Hotel de Orangerie

As an SML-affiliated hotel, it was an easy choice to book one of their nicest-looking rooms for our stay. We were confident that our experience would be lovely and seamless on our brief sojourn through Belgium. Generally, the hotel is lovely and we were warmly welcomed. But the lack of upkeep alone would disqualify this property to be labelled "luxury." Our room's AC unit was completely inoperable and appeared to have been for some time, leaving our space continuously warm. Tolerable by day with the windows open but far too warm at night for sleep. And because we had to have the windows open continuously, we invited an endless supply of bugs who mingled in the lights and our nightstands. Upon complaint, the only offered solutions were: a fan, extra water, and a round of drinks that we purchased already as a comp. I politely asked management that they adjust the rate on our room as it wasn't ready to accept guests with a malfunctioning AC unit. I was met with a rather terse response from the manager like I was completely crazy for asking. I pressed politely to escalate my request and was told that this person was the "only manager on duty" and that I was not allowed to talk to the owner and that even asking her for their # or email was "ridiculous." They "called the owner" in another room, and returned to say the owner agreed with them. For $600 a night, you don't expect to wake up in a pool of sweat and bugs. Even less so do you expect management to make you feel like you're crazy for asking for a rate adjustment on a room that isn't comfortable, comfort being the #1 product of a luxury hotel. Would avoid, and probably other hotels affiliated in their CW Collection.

A great and beautiful hotel, in every respect! Well located, very good premises/rooms, very friendly staff, everything was 100% valued by us.

We had a luxury canal view and it was lovely. The hotel is stunning, full of character and exceptional decor. We were warmly welcomed and the receptionist was helpful with a guide map. We had booked parking which was 5 mins away in a private garage. The hotel is a great location not far from anywhere, just round the corner from the street that is full of chocolate shops and a boat trip pick up on the doorstep. The breakfast room looks incredible, my only comment would be that €30 for breakfast is too much for what is essentially continental breakfast, lots of little pots and a very small selection of hot food. We really were expecting a menu choice. With all the walking we were looking forward to eggs benedict or similar. We had drinks in the bar which was beautifully decorated. We very much enjoyed our stay and would recommend. It’s expensive but Bruges is an amazing place to visit and well worth it.

On the positive side, the location of the hotel is excellent. Within a few minutes walk of all the main attractions. Unfortunately what lets the hotel down is the general standard of the rooms. Tired paint, air-conditioning that doesn't respond to the remote unless you remove the cover, flickering bedside table lamps, toilet without a wash basin. The only word I can use is shabby, when a small amount of investment could bring it easily up to the next level. €30 supplement per person for breakfast is far too much. No breakfast could ever be worth that much. The basic afternoon tea (reheated scones, 'clotted' cream that isn't clotted cream and strictly ONE cup of tea at €25 per person is a rip off. Go out and have it nicer, and cheaper. The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable and special thanks to Elena for whom nothing was too much trouble. In conclusion, a hotel with potential that needs some investment to bring it up to spec that I currently wouldn't readily recommend.

⭐ Our stay at Hotel de Orangerie was affected by damage to my MacBook and by the hotel’s subsequent response. We arrived shortly after 2:30 p.m., and our room was not yet ready. The hotel offered to hold our luggage and deliver it to the room once it became available. We accepted and left the hotel for lunch. Immediately before handing over our luggage, I had been using my MacBook. I have timestamped system and application activity, contemporaneous email and document activity, and several people who saw me using it at that time. When we returned shortly after 4:00 p.m., hotel staff had placed our luggage in the room. I removed the MacBook from my bag and found that it had sustained significant physical damage: part of the corner was broken or chipped, and the display was damaged and no longer functioning properly. I retained the broken pieces and took photographs of the condition in which I found it. I reported the damage to the front desk immediately. The hotel told me that it had spoken with the employee who transported our luggage and that, because the employee denied causing the damage, the hotel would not provide compensation. Management later confirmed in writing that it had found no evidence that the damage resulted from the hotel’s handling of the luggage. I then asked the hotel to preserve relevant CCTV footage and other records and requested clarification as to whether the available footage had been reviewed before this conclusion was reached. I recognize that accidents can occur. However, I expected the hotel to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances and to explain clearly how it reached its decision. Given the limited timeframe, the evidence regarding the MacBook’s condition before the luggage was handed over, and the fact that the luggage was in the hotel’s possession during the relevant period, I was not satisfied with the response. The matter remains unresolved. Based on the way this incident was handled, I cannot recommend Hotel de Orangerie.