The Pillows Hotel is centrally located in the Belgian capital of Brussels. With the beauty of its stately European exterior, my heart bounded with anticipation before I even stepped inside. The decisiveness of the hotel’s “Pillows” name, to begin with, struck me as an interesting naming choice.
Passing through the entrance, I find a dining area and expansive free space. In one corner is a largish round table where I take care of check-in. The absence of a set “reception” desk here feels nice to me, and the friendly service provided by staff has just the right touch of informality, which also fits with the atmosphere of the hotel.

My room features a layout like a condominium’s, with the space divided between a bathroom and living area with a hallway between them. The plaza-facing living area is further partitioned into a living room and bedroom with an interior wall in between. The interior on the living room side is brought together with subdued shades of green and grey, fitting for the Belgian setting. The bedroom, meanwhile, features a base tone of black, presenting a nice contrast between the spaces’ color schemes that looks stylish.

The simple space is accented with a single shaded black lamp. I felt it might be a little too bright for the bedside, but in terms of its form it was lovely. Ceiling lighting was provided in the form of just a smallish downlight. A little on the dim side, the level of lighting gave the space a comfortable feel.

The bathroom is so cute I almost let out a little shriek! With a shower booth, wash basin and bathtub zones, the long, narrow space is divided up nicely. The lack of Japanese-style washing spaces makes it easier to create stylish spaces like this overseas.
The shower booth has depth to it, and its glass door which eliminates the need for shower curtains gives it a free, open feel. The bathtub with its adorable floor-mounted faucet is picture-perfect just with its presence.
The full set of amenities are Pillows Hotel originals. The bottles of shampoo and conditioner provided are on the large side, and I’m happy to be able to take them home as mementos from the trip.
I don’t realize it until later, but the hotel operates a shopping website where amenities and room furnishings are offered for sale along with, yes, pillows—just as the name might suggest!

Being in Brussels with its many delicious dining options, I didn’t make use of the hotel restaurant on this visit. With its open kitchen and location just inside the entrance to the hotel, though, it had an air of easy accessibility and approachability. I got the sense that the approach of not dividing up spaces based on their purpose was an expression of the openness people here have.