Worth the Upgrade

In the heart of Brussels, the place is ideal if you want to do some high street shopping as well as a tour of the Grand Place and the nice restaurants nearby. Hotel Thon is about 5 minutes on foot to downtown shopping and a 12-minute walk to the Grand Place. The hotel has a private parking and it’s about 14 euros for 24 hours. We didn’t know that this is the hotel we booked when we took a “mystery hotel” weekend package. All we know is that it is 4-star and near the Grand Place. We were only informed that we are going to Hotel Thon after confirmation of our payment. Actually, I will not maybe even book this hotel if we didn’t get it as the mystery hotel package because the name is not that popular. I was expecting a small hotel but I gave it the benefit of the doubt because it’s a 4-star. So, when we arrived, it indeed is a tall hotel with 30 floors (including the lobby). We were assigned a small room with twin beds on the 26th floor. It was small. The bathroom has a tub but with only a wash basin so that there is no place to put your toiletries or cosmetic bag. But the room and the bathroom are satisfyingly clean. However, when we had to call a friend who was booked on the 27th floor, our phone was dead. So we complained and got an upgrade. Just across from our room is a suite, bigger than our original room. Opening the door, there is a separate sitting room with a sofa/bed and two armchairs and coffee table. There is a big flatscreen TV too. There’s an electric kettle for making instant tea or coffee. There’s a mini bar/fridge and the prices are not exaggerated. For example, a 33-ml can of soda is 3 euros. You can get a smaller bottle of soda in restaurants for 2.50 euros and even way more expensive if you are at the Grand Place so those mini- bar prices are reasonable.

There is a separate bedroom with again, a big flat screen TV. The bed is comfy. The room is well insulated because we didn’t need to turn on the heating when we arrived because it was already warm inside. But deep into the night, one can feel a slight chill but you always have the option to turn on the heating if you become too cold. The only thing I didn’t like is the small closet with not enough shelves to put the clothes on. Bearable if you are only there for the weekend.

What is unbearable is again, the lack of bathroom furniture or shelving to put your toiletries/bag on. There is only a wash basin. The hotel’s toiletries were neatly arranged on the space by the bathtub.

And then there’s this question of why are there 4 small elevators for a hotel with 30 floors? Each elevator is so small. There’s a sign inside that maximum capacity is 6 persons. But in reality, only two people with huge luggages can fit comfortably in one elevator. It’s really a pain especially when the hotel is busy. People are rushing to get in and squeeze themselves. When we checked in, there were conferences held at the hotel so that the place is packed. Just imagine the wait at the elevators.

There’s paid wi-fi for 4 euros for one hour and 10 euros for 24 hours. But the latter is quite tricky. There was one hotel where I’ve been to (review coming) when I paid 15 euros for 24 hours of internet access and the 24 hours is really the hours spent on the internet, not the 24 hours in a day. The meter counts the hours you consumed on the internet and expires after 24 hours. But the 10 euros at Hotel Thon is really 10 euros per day because when I bought it on Friday night, I used it only for about 2 hours and then was out the whole Saturday. I checked on Sunday and it says that the account has expired. So it’s really internet access per day.

The breakfast is okay and for the moment it offers 50% off on weekends, if breakfast isn’t included in your booking. Our breakfast was included in the package but I don’t think we’d mind paying because the breakfast is good. Lots of nice bread, fruits and cold cuts, although the warm dishes are limited. But it’s very good. Coffee isn’t brewed and self-service from a machine that dispenses freshly ground coffee and doesn’t taste like instant coffee. I tried the espresso and it was very strong. If you want a double grande but not so strong like a double espresso, mix the normal coffee with espresso to get a good kick.

The other drinks like juices are also from the machines. My daughter particularly liked the frothy milk from the coffee machine.

Not bad for a four star but it can do a lot better.