HOTEL REVIEW
URBAN cool is what aloft says it set out to achieve with Brussels Schuman, its first hotel in Western Europe. It very nearly manages it. It’s aimed at young professionals who are after laidback accommodation with no frills.
There’s no restaurant but there is a café that provides breakfast. Staff also insist on replacing hello with aloha – a little grating after a while.
The room was large and ultra-modern. The bed was so comfortable I almost ignored my alarm. For those needing to work, the large desk was ideal and it had plenty of sockets. Every room comes with free wifi. For business travellers, there’s plenty of space to hang up suits.
The 42-inch flat screen television was a veritable entertainment centre – you could plug in your iPod and watch channels in languages you had never heard of.
At night the cocktail bar goes for live music and DJ sessions, which you can’t hear from your room if you want a quiet night. But during the day, it becomes a sitting area with comfy sofas, a pool table and even a shares ticker. Sadly it feels a little too much like a university student union rather than a hotel bar – businessmen in suits look and feel incongruous, whatever their age – and you have a niggling suspicion that the bright decor will feel dated very quickly.
It’s well located for the European institutions, the rooms are smart and it’s cheap. For those in their 20s and 30s, it’s ideal.
Rooms at aloft Brussels Schuman start at €89 a night without breakfast. Tel: +32 2 800 08 88 or see www.aloftbrussels.com.