Upstairs Hotel

Central, hip, and trendy, with very clean rooms and really strong Wi-Fi. The staff were helpful and went out of their way to meet guests’ needs. Breakfast was generous, tasty, and had plenty of variety. To me, the place has more of a four star feel than three. I’d definitely stay again.

Dogs are welcome, which is great if you’re visiting Ostend with one. I’ll definitely return to upstairs hotel. It’s very close to the zeedijk and city centre, with friendly, helpful staff and a bar where you can relax with a drink. The lobby has lots for children and younger active guests: a slide, ping-pong and pool tables, an arcade machine with several games, cornhole, and fussball. Breakfast has a huge selection, from yogurt and charcuterie to pancakes, coffee, and juices. Some rooms face the hotel’s centre, so in summer noise may echo when the windows are open.

After two flights and about 14 hours of travel, we arrived to visit family in Ostend for one night. The hotel has no parking of its own, so we left the rental car in a nearby underground car park. In the pouring rain, with our luggage, we found the main entrance blocked by works. Someone signalled in sign language for us to use the service entrance, down a steep little road into the dark. Getting to reception with heavy bags was quite an awkward adventure. We’ll put that hospitality hiccup down to bad timing. The penthouse room we’d booked was delightful. As the pictures show, winter means 50 shades of Belgian grey, but having a room with a view is always nice. There was a lovely coffee machine and a comfortable extra Queen size bed. The location is superb, with restaurants, shops, and the beach just a few steps away. We think it’s good value overall. We didn’t try the breakfast buffet, though the space looked inviting. We’ll come back in summer.

On January 27th at 2pm, we had a very bad experience with the staff here. We’d been coming to work here every day for over a week and bought a drink each time. Yesterday I got caught up in a call and forgot to order one straightaway. Two people came over very rudely to ask what we were doing and tell us to buy a drink or leave. We went to the counter and said the way they’d spoken to us was rude. They replied that our drinks “didn’t help the revenue of the hotel” anyway, so apparently they weren’t needed. There was nobody else there and we weren’t taking up space. We packed up and left right away. Customers shouldn’t be treated like that when they could simply be told kindly.