Booked this hotel at very short notice. Had a long trip and literally walked staright out of the station and into the first hotel I saw. I like to try different hotels in Lille as I spend quite a lot of time there. I was tempted by the location as it is opposite Gare Lille Fandres and near some nice little cafes that do great food, especially Les Trois Brasseurs.
I stay in a lot of hotels as a single traveller but this is the only occasion I have been given such a small bed. I was on the top floor and the room was not much wider. The bed was pushed against one wall and the remaining space in the room was at the side of the bed and exactly the width of the door. Tiny! The shower (grubby) was at the bottom of the bed, with the toilet opposite. The room was so small that you could not get into the shower room if the toilet door was open.
The breakfast room was on the second floor, but the food was merely adequate. I was one of the first in the room and the supply was pitiful by continental standards. 3 types of sugary cereal and some dubious pink 'Danish' salami. On the plus side the quality of the bread and few pastries was superb and freshly delivered from one of the local bakers.
There was a male receptionist who seemed to do early morning breakfast duties who seemed to speak very little English or French and the second was a woman who was very brusque who seemd to answer most queries by pointing vaguely in the direction of up or down the street.
Overall a big let down for this hotel as it could be sensational. The building has interior charm that could be updated and the location is fantastic. Opposite Gare Lille Flandres, 5 mins walk from the Eurostar, Lille Europe Shopping, Les Places and over the road to the Rue Faidherbe for shopping. Near all the tourist sites and Old Lille, if you go via the Opera House route. There are also some nice little cafes and places to stop off for a beer before catching the train.
In fairness, it was the chapest room I have ever paid for in Lille, and it was a cheap 'no frills' hotel but on my return home, I noticed that I had stayed in a much nicer hotel in the past for only £12.00 more.

You couldn't be better located for a short stay in Lille. Easy walk, even with luggage, from the Eurostar. Train to Brugge just across the road. Restaurants in abundance. Lots of churches and museums to visit and all within walking distance.
The hotel is tired and the rooms at the front can be noisy with the windows open. The room we had (a triple) was small but also it was adequate. The cleaner did an amazing job too.
It depends what is important to you, for us it was all about location as we had our elderly mother with us so we didn't want to have to walk too far so it was perfect for us.
I would definitely return to Lille (it is a lively place) and the Continental.

Very small room even smaller bathroom and the shower head sprayed every thing but me the curtains were broken and a waterprof mattrass cover made it feel like sleeping on plastic

Ok we knew when we booked this place that it wouldn't be the Ritz!

We went to Lille for 2 nights with our young children ( 7 and 5) for a short Xmas mini break to enjoy the Xmas market. The hotel was a v short walk from the Lille International station and the lady on the front desk was v pleasant. We got the key to our room on the 4th floor ( v impressed as we had asked for a higher room with a view and they had facilitated that) and then went to get in the lift - soon found out we were not all going to fit in it with our bags as it is possibly the smallest lift I've ever seen! Anyway, I'm not big on lifts so myself and my son walked up the winding stairs (hint: if you stay here and are on anything above floor 2, take your coat, hat and scarf off before ascending/descending the stairs - they're a killer!) Room was a nice size with 2 double beds and a small wall mounted tv. Lovely view of the square outside. Numerous cigarette burns in the bedspread were a constant source of amusement! Mind you I did sleep like a log - and I am the world's lightest sleeper Even though we looked out over the square, we were not bothered by any street noise ( in New York we stayed in a suite at the Waldorf last year and I couldn't sleep a wink!!) I think though that we did have the smallest bathroom in the world! - ' compact and bijou' I tried to pretend but why anyone would install a full size pedestal sink in a the space the size of a small cupboard is beyond me! Anyway, the shower worked great, but when using the loo,just mind your elbows on the sink one side and the toilet roll holder the other side! Ouch! Oh, and prepare for the smell of rotten eggs after the toilet has been flushed! Breakfast was pleasant and adequate - nothing special but filled a hole and was v convenient with the kids.

Ok so, location is the best thing going here - right near station and v easy walking distance to the markets, shops, restaurants etc. I know a lot of people have slagged the market off, but we enjoyed it - I know it's only small but we knew that before we went and we just really went for a quick break to get in the xmas spirit - and it certainly did it for us - wandering around sipping mulled wine in the snow was just fabulous There is also a little square for children with a huge ferris wheel which scared the hell out of me(so I didn't look down!) but was just beautiful and all the little mechanical animals and figures to look at etc were so wonderufl. We had lunch and dinner in some wonderful restaurants and the whole family really enjoyed ourselves. Lille was a lot bigger than we had envisaged with some great shops.

In a nutshell, I think the Hotel Continental is quite expensive for what you acutally get, however it was one of only two in Lille which would accomodate the 4 of us in 1 room ( and the other - the suites hotel-was fully booked) for location it is really fantastic and I would stay there again if I went to Lille ( not sure my husband would, but I definitely would - and i'm usually the snobby one!!)