Hotel Orion

We used it as our base for the Ghent Xmas Market. The room was massive, and the hotel has a definite art deco feel. There’s parking for your car, and the city centre isn’t too far away.

We were a family of five staying one night, and the room suited our needs. Reception were extremely helpful and informative. There’s overnight parking on site, and it took about a pleasant 45-minute walk to reach Ghent city centre. We didn’t use the pool or have breakfast at the hotel. Would stay again.

At check-out I raised what had happened, but reception said it depended on the neighbors and they couldn’t do anything. I’d stayed here before and once thought it was good value, but by my second visit I realized enjoying a stay here takes luck, and I don’t think it’s worth returning. Afterward, the hotel emailed to dispute my review because they didn’t want me posting something that might affect their business. I wonder if they always handle negative reviews that way, which could explain why I only saw positive ones when booking. I was in room 10 and could hear the neighbors talking and even flushing the toilet. The couple next door talked until 1am. I called reception, but nobody answered, so I only got to sleep once they stopped. The mattress sank very easily, even though I weigh only 50kg. It didn’t seem up to the usual standard of a decent European 3 star hotel, and I suspect it was at least 10 years old. I had a personal emergency and needed to check out late. They said they couldn’t wait past 1pm, took my things to reception, and threw some of them away without my permission. They apologized in the end, but I no longer trust the hotel. The kettle in my room had an exposed heating wire, with a lot of white calcium buildup. It wasn’t the same one I’d seen on my first stay. I asked reception to swap it for one from another room, but she told me, falsely, that every room had the same kettle. That also damaged my trust. There are lots of stairs, and the elevator doesn’t reach some areas. If you have large bags or difficulty getting around, this hotel won’t work for you.

The private swimming pool is an amazing feature, and the staff were lovely and helpful. Our room was nice and big, with a good bathroom. The hotel is in a quiet spot just outside the town center, only a two-minute walk from the tram and around ten minutes from the train station.