Residence les Ecrins — Hotel in Brussels

When arriving at the hotel, I was surprised to find that there was no reception desk. I had to buzz into the residence and was greeted by a member of the housekeeping team who told me that I should've received access details in advance.||She kindly rang her boss who I spoke to, who then sent me the details to access my room for the night...or so I thought. Another one of the managers then rang her to say that I had actually been sent the access code, concerningly enough, to somebody else's room. ||It was then informed that my reservation had been canceled my booking two days ahead of my arrival as my credit card "hadn't worked". However, I had no record of this attempt on my online banking and in fact, a member of their accounts team had 'accidentally' taken payment in full on the morning of my arrival. When speaking to the manager on the phone, he told me that I had been contacted by email to inform me of the cancellation, an email which I had never received.||I was then left to walk around Brussels late at night to find alternative accommodation in the dark, which was not exactly ideal when I had spent all day traveling and virtually all of the other hotels were fully booked that night.||Although this hotel seems like good value, I find it perturbing that their management seems to be so careless with personal details including credit card information, as well as access details to their rooms. The set-up is very impersonal and generally not great, so if you are considering staying here, I would reconsider as there are many other hotels in Brussels where their customer service far exceeds that of...

First note is that it isn't really a hotel as you would generally expect. The reception room is only open for a short period of time and there are no keys/cards to access the room and/or hotel. You get a passcode that is only active during your check-in - check out times. Second note is that it's not very "family friendly" in the traditional sense. The walls and floors are quite thin so you can hear a lot through them, my baby started crying as I left to go grab some food (leaving her with her mum) and I could hear the cry right through the building and even out on the street. Another example is the slapping and screaming noises coming from underneath our room intermittently throughout our stay, someone must have been on a honeymoon. A third example is the relatively open plan style bathroom- bedroom combo. Again, awkward if you have teens wanting a bath. On to the subject of the bath - what a bath! Soo deep and extra large, I managed to easily fit my XXL frame into it, one of the best baths I've had in years. There were some signs of age, as the bath tap had a very small leak on it, so drips slowly, and the sink plug is broken but other than that, it's a very nice bathroom set. Really feels like an ideal hotel for a romantic break as a couple as opposed to a family one but it was a very nice hotel in a great location close to shops, food places and...

Pros:

The staff is very friendly and helpful and most of them speak English.

Very affordable for Europe and the location.

As far as location, it is very near the metro station and a short walk near the Grand Palace (the center of the city).

Basic breakfast (coffee, pastries, and bread) are served in the morning.

Cons:

Very bare bones accommodations.

You are provided a standard key, rather than a card, to enter the hotel (and a card attached to the key to get into your room). I never asked and it was never told me what the cost of a lost key would be. Presumably, there is a fee if you lose the key. I would ask beforehand.

There is no 24 hour concierge. However, I was told on the last day that one can ring the at any time to get someone if you are stuck.

The rooms I stayed in (I stayed in two different rooms over separate stays) didn't have shampoo, but one could ask for some. Also, the soap in the shower was not filled up on my last day.

All in all a decent place to stay if you want something near the center of the city, but don't expect the full services one would find at a...