Hilton describes the decor as "an experiment." Perhaps "Northern European chic modern" suffices for public areas. Add "homey" and tiny for rooms. I could have been happy with any decor, because I was cashing in HHonors points for 5 free nights: only 25,500 between two of us. For paying customers, this hotel has winter weekend nights as low as $114, hard to beat in Brussels, absolutely the best central spot for exploring Belgium.
We didn’t use the metro, but stop Rogier is in front of the hotel under Place Rogier. Gare du Nord for national rail service is one block, and a convenience store for supplies is only 1/2 block. For those who want to pay more, the Sheraton is across the street. The neighborhood isn’t among the busiest in town, but it is populated at night with enough pedestrians that we felt safe. The block has a few restaurants. Hilton has its own open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The bar in the lobby is open late, and there is a haman, which we didn’t use, so busy were we chasing things medieval.
Our room was small, just the bed, a one-foot-square table on each side, and an 18" wide shelf built in under the window opposite the bed. There was a small cupboard under the shelf, where we could stash our snacks. There was no coffeepot, but I had brought my own. The floor was wood--no carpet, but "homey" with a little area rug. No place to sit but one small chair that scooted under the shelf, where the television took up some space. No room for luggage except in the hallway between the bedroom and bath. This cramped arrangement took a day to get used to, even though we weren’t there much. The futon was comfy, lighting good, and everything immaculate and cleaned again every day. The bathroom was great, but had no hot water late two evenings. Mornings, water was always hot.
The staff deserve commendation for being the most pleasant and accomodating people on earth. They all speak English. One young lady had to re-program our keys twice when we got locked out by mistake, and I just loved how sweetly she said, "I am sorey for dot." We were happy here and intend to return. We felt rather European
out in the city all the time, and when we did go back to the hotel, it felt "homey," just like Hilton intended.
There is something "curious" and surprising, even shocking about the decor at Hilton Brussels City. For instance, cherry red and royal purple or violet in the same room create just a tad of a shock! Oh, that’s modern art, and it keeps us from getting too comfortable. I’ve added some photos, including one of the red sofa Hilton features in their ads for this hotel. In their in-house tv ads, they call their experimental design "seductive."