Review: Brussels Marriott

In fact, the Brussels Marriott lists the Grand Place, the medieval central marketplace in the heart of historic Brussels, as its address, which is a little misleading as the hotel is actually located a few hundred metres behind the famous Grand Place.

However, that still means that the great restaurants of this gastronomically-inclined city are on your door-step. Try Chez Leon for classic fillet steaks or mussels and chips. Or if you do not want to move out of the Marriott then the Midtown Grill serves excellent steaks in a New York bistro-style atmosphere.

This hotel has been recently renovated and refurbished, so there is a pleasantly new feel to the whole interior, and none of the faded grandeur so typical of European cities.

Business excellence

As you might expect the business meeting facilities are top-class with 6,780 square feet of flexible meeting space and seating for up to 460. There is wireless internet in all the public areas and a small business centre with three PCs.

AME Info can recommend the rooms for cleanliness and large, very comfortable beds in line with the global upgrade of Marriott beds and linen. And there is high-speed internet access for your laptop, a dual-line speakerphone and voice mail facility.

Your small but adequate marble bathroom will have a power shower, bathrobes and hairdryer; and the room is equipped with an ironing board and iron for last minute pressing and tea and coffee facilities for an early morning start.

Slow service

We found the hotel hard to fault. Perhaps the concierge service was a little slow in offering help with the baggage. But then most people seem to prefer to trundle their own baggage on internal wheels these days.

On the other hand, the Marriott staff was very welcoming and we met one guest who had spent six months living in the hotel and did not have a bad word to say about it. That is surely a very tough test for any property, and the hotel had passed with flying colours.

The breakfast buffet was up to five-star standards with the normal Marriott mixture of self-service hot stations and a chef to prepare your eggs. This will set you up well for a day's business in the centre of Brussels, or you can take a five-minute taxi ride to any of the many offices of the European Union and its associated institutions.

Should you or a partner want to shop then downtown Brussels is a great place to find an astonishing array of up market fashion stores, chocolate emporiums and the famous Brussels' lace and tapestries. Be warned these temptations can be hard to resist.

See also:
Review: Marriott Royal Aurora, Moscow