At least 15 “slaves” have been freed from one of Europe's most stylish hotels, where they claimed that they were being kept captive to wait hand and foot on a royal heiress and four princesses.

The servants, all believed to be women, were allegedly held captive for eight months by the widow of an emir from the United Arab Emirates and her daughters. The family had hired the entire fourth floor of the exclusive Conrad Hotel in Brussels, according to reports in Belgium yesterday.

In scenes described by onlookers as pure Hollywood, dozens of police raided the hotel, in the chic Avenue Louise, after one of the slaves managed to escape from the hotel and raise the alarm.

In the luxury rooms, each costing up to Eu300 (£240) per night, they found 15 women from countries including the Philippines, Morocco, India, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. The women claimed that they were kept as prisoners and forced to work as cleaners, servants and cooks after their passports were taken away.

Two of the slaves staged a breakout last week but one was quickly recaptured by the family's bodyguards at the city airport, according to an agency that represents immigrants and is helping the women. They claimed that they were paid less than Eu150 each a month and had to be on call 24 hours a day. The Belgian Labour Audit Authority was investigating whether the women were victims of human trafficking, brought to Belgium to work for their royal mistresses. The freed women are being housed in local government accommodation centres for the time being.

The Conrad prides itself as the most exclusive hotel in Brussels, a city not short on luxury accommodation. Its basic rooms are described as the largest in the Belgian capital and “offer calm and total tranquillity” and the “highest levels of comfort”.

According to the hotel's publicity, the premium guest rooms “give you the familiar feeling of simply being at home”.

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