Will you suffer for your Art? (Comfort Art Hotel Siru)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Comfort Art Hotel Siru
Date:	26/11/08 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Central Location. Cheap rates. Great restaurant. Lovely art.

Disadvantages: Unprofessional staff. Small lifts and rooms. Old furnishings.

I stayed at the Comfort Art Hotel Siru in Brussels in June last year. I had gone to Belgium because I had won a competition to enjoy a private rehearsal concert with my all time favourite band. The prize didn't include accommodation, however, and because it was short notice and I was on a tight budget, I jumped at the first hotel I was offered.

I booked through Lastminute.com and this was one of the cheapest rate hotels available - I believe it was around £50 a night. The site said the location was brilliant, right in the centre of the the city and also that the quirky style of the hotel would be enchanting. The hotel rooms are decorated by Belgium artists and each room has an individual design.

The hotel was easy to find and within walking distance of the mani train station. It is located in the central square of Place Rogier and close to the attractions of the city. I really had to look around to see the hotel as most of the other buildings in the area are modern, grey concrete and glass fronted office like buildings that lurch into the sky. The Comfort Art Hotel is nestled in the corner. If you arrive at night the beautifully lit gothic type spire will be what you notice first. The hotel does look very odd amongst all the other buildings - kind of like Dracula's house that nobody dared demolish!

The reception area is very small and there are stairs up to the desk. I should say right now that if you have a physical disability then this is NOT the hotel for you. There are many staircases to overcome and the lifts are too small to get a wheelchair in. Anyway, the reception is a little desk and there are two elevators (lifts) at either side of the desk. This means that if there are a few people waiting and people getting on and off the lifts then the area does become crowded.

Alongside the reception but screened off by a wall, is a little sitting area and internet access desk. Beside this is a left luggage room which is locked but not monitored.

I was travelling with an overweight person and when we stepped into the elevator we were literally touching chests. The lifts are ridiculously small and claustrophoic. If you have any problems with being in small spaces do NOT come to this hotel!

Each floor of the hotel has a different art theme and it is worth just riding the lift to each one to marvel at the talent. Our room was small and the arty touch was the bedhead - a sculpted piece showing tourists pouring over map books. It was quite charming and surreal. The room was very stuffy though and the bathroom was a little bit grimy and mould-covered. The furnishings looked old and weathered.

I was only staying three nights at the hotel and did not spend much time in the room. I did go to breakfast each morning in the restaurant. This was a brilliant buffet feast of all you could eat. There were typical European options available and everything was well cooked, fresh and tasty. The chefs and waiting staff were attentive and always at hand.

During my stay I tried to use the internet access computer in the reception area but I was told this was out of service in a rather blunt manner and offered no explanation or advice about when it might be available.

On my final day of staying there an event at the hotel meant I needed staff assistance. I was appalled by the attitude of the staff at this time. They were blunt and unhelpful, with the manageress shrugging her shoulders and even refusing to give her name! I have never encountered such surly staff in all my life.

This final experience tainted my view of the hotel somewhat. I do think that the attitude and aptitude of hotel management should be an important aspect to consider when booking a place to stay however. Apart from this I would say this hotel is brilliant for students or backpackers on a shoestring budget. The arty design of the hotel and it's exotic history (poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine stayed here) make it an interesting and offbeat kind of place, a place that you can tell stories about. The quality of the restaurant can not be faulted also. If you are okay with small spaces the lifts may even put a smile on your face. Futhermore, the central location of the hotel is superb.

If I had the choice again though I would NOT stay in this hotel as I feel there are better quality facilities available for the same price elsewhere. I also prefer staff to be much more professional than they were at this hotel.

More information can be found at the Hotel's website:

http://www.comforthotelsiru.com/

Summary: A centrally located budget hotel with a quirky design.