It was during a stay in Brussels that I was able to test the Aloft Brussels Shumann. A very short stay with an arrival at the beginning of the evening and a departure at dawn the next morning which nevertheless allowed me to get a good idea of the property.
Smooth arrival
The hotel is quite well located, close to the European institutions. Once arrived I go straight to the check-in desk. The staff is attentive and the formalities are completed in a few minutes.
However, the “keyless” option that allows me to use my phone as a key in the hotel refuses to activate. A problem that I initially blame on the hotel before noticing that it is repeated in other hotels, a sign that the problem – unresolved to date – is surely more related to my phone or the installation of the application.
A very spacious Aloft room
I had chosen a standard room and the least we can say is that my expectations were largely exceeded. For a basic room at less than 100 euros a night the least we can say is that it is especially spacious.
I have a lot of space, a big desk and a big table to sit at. Like most of the time at Aloft, the bathroom is directly connected to the bedroom. One likes or dislikes it but there too they were not stingy with the square meters. When the style is as usual in Aloft very sober even if in terms of furniture I am not always seduced by the style chosen.
The toiletries available are of course not of the same range as those found in other Starwood brands but are already of very good quality for a room at this price.
But nothing like a video to get a better idea.
This is more than enough for a short stay.
On the other hand, during my stay a part of the hotel was privatized, probably for a company event or whatever. I will have the opportunity to talk about this later, but it has already had a concrete consequence: a music and a sound level which, without being unbearable, are in my opinion not tolerable in an establishment of this standing, and which only stopped around 11pm if I remember correctly.
When you come out of a day’s work and have to leave early the next day, this is a real negative point, especially since the privatized areas were public areas (lobby, bar) and therefore not as well soundproofed as a closed reception area.
Defaulting services
The wifi is free in this hotel. Which is a good point. On the other hand, the connection speed was disastrous without me knowing what to attribute it to. Temporary problem? Surconsommation de bande passante par les clients ? Anyway, I had some professional emergencies to deal with and I finally had to wait until the next day to take care of them at the Thalys lounge before returning to Paris.
Je ne m’étendrai pas sur le keyless dont le dysfonctionnement ne me semble pas imputable à l’hôtel.
As in more and more Starwood hotels (if not almost all of them because it seems to me that the service has been deployed at high speed), the chat is proposed as a privileged customer relationship channel. I have not had to use it, but I can testify that it is often infinitely simpler and more efficient than a call to the desk and that it fits better into the life and habits of the traveler in a hurry and concerned about his experience.
As for the computers used for the express check-out…
Nothing serious because I was able to use the good old paper form. But all this put together became quite irritating.
Inaccessible bar and restaurant area
I was talking about the privatization of the hotel that evening. One of the most concrete consequences was that the bar and the space where we could eat were not accessible to the hotel’s clientele that evening, which forced me to go out for dinner in town, causing me a waste of time not really desired that evening. The “snack” area was open but it was impossible to go anywhere to eat so it was not very useful. It took me a good 20 minute walk to get to an area with a decent supply of restaurants.
It took me a good 20 minute walk to get to an area with a decent supply of restaurants.
I will take advantage of the next morning to take pictures of these very nice spaces, which only adds to my frustration of not having used them.
I take the opportunity to visit the rest of the public spaces. As always, Starwood’s ambiance/furniture consistency with the desired brand experience is perfect.
Express departure
Given the few inconveniences of the day before I decide not to linger in the morning. I will not take my breakfast, the check out will go very well (despite the out of order terminals).
Conclusion: it could have been so good
This stay at the Aloft Brussels Schumann leaves me with mixed feelings. In terms of potential, we can see that everything is there to have a good stay and fully enjoy the brand’s promise of experience. In reality, a lot of details made this stay relatively ordinary.
I certainly came across a bad day which in no way reflects the general level of the hotel but that’s the rule of the game in this matter: the hotel guest judges the night he spent, not what he would have spent if he had come on another day.
To get a better idea of what a successful experience at Aloft can be, check out this review of a business trip to the Aloft London Excel, much closer to what you’d expect and the norm when you don’t stay on the bad day.
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