Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels

The Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels is a historic five-star luxury hotel in the Freedom Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. Built in 1909 as the Hotel Astoria for the Brussels International Exposition of 1910, in a true Parisian spirit, the hotel's Louis XVI façade and majestic interior lend it a distinctly aristocratic appearance. It is considered among the finest luxury hotels in the world, and has served as a famous meeting place for kings and other great statesmen and world personalities. The hotel closed in 2007 and reopened in December 2024. The hotel is located at 101–103, rue Royale/Koningsstraat, not far from the Congress Column and Brussels Park. This area is served by Brussels-Congress railway station, the metro stations Parc/Park (on lines 1 and 5) and Botanique/Kruidtuin (on lines 2 and 6), as well as the tram stop Congrès/Congres (on lines 92 and 93). History Origins and early history The Hotel Astoria was built in 1909 for the Brussels International Exposition of 1910, at the request of King Leopold II, to replace the former Hotel Mengelle, a vast neoclassical complex designed in the second quarter of the 19th century by the architect T.-F. Suys. The current hotel was designed by Henri Van Dievoet, a nephew of the architect Joseph Poelaert, in an eclectic Beaux-Arts style, mixing borrowings from the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. Van Dievoet furnished the hotel's original 108 rooms in the Louis XV style, with luxurious amenities such as hot water and electric chandeliers. The laying of the first stone took place in 1909, and the hotel opened in 1910, just in time for the International Exposition. One of the three most famous hotels in Brussels during the Belle Époque—together with the Grand Hotel on the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan (currently destroyed) and the Hotel Métropole on the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein—it belongs to the category of large European hotels. After the First World War, the hotel resumed its activities under the management of Georges Marquet who would soon create many luxurious hotels across Europe. From 1975, chamber music could be heard every Sunday morning as part of the Astoria Concerts. For the wedding of then-Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde in 1999, King Albert II and Queen Paola organised a grand reception in the hotel. Also in 1999, the hotel underwent a partial renovation as a property managed by Accor. Two years later, it was also there that then-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Minister Johan Vande Lanotte concluded an agreement with Swissair about the fate of Belgium's national airline, Sabena, in the greatest secrecy. On 21 September 2000, the hotel was listed as a protected monument by the Monuments and Sites Directorate of the Brussels-Capital Region. Closure, renovation and reopening In 2007, the hotel ceased its operation as a Sofitel branded hotel, closed, and was sold to Global Hotels & Resorts, owned by the Saudi Arabian Sheikh Mohamed El-Khereji. The architect Francis Metzger, from the architectural office MA² - Metzger et Associés Architecture, was appointed to lead the renovation and restoration of the historic hotel, as well as its extension in five adjacent buildings (one of them was demolished in 2010 to become a new wing of the hotel). The work was not completed and the hotel remained vacant for several years. It was acquired in 2016 by the Maltese group Corinthia Hotels. The restoration work resumed under the direction of Francis Metzger and a team composed of the architects Monica Marteaux and Frederic Huwaert. It was completed in 2023. The hotel reopened under the name Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels on 9 December 2024. The two-storey-high, 15-metre-long (49 ft) glass roof, which disappeared after 1947 because of watertightness issues, was reconstructed with the help of period photographs, and is again adorned with its original coloured and painted stained glass. The restaurants are also open to the public and the other accommodations will officially become available in April 2025. Building and amenities Before restoration, the hotel had 118 rooms. With its new configuration, it now offers 126 rooms, including 31 suites and five signature suites. The establishment also houses Corinthia Spa by Sisley, a 1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft) spa and wellness centre; expanded modular meeting rooms complete with technological equipment; a Palm Court lounge; Under the stairs, a bar created by the mixologist Hannah Van Ongevalle; Palais Royal, a gourmet restaurant by the Michelin-starred chef David Martin; Le Petit bon bon, a gourmet brasserie by the chef Christophe Hardiquest; Coutume, a concept store of Belgian luxury brands; as well as a private members' club. Famous guests The hotel has become a mythical place in Brussels. For a century, it has been the meeting place for kings and greats of this world. In the guestbook, many famous personalities can be found: heads of state and prime ministers like Adenauer, Ben-Gurion, Churchill, Eisenhower, Edward Heath, Édouard Herriot, Hirohito and the Shah; artists like Dalí; writers like James Joyce and Marguerite Yourcenar; actors like Pierre Fresnay and Gérard Philippe; singers like Maurice Chevalier; and musicians like Khachaturian, Menuhin, Oistrakh and Rubinstein. See also Lists of hotels Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels Hotel Métropole, Brussels History of Brussels Belgium in the long nineteenth century References Citations Bibliography D'Osta, Jean (1986). Dictionnaire historique et anecdotique des rues de Bruxelles (in French). Brussels: éd. Paul Legrain. Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles (PDF) (in French). Vol. 1C: Pentagone N-Z. Liège: Pierre Mardaga. 1994. p. 257–258. External links Media related to Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels at Wikimedia Commons Official website