Hotel Bentley (Brussels, Belgium)

The hotel's on-site parking is quite cheap but scout around a bit; there's lots of free parking nearby.

The location is fine for trips into the centre. Many folk choose to walk. It takes about 45 minutes. There are plenty of restaurants in the area and if you like Turkish cuisine, there's plenty to choose from. There are also plenty of pastry shops and cheap cafes.

Sometimes, they advertise massive discounts. If strapped for cash, staying here can then make really good sense. The attitude of staff members to visiting guests varies considerable. If you strike it lucky, you can be invited to sit down on arrival and enjoy a Turkish tea; compliments of the hotel!

It's an old building and a quite major renovation programme is well overdue. There are problems with shower leaks in the rooms, the lift doesn't work and there's no assistance offered to get luggage to the room. Life isn't made any easier by the fact that staff members speak little French and no English.

There is no soundproofing and other guests don't need to be loud and selfish to be heard throughout the building. The level of internal noise is phenomenal. The district, itself, is busy and noisy so, in addition to the trams just across the street, you get all that as well.

Some staff members seem OK but it's easy to get a downright rude one. Very unco-operative. The main entrance and stairs and corridors are abysmally dirty and cleaning standards in the rooms leave much to be desired.