The Standard, Brussels — Hotel in Brussels

This new flag for The Standard is very well designed and the space is beautiful, but it is not up to par compared to their other locations and certainly not a 5 star hotel in my opinion.

Specifically, issues we had during our stay that were disappointing:

1. The airflow in the room is shockingly bad. The building used to be an office building, so I’m not sure how well they improved the duct work to ensure each room has proper airflow from their heating and cooling units. Our room never got below 23 degrees Celsius (despite having it set to 18 for our entire stay) and the air coming out of the vent was a trickle at best.

2. From the moment we checked in, the whole staff raved about the rooftop and that we should check it out. We arrived at 5:05 (5 minutes after it opened) on the second night of our stay (a Tuesday by the way… not a weekend) and the hostess said they were committed the rest of the night and couldn’t accommodate us. I asked if they saved any tables for hotel guests (it’s very evident the vast majority of people going aren’t staying at the hotel), and she looked at me like I was crazy for asking. The staff in the hotel are generally very nice, so it was surprising being greeted by a much ruder attitude on the rooftop. Unfortunately, we never got to try the rooftop, and good luck to you at getting in if you book a room at the hotel!

3. I went to the main downstairs restaurant bar to get a drink one evening during our stay. I was looking around at the design when I walked in and took a lap around the entire restaurant before walking back up to the bar. I asked the guy behind the bar for a menu, and he slowly nodded his head and said “hello” slowly. I responded with “hello”, and then asked him again for a menu. Granted, I probably should have said hello, but I was thinking about something and politely asked for a menu, so I was taken by surprise. I went on to ask him if he did that because I didn’t say “hello” when I walked up, and that I wasn’t trying to be rude at all. He went on to tell me he said hello when I walked into the bar, but that I didn’t acknowledge him. I apologized and said I didn’t hear him (to which he agreed it looked like it didn’t). Overall, not a huge deal, but just an odd interaction and not what I’d consider 5 star hotel...

Critical Review: Disappointing 5-Star Hotel Experience

Room & Design The room was extremely small—barely enough space to walk around the bed. Furnishings were sparse and cheap-looking: only a small corner canapé and a tiny table by the window. The bathroom design severely lacks privacy. There is a window between the bathroom and main room, with no doors separating the WC and shower inside.

Reservation & Service Disconnect The reservation call center promised a side room on an upper floor and availability of hard pillows. In reality, none of these promises were fulfilled. There was a clear lack of coordination—the staff appeared unaware of room types, locations, or basic amenities.

Facilities & Amenities Breakfast was very basic and primitive, not at the expected standard for a 5-star establishment. The hotel does not provide hard pillows, contradicting explicit confirmation from the call center.

Security & Lost Property Incident I lost my wallet containing my driving license and credit cards during breakfast. Reception staff gave me a key to recheck the room but offered no further assistance, despite the wallet actually being at reception. I was informed about my wallet only after I approached the restaurant staff, who told me it had been found and handed to reception. A staff member falsely claimed to have tried to contact me, but I had no missed calls, messages, emails, or other attempts.

Overall Evaluation The service quality was very poor with minimal concern for guest satisfaction or problem resolution. The room design was uncomfortable, offering minimal privacy and substandard furnishings for a 5-star rating. Overall, my experience was extremely disappointing, and I would neither recommend this hotel nor...

Disappointing 5-Star Hotel Experience||Room & Design|The room was extremely small—barely enough space to walk around the bed.|Furnishings were sparse and cheap-looking: only a small corner canapé and a tiny table by the window.|The bathroom design severely lacks privacy. There is a window between the bathroom and main room, with no doors separating the WC and shower inside. ||Reservation & Service Disconnect|The reservation call center promised a side room on an upper floor and availability of hard pillows. In reality, none of these promises were fulfilled.|There was a clear lack of coordination—the staff appeared unaware of room types, locations, or basic amenities.||Facilities & Amenities|Breakfast was very basic and primitive, not at the expected standard for a 5-star establishment.|The hotel does not provide hard pillows, contradicting explicit confirmation from the call center.||Security & Lost Property Incident|I lost my wallet containing my driving license and credit cards during breakfast.|Reception staff gave me a key to recheck the room but offered no further assistance, despite the wallet actually being at reception.|I was informed about my wallet only after I approached the restaurant staff, who told me it had been found and handed to reception.|A staff member falsely claimed to have tried to contact me, but I had no missed calls, messages, emails, or other attempts.||Overall Evaluation|The service quality was very poor with minimal concern for guest satisfaction or problem resolution.|The room design was uncomfortable, offering minimal privacy and substandard furnishings for a 5-star rating.|Overall, my experience was extremely disappointing, and I would neither recommend this hotel nor...