Brussels hotels innovate to attract more visitors to city

Brussels is attracting more tourists to its 180 hotels, with a rise in short-stay leisure tourism offsetting a fall in business travellers, which is still lower than the number seen before the Covid pandemic.

But according to the Brussels Hotel Association, there is still room for improvement.

"We have an occupancy rate of 72%, but this could improve further in the next few years," said BHA secretary-general Rodolphe Van Weyenbergh. "We could reach 80% like other destinations, provided that we invest in tourism promotion and tourism infrastructure.”

Tourism accounts for 30,000 jobs in Brussels, and the hotel industry alone provides 10,000 to 12,000 jobs.

With seven million overnight stays a year, the hotel industry also generates income for Brussels’ restaurateurs, event organisers and the authorities, as taxes are levied for each room occupied.

"With this margin for growth, thousands of new jobs could be created," Van Weyenbergh added.

The sector is asking the political authorities to further develop the capital’s tourist appeal. The goal is to reach even more people who are keen on local tourism, which has been developing since Covid.

The capital has been diversifying and reinforcing its already impressive hotel offering in recent years.

Notably, several "lifestyle" and "design" hotels have sprung up in parts of Brussels previously overlooked. These include The Standard in the former WTC building, The Hoxton, minutes from Brussels-North station in another iconic, reconverted building and trendy Jill, minutes Midi station.

In other areas of the capital, new offerings include The Mix – a hotel and wellness complex in the architectural landmark that is the Royale Belge in Watermael-Boitsfort - the five-star luxury Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria minutes from Botanique, the Made in Catherine boutique hotel in a traditional maison de maître aimed at a mid-price public in the heart of the capital, and several more.

Meanwhile, what has been called the “biggest little palace in Brussels” is about to open after five years of renovation work. Faubourg 21 stands proudly in a 2,000m² mansion belonging to a Brussels family.

A stone's throw from the Royal Palace, the former derelict structure is also a listed building. This means that everything – from its tapestries to its tiles – had to be conserved or reproduced identically.

“It’s a private house that dates back to 1905 and has been restored to its original condition but it features all the amenities and luxury you’d expect from a five-star hotel,” said project manager Sandra Otero.

“The spirit of the house is really to receive guests as if they were at home, with this five-star-plus service,” she said: “We’re not a traditional hotel. We’re first and foremost a culinary address.”

Because it will be impossible to recoup the investment made on a hotel that contains barely 20 rooms, even if they will not come cheaper than €500 a night, the hotel will also house two restaurants, one of them gourmet, a fitness room in the former stables, a wellness/massage area and a bar – all open to the public.

At the other end of the scale, just off the prestigious Avenue Louise on Place Stéphanie, a three-star hotel in a completely different style has opened its doors. While Faubourg 21 will have 50 members of staff for 20 rooms, the Citybox will operate with just five people for 246 rooms "plus a few students during peak periods", said manager Ursula Kosir.

In a concept originating in Norway, customers have to manage on their own at this new concept hotel, the second in Belgium, with one opening in 2021 in Antwerp.

“There is no reception, just touch-screen terminals for check-in/check-out,” Kosir said. “We have everything the customer needs, but no more. No TV, no minibar and no room service.”

This approach has led to very competitive prices, starting at just €65 for a single room. Since the hotel opened in summer 2024, the occupancy rate has been 97%, well above the average for the capital.