NH Brussels Grand Place Arenberg

Overall, this NH looks like typical chain hotel with understated decor and virtually identical rooms to NH hotels in other cities. The grab-and-go “open bar” lounge features a stylish secluded seating area and self-serve machines delivering snacks and drinks; large windows also offer great people-watching views of the street. The breakfast room, with its gray and brown color scheme and Brussels-themed wall art, is among the more interesting spaces. The meeting room lacks punch, with decor consisting of dark gray carpeting, and simple office-style blue chairs around long, white conference tables. However, a meeting break-out room is livelier, with a colorful art installation along one wall. Hallways are completely bare. As guests tend to be tourists or business travelers, the hotel serves mainly as a home base, so it makes sense that it feels more efficient than style-forward. 

The hotel is set on a somewhat steep, tree-lined road leading south from the financial district toward the central station. The surrounding area consists mainly of office buildings, but there also some cafes -- many guests prefer having breakfast off-property for a better deal -- and bars within a couple minutes' walk. The central train station is just under a five minutes' walk, and from there, it's a relatively easy 20-minute or so trip to Brussels Airport -- also accessible by car in about 15 minutes from the hotel. Grand Place, in the historic old town, is just over five minutes away on foot, while the financial district is about a 10 to 15 minutes' walk. 

There are 155 rooms at this NH, and despite being virtually identical decor-wise, all rooms are modern and comfortable with plush beds. Decor is simple: dark wood laminate furnishings and floors, crisp white cotton bedding, and touches of beige. All rooms have air-conditioning, large flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, coffee/tea kettles, minibars, safes, and choice of pillows. Bathrooms are quite spacious, and have shower/tub combos and hairdryers. Adjoining rooms are available in Suites. None have much of a view to speak of, although rooms at the back and sides of the building are especially quiet and peaceful; some have small balconies with views of commercial buildings. Rooms are mostly well-insulated from street noise, though noise from other guest rooms can be heard in some rooms. 

The best feature of this property is its convenient location, which is mostly quiet and puts guests within walking distance of the sights and financial district. Wi-Fi is free in guest rooms and throughout the hotel. There is private (paid) parking in a garage under the hotel. The somewhat expensive buffet breakfast spread gets mixed reviews, and includes soft-boiled eggs and Belgian specialties. The hotel has a simple meeting room for events, with a more colorful break-out room for coffee and snacks. There's also an "open bar" in the lobby with self-serve snacks, sandwiches, water, juice, soft drinks, coffee, wine, and beer for sale.