Hilton Brussels Grand Place

As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, I had high expectations for my recent stay at the Hilton Brussels Grand Place during last week’s European heatwave. Unfortunately, this experience fell far below the standards I associate with the Hilton brand. First, there was no acknowledgment of my loyalty status at check-in, which was both surprising and disappointing. However, the main issue was the room quality and how the situation was handled throughout our stay—especially considering I paid €403.77 per night plus taxes. The initial room I was assigned was extremely uncomfortable: The air conditioning was not working, with the room temperature reaching 28°C There was a strong, unpleasant smell, similar to a sewage odor After repeatedly requesting assistance, I was moved to a second room. Unfortunately, this was even worse: The temperature was higher (29°C) The air conditioning again was not functioning Despite raising the issue multiple times, the reception team advised that the hotel was fully booked and no suitable rooms were available. Eventually, I spoke with Sara, who was helpful, provided a fan, and arranged for a different room the following day. The next day, I was moved to a third room. However: The room remained very hot, with ineffective air conditioning The shower tray was blocked, meaning I had to shower standing in a pool of soapy water We reported this issue several times, but it was not resolved during our stay, which added to the overall discomfort and frustration. Although I had access to the executive lounge, this too was disappointing: The air conditioning was not working, making the space very hot and uncomfortable The daytime food and beverage offering was limited Overall, this experience was extremely frustrating. The lack of functioning air conditioning throughout the hotel during a heatwave, combined with poor room conditions, unresolved maintenance issues, and a subpar lounge experience, is simply not acceptable—particularly for a loyal Hilton Honors Diamond member. I hope the hotel takes these issues seriously and improves both its maintenance standards and guest service, as this experience does not reflect the level expected from the Hilton brand. This was one of the most disappointing Hilton stays I’ve experienced.

We booked this property months in advance for a concert, choosing a "pay at property" option with card authorization through Booking.com. Just 12 days before check-in, the hotel claimed our card was invalid and threatened cancellation. We provided four different working cards (two of which Booking.com had successfully charged before), but the hotel continued to say they were all invalid. When we called our banks, they explicitly confirmed that no charge or pre-authorization or charge attempts were ever made by the hotel. The property was incredibly difficult to contact, taking four hours to reach, and they repeatedly changed their story—claiming the names didn't match on the card and reservation (which was false we did provide a card where the names matched) and also not a policy, and then claiming they were "cash only." Which is again not part of the policy and it clearly states they accept card, which they obviously do if they “pre authorise” cards. The staff were extremely rude and clearly used fake card errors as an excuse to wrongfully cancel our reservation, likely because they overbooked or wanted to re-sell the room at a higher event rate. Do not trust them with advance bookings

Pros: Super convenient location as directly opposite Brussels Central station and a short walk to the Grand Place with all its restaurants, cafes and chocolate shops. We had a king guest room. Bed was comfortable and aircon was working well. Rainfall shower and handset was great with good flow of hot water from the thermostatic mixer. Of note is the WC cyclone flushing system which I have not seen in other hotels - meaning they use very good sanitary fittings. The backout curtains shut out almost all of the external light. The moveable table was super useful for us to have a quick meal and watch TV. Room was spacious and was large enough to accommodate a wardrobe with space for 2 medium sized bags to be placed in an elevated position (important for the older folks to not have to bend all the time to retrieve clothes from having bags placed on the floor). Bedside was equipped with the latest USB-C plugs, and the worktable was wide enough to accommodate a laptop comfortably without having to push everything aside. The presence of both Euro and UK power sockets at the table with a moveable LED lamp was a blessing! There is also a Carrefour express next to the hotel for you to grab snacks, fruits, drinks, etc. Light breakfast foods and sandwiches were available at Panos and Starbucks right inside Brussels station. All within a stone's throw. Cons: Room was showing its age in places eg. the plastic flap for the shower cubicle door was detached and that allowed water to flow into the bathroom floor. Also, the sink was partially clogged when we checked in but immediately resolved the next day when we informed the front desk. The TV channels covered most of the business and market news channels (CNBC, Bloomberg, etc) but lacked any movie channels (good thing we had downloaded some Netflix movies on our iPad). Not the latest smart TV as it did not have Netflix, Prime or Disney+ apps. Overall: The is no such thing as a perfect room and the pros vastly outweigh the cons in this Hilton hotel. They got the things that matter most right - good sleep, overall comfort and super convenient location. We did not select the breakfast option (EUR26.99 each if selected upon check-in) as we were spoilt for choice with a vast number of restaurants and cafes around us. Would I stay here again? Yes! Tips: Request for a room facing the internal courtyard for a quiet sleep (most odd numbered rooms, but not the ones facing the facing the side road). With the Hilton mobile app you can also try to select the room just before check-in. However, when I did that, I was informed upon checking in, that the room I selected was under maintenance and so I was reassigned another room (thankfully also overlooking the courtyard).

Quick review as I nearly didn’t book this place due to mixed reviews. Couldn’t fault it. Fabulous location, diamond upgrade to a suite. Exec lounge was so much better than expected with views. Wine was good! Would definitely stay again.

Great location right across from Brussels Central train station, a short walk away from Grand Place (only a block or so away), nearby mini supermarket. On check in we weren't provided with any information about the executive lounge which was part of our booking. We tried to access the room and couldn't, so went back to reception. The lady put access on the card, but when we went to try it again it still wasn't working, so we needed to go back to reception again. The hotel room was large but a bit tired. The bathroom was once again large with a separate bath and shower, but there were some impracticalities, for example there was a door stopper right where you would put the bathmat, there was no powerpoint, the tissues throughout the whole box were all wet. The housekeepers don't speak English so we had to mime tissues and got the feeling she said she'd bring some soon, but didn't. When we asked reception for some, we were told that the hotel had completely run out and they would provide some the next day. We never received any. The executive lounge was great. They had happy hour where you could get beer or wine from 5pm - 7pm. The server of this was fantastic - very friendly and helpful. There was also food out throughout the day. At breakfast time there was some cereal, yoghurt and pastries. During happy hour there was some hot food, antipasta type food etc. This hotel has the potential to be something really amazing, there's just a few small service elements that could be improved. Still a really great base for your Brussels vacation.