what but they should reset settings before new guests check in! Overall I would return for quality of suite accommodation.

Om eerlijk te zijn, het lijkt mij een niet goed gemanaged hotel. Gedateerd design van 2008, mooi maar niet meer up to date. Koel. Jammer want er is zeker potentieel. Het zit ook in kleine dingen, praktische zaken in de kamer zoals tissues, USB aansluiting, bluetooth radio, open badkamer met toilet tot uniformiteit van het personeel. Weinig sfeer, zoals achtergrond muziek en echte planten zouden het geheel wat huiselijker maken. Het ontbijt voor 25€ is basic zonder warme gerechten als roerei of iets anders, wel vers fruit om een positieve noot te geven. Wellness beperkt zich tot enkele dagen waardoor je als gast er niet altijd gebruik kan van maken. Jammer. De dame aan het onthaal was wel vriendelijk en behulpzaam bij aankomst. Niemand gezien bij vertrek.