I wish I could give this hotel a better review. So let's start with the positives. The front of the hotel faces the het zand, a square. That's nice, but we didn't expect a carnival set on the square for a few weeks. Yes, Bruges has changed from my visit 30 years ago. I had reserved a room for two people with two beds, one for my adult son. The room had two twin beds placed next to each other covered by one sheet and blanket. One of the staff promptly corrected this, and I thanked him. The bathroom (room 225) was huge and modern, a nice change from the usually cramped European bathrooms/toilets. There were plenty of wall plugs for our electronics, which was great.
Now for the negatives. This is a nonsmoking hotel -- except for the blonde gal, who I think is the owner -- at the reception. Walking into the tiny lobby was like walking into a cloud of cigarette smoke. Definitely not the best first impression. I had difficulty heating the room -- just couldn't get it above a certain temperature during a string of chilly days and cold nights. No coffee maker -- big demerit. No Kleenex (facial tissue) -- another demerit. No pen and notepad. Little things, but important things.
Thirty years ago -- yeah, a long time ago -- I stayed at the Hotel Portinari, just a few yards (meters) away. Beautiful place, same views. I would have reserved a room there, but that hotel is being refurbished inside and out and they're a bit behind schedule. That's the place to go, friends.