Hotel Barry

The room problems were bad, but the way reception handled them made the stay much worse. Both rooms we were shown were freezing, the bathrooms smelled unpleasant, and neither seemed properly prepared for guests. The first was a large room with several beds. We went back thinking there had been a mistake, only to find much the same conditions in the second. When I politely raised this, the receptionist became aggressive and raised his voice. He said he would only speak with the person who paid for the reservation, even though we were both staying there. During the argument he said something like, “I am wearing the shirt, I work here and this is Belgium,” in a dismissive tone. As a foreign guest, I found that troubling and easy to perceive as discriminatory. He continued shouting in the lobby in front of other guests and families. A baby started crying. My companion tried to calm things down by pointing out that he was at a hotel reception and should act professionally, but the staff member made no real effort to de-escalate. Rooms can have problems anywhere, but we encountered poorly prepared rooms, hostile service, and inappropriate comments. I travel often and rarely leave negative reviews, but this was unpleasant enough that I want other travelers to know. I would not recommend the hotel. After the hotel's response, I want to clarify that this is an honest account of what happened. I have no reason to make it up or exaggerate it. Management can check the security footage from the time, which should show the staff member becoming visibly agitated. Another person was there too and seemed surprised by how the interaction went. People often avoid getting involved, but the cameras should provide an objective record. I work for the European Commission and would not put myself in the position of making false claims about something like this. I’m sharing what happened so it can be taken seriously and, hopefully, help prevent similar situations.

The staff were really nice and the location is good, but the bathrooms smelled like toxic waste. I suspect there may be a drain or pipe issue. My room was right outside a DUMPSTER, so it stank whether the window was open or shut. The hotel was constantly hot and there was no way to control the temperature. The shower was tiny, sprayed water into my and my friend’s faces, and had nowhere to put toiletries. My razor fell and cut my foot. Staff also came into our room, threw away important receipts, and tidied up without telling us beforehand.

The reception team were friendly, and check-in and check-out were quick and easy. Great central location and a good price for the quality. Thank you!

They cancelled my booking because they said my card was invalid, even though the same card works fine at other hotels. I messaged them to say not to cancel again and that I could pay right away, but they ignored me. I see others have had the same thing happen. It was really stressful.