New Hotel Charlemagne

Great experience. Friendly staff always willing to help, and the cleaning service was excellent. Both, check-in and check-out, were quick and we always had a place to park. Although we didn’t have time due to work, we noticed the lobby had comfortable leather sofas and, overall, elegant décor that created a calm and social atmosphere. I recommend it !

The hotel is situated in a calm area of Brussels just across from European Commission building. The metro and train stations are accessible within 2 minutes. A walk to the city center takes no more than 15 minutes. Staff is very friendly. I arrived early (10am) and they made sure to give me the available room right away instead of letting me wait until 3pm for a check in. Everything was clean and tidy.

I had a very unpleasant and humiliating experience at this hotel. My stay had already been fully paid for in advance, yet upon check-in, they demanded a deposit but refused to accept my debit card — even though it had credit card features and a CVC code, and had been accepted without issue at all other hotels on my previous trips. It was already past 9 PM, and they insisted on a cash deposit. As a woman traveling alone, I had to walk around an unfamiliar city in the dark looking for an ATM. I felt unsafe and anxious. Eventually, I managed to withdraw the cash and returned to complete the check-in. To add to the frustration, they gave me a room without a working toilet and with no minibar. I didn’t intend to use the minibar, but it felt symbolic — as if I was being punished or downgraded because I didn’t have a physical credit card. Even after I had provided a full cash deposit, they treated me like some kind of risk. What exactly did they think I was going to steal or damage in a room without even a minibar? This was a deeply disrespectful and degrading experience that has stayed with me even years later. I came across this hotel again recently and felt the need to share how little respect they showed for their guests.