Hotel check: Crowne Plaza Brussels City Centre – Le Palace

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Hotel check: Crowne Plaza Brussels City Centre – Le Palace

Published: 31/03/2009 - Filed under: Archive » 2009 » April 2009 » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Hotels » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Hotels » Belgium »

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WHAT'S IT LIKE? The property celebrated its centenary last year, and over the years it has housed the luxury Hotel Palace (hence the Le Palace moniker), as well as several budget brands during the 1980s and ’90s. The present owners have spent the past five years renovating it, with original art nouveau and art deco features being restored where possible, combined with modern elements such as bright carpets inspired by the works of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.

WHERE IS IT? A ten-minute walk north of the city’s main square, the hotel is adjacent to the Hilton Brussels City. The two properties are sandwiched between Place Rogier (where the closest metro station is located, with connections to the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Midi) and the gardens of Le Botanique, a cultural centre with theatre, cinema and exhibition halls within a 19th- century iron greenhouse.

ROOM FACILITIES As with the public areas, interior design company Svensk Inredning has used Klimt’s work as the inspiration for the décor. Facilities include flatscreen TVs, free wifi in all rooms, tea and coffee-making facilities and large workdesks. Executive rooms come with a bathrobe and slippers, a daily newspaper, a one-day metro pass, early check-in and late check-out, and a welcome drink. During the refurbishment, many original items of furniture were found, and the hotel has used these in its ten Century rooms. These have more character so are worth asking for. There are also seven Balanced Senses suites with views of the botanic gardens and facilities including flatscreen TVs in the bathrooms, L’Occitane toiletries and a Technogym installation. A copy of Le Locataire by George Simenon (creator of the fictional detective Maigret) can be found in every room. The novel is set in 1930s Brussels and contains descriptions of the Hotel Palace during that era.

MEETING AND BUSINESS FACILITIES The hotel has more than 20 meeting rooms across four floors. The largest is Le Palace ballroom on the ground floor, which has a huge Swarovski chandelier and space for 825 people theatre-style. There are two rooms on the eighth floor, and the renovations have added six rooms on the first floor under the Balanced Senses concept, designed to “stimulate the senses through natural sounds and images, soothing colours and pleasant scents”. Features include a central breakout area with snacks and refreshments available at any time of the day, catering by Belgian health specialists Exki, and corporate massage treatments. There is free wifi throughout the hotel, and a small business centre with four computers open 24 hours.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS The hotel’s bar, at the front of the property, is called Deco Verre, a play on the art deco theme, the French word verre (“glass”), and the fact that the two words together sound like découvert (“discovered”). The bar is open 4pm-1am Monday to Friday and 11am-1am at weekends, and there is a separate library area with a flatscreen TV. Also on the ground floor is Nouveau Taste, serving Belgian specialities alongside international dishes. It’s open every day from 6.30-10.30am for breakfast and 6.30-10.30pm for dinner. It also offers a two-course business lunch starting from €20 from 12-2.30pm on Monday to Friday.

LEISURE FACILITIES There is a residents-only fitness centre and male and female saunas.

VERDICT After years of under-investment this hotel has been restored to its former glory – the Century rooms are particularly recommended.

Fact File

HOW MANY ROOMS? There are 354, including 277 Standard rooms, 61 Executive rooms, eight Junior suites, seven Balanced Senses suites, and one Le Palace suite.

ROOM HIGHLIGHTS Free wifi in all rooms and the original furniture in the Century rooms.

PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in April started from €160 for a Standard room.

CONTACT Crowne Plaza Brussels City Centre – Le Palace, 3 Rue Gineste; tel +32 2203 6200; crowneplazabrussels.be

Mark Caswell