Room Mate Bruno, Rotterdam — Hotel in Rotterdam

I stayed at Room Mate Bruno in Rotterdam for the Tour de France Femmes stages and this location did not disappoint! The check-in was delayed because the computer system was down (but no fault of the amazing staff), and they worked quickly to get everyone checked in as fast as possible.

The front desk staff was really wonderful. They went out of their way to help every guest from holding luggage to answering questions (including where to find a self-serve laundromat).

When I was checking out, there was a very cranky guest who wanted to check in before the front desk person could pull up the reservation. Even though this man was being quite a bully to the female employee trying to help him, she kept her cool and explained that he needed to be patient while she pulled up the reservation.

The rooms were huge! I am an American (so I am used to large hotel rooms), and these rooms rivaled anything you could find in the states. There was plenty of space, a room fridge, a safe, excellent air conditioning, and lots of storage space for luggage.

The breakfast was lovely with many choices. I was never left feeling hungry. There is also the food hall within steps of the lobby, so lots of different food could be found (as well as a br). There was also a convenience store/bodega within 100 feet of the building, so extra snacks and waters were easy to purchase.

Bike rentals were easy and plentiful if you needed one (and it is a very bike-friendly city).

The location was outstanding for the Tour stages! I was able to see everything I wanted to see (the Fan Zone, the Grand Depart, start areas, finish areas, and the time trial) because they were steps from the hotel's front door. I missed nothing and was really happy to have a spot that was both centrally located and quiet when I was exhausted from the day's racing.

This is also a very safe hotel. I traveled solo, and I never felt unsafe.

Whether the TdFF returns to Rotterdam or I return for fun, I would not bother looking at any other hotel than Room Mate Bruno. The service and the location...

Overall my stay was good and i would recommend it for a stay in Rotterdam, especially for business. However the room service was astonishingly inconsistent. I guess the room service staff are either overworked, not properly trained or both. I stayed on a business trip Monday to Friday. My toilet was not cleaned a single day, to the point it was getting smelly. You could clearly see it dirty and see that it had not even been flushed. My carpet was not hovered a single day either. Crumbs from the previous days were obvious every day yet no one made any attempt to clean them. Used glasses or crockery were left dirty except for one day. Shower gel and tissues were not refilled when empty. All this was consistently ignored. The bed was done and the washing basin tidied every time. And they got the buffet/bar items replaced correctly too. On a week business trip there is rarely time to be chasing any hotel staff. It's busy during the day with meetings and during the evening with events. I don't have energy left to be complaining about essential things, and i cannot be bothered enough either. A simple checklist when cleaning is something that can be expected in any hotel, so I was surprised it was missed every single day. The decor plays on the industrial chic theme, but having nearly all the windows in the breakfast hall covered by a steel grid cage (floor to ceiling) makes me feel more like having coffee in a high security prison cantine than in a relaxing hotel restaurant. It also darkens the room very much. I thought this was a poor choice for an atmosphere. Finally the 50€ deposit for drinks/ food at check in makes you also feel like a thief. Me and my colleagues found this demand to pay beforehand pretty rude, as if they are expecting everyone to try and run away without paying the wine and sweets in the room. It should be optional and not mandatory as they did it. Otherwise staff i dealt with were all great. Facilities are good enough and location is very good and convenient. I would come back but...

This hotel should not be treated as a 4, at most 2 - why?: On the day of arrival, the hotel did not have a room with one large bed reserved for us, we received the booked room on the second day. The corridors are dirty, the walls are scratched, the carpet dirty, the sofas in the common area stained. The restaurant where you can eat breakfast resembles a canteen in a workplace, it is not a luxurious place worthy of 4*. The breakfasts themselves are not impressive either - quite simple and poor, e.g. no fish, juices or rather a juice-like product from a vending machine - no fresh fruit juices, no soft-boiled eggs, no fried eggs, no omelettes. On the plus side, good coffee and hot sausages. The parking lot is a disaster - the license plate reading system doesn't work (although the reception claims it does) so every time you want to enter or leave you have to drive up to the barrier and then run to the reception to open it (there's no bell). If there's a queue at the reception, you wait. The day before departure we ordered a breakfast basket for the next day at 6:30 a.m. because we wanted to leave early. On the day of departure at 6:40 a.m. we go to the reception and the ordered breakfast isn't there - it's supposed to be there in 2 minutes, after 20 minutes they bring 2 bags, we unpack and there's an old roll, toast bread, ham and cheese packed in bags!!! A 4* hotel can't make a sandwich, they just pack ham in a bag!! Rooms cleaned terribly, vacuuming every 2-3 days, we didn't get soap in the bathroom during our entire stay, the shampoo was watered down and the bottle was almost empty (I know because on the first day before changing rooms there was both soap and regular shampoo). A plus is the location, quite close to the center and as a base for bike trips. Another plus is the mere presence of an underground car park where you can leave your bikes locked to the railing (no separate...