Brussels hotels to open their doors to Ukrainian refugees

The Brussels hotel sector has made nearly 200 rooms available free of charge for the reception of Ukrainian refugees, the Brussels Hotels Association (BHA) announced on Thursday.

"This solidarity initiative brings together both chain hotels and independent hotels in and around the Brussels region," said the BHA.

The Brussels Hotels Association will coordinate the initiatives and communicate how many places are available. The various municipalities will be kept informed of the available capacity, along with the federal task force 'Protection and Reception of Ukrainians'.

On Tuesday, the Belgian government asked all municipalities in the country to make an inventory of available accommodation. Citizens were also called upon to open their homes. Many have responded to that call.

The war, which began with an invasion by Russia of its neighbour on the night of 23 to 24 February, has already led to around 1m Ukrainians leaving their country.