School Hotels in France & Belgium - Hotels in France & Belgium - Destinations Group & School Travel

Ypres

Located within a ‘stone’s throw’ of the Menin Gate, and a couple of minutes from the main Market Square, this is the ideal place to stay for any group on a history trip or Christmas Market visit. Once a former doctor’s surgery, this large building has been redeveloped into a comfortable, well equipped and ‘school-group friendly’ property – reminiscent of a modern day boarding school. The property has 3 fl oors and can accommodate between 35 to 50 people, with children in multi-bedded rooms and teachers in single and twin rooms. There is a breakfast room, games & internet room and teachers’ lounge. Provided you have at least 40 people in the group, you will have exclusive use of the property, just for your group.

Albert

Located right in the heart of the 1916 battlefi elds, only a few minutes walk from the town centre of Albert, this is just perfect for groups wishing to explore The Somme. This is a new purpose-built property (opened December 2008) that has been specifically built with school groups in mind. The property has 3 self-contained floors, each with their own access, and accommodating between 45 to 62 people per floor, with children in multi-bedded rooms and teachers in single and twin rooms. Each floor has its own bedrooms, games & internet room and staff lounge. Provided you have at least 45 people in the group, you will have exclusive use of your floor, just for your group.

On-Site Hotel Staff

Unlike conventional hotels, there is no permanent hotel staffin the hotels. However, don’t worry as you will not be totally on your own. On arrival, one of the School Hotel managers will meet you, show you around the property and go through the fi re & safety procedures with the group. Each morning staff will arrive to prepare breakfast for the group (in Albert, breakfast is taken in the main self-service dining room), and each evening dinner will be taken at a nearby restaurant. There is a phone link from the hotel to the main offi ce, so if you need any assistance all you have to do is to phone through. The offi ce operates a 24 / 7 duty call system, so there will always be someone on hand to deal with your call.

School Hotel Facilities

• Single or bunk beds in every bedroom
• Shower, washbasin and toilet in every bedroom
• Central heating
• Free wireless internet in every bedroom
• Cable TV in the teachers’ staff lounge
• Games room with pool billiards and drinks machine
• Internet suite with free broadband access
• Teachers’ staff lounge

Outside Activities

• Ypres - Sports centre (football, tennis, swimming...) 5 minutes walk from School Hotel, and bowling alley 25 minutes walk
• Albert - Sports centre (football, tennis, swimming...) 1 minute’s walk from School Hotel and bowling alley 20 minutes walk

Safety

The School Hotel has excellent safety management in place...

• Modern fully automatic fire alarm system
• Smoke detectors in every room
• Fire escape stairways, with automatic fire doors
• Fire drill given on arrival to emphasise the importance of fire safety
• Emergency lighting installed
• First aid kit provided
• Smoking is not allowed in the building

Meals

• Each morning, staff will prepare your breakfast. In Albert, there is one main hotel dining room for everyone
• Dinner is arranged at one of the local restaurants in the centre of town, a few minutes walk away
• Packed lunches can be provided

These extremely popular hotels are located in the centre of Ypres and Albert, and are totally exclusive to each group. All bedrooms have en-suite shower/wc, and there is a games room and free internet facilities. Both Ypres & Albert are ideal for exploring the WWI battlefields, but book early as the more popular dates get booked up very quickly.