What’s it like? The hotel celebrated its centenary last year, although strictly speaking this counts from the laying of the first stone rather than the opening of the building in 1910. Over the years it has housed the luxury Hotel Palace (hence the Le Palace moniker attached to the hotel’s name), as well as several budget brands during the 1980s and 90s. The present owners have spent the last five years gradually renovating the property, with original art nouveau and art deco features being restored where possible, combined with modern elements such as brightly coloured carpets in the corridors inspired by works by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.
Where is it? A ten-minute walk north of the city’s main square, the hotel is adjacent to the Hilton Brussels City. The two properties are sandwiched between Place Rogier (where the closest metro station is located, with connections to the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Midi) and the gardens of Le Botanique, a cultural centre with theatre, cinema and exhibtion halls all housed within a 19th- century iron greenhouse.
Room facilities As with the public areas of the hotel, interior design company Svensk Inredning has used the work of Gustav Klimt as the inspiration for the room décor, with “art nouveau lines” mixing with modern features such as flatscreen TVs, free wifi in all rooms, tea and coffee-making facilities and large workdesks. Executive rooms (available for an extra €40) have upgraded amenities including bathrobe and slippers, daily newspaper, one-day Brussels metro pass, early check-in and late check-out, and a welcome drink at the Deco Verre bar.
During the refurbishments, many original items of furniture were found, and the hotel decided to use these to design ten “Century Rooms”, with the aim of recreating (at least to some degree) a turn-of-the-century hotel. These rooms have more character than the others, while still retaining modern elements such as wifi and flatscreen TVs, so they are worth asking for when making a booking. The hotel is continually searching for more original items in order to extend the Century Room concept. There are also seven suites with views of the botanic gardens, and facilities including flatscreen TVs in the bathrooms, L’Occitane toiletries, a lounge area, and an in-room Technogym installation.
Guests will notice that there is a copy of Le Locataire by George Simenon (creator of the fictional detective Maigret) in every room of the hotel. The novel is set in Brussels in the 1930s, and contains several descriptions of the Hotel Palace during that era.
Meeting and business facilities The hotel has more than 20 meeting rooms across four floors. The largest is Le Palace ballroom on the ground floor, which has a huge Swarovski chandelier in the centre and space for 825 delegates theatre-style. There are two rooms on the eighth floor, and the recent renovations have added six new rooms on the first floor, designed to “stimulate the senses through natural sounds and images, soothing colours and pleasant scents”. Features include a central breakout area with snacks and refreshments available at any time of the day, catering by Belgian health specialists Exki, and corporate massage treatments available through Wellness Paladins. There is free wifi throughout the hotel, and a small business centre with four computers on the ground floor, open 24 hours.
Restaurants and bars The hotel’s bar at the front of the property is called Deco Verre, a play on the art deco theme, the French word verre (meaning “glass”), and the fact that the two words together sound like découvert (translating as “discovered”). The bar is open 4pm-1am Monday to Friday, and 11am-1am at weekends, and there is a separate library area with a flatscreen TV. Also on the ground floor is Nouveau Taste, serving Belgian specialities alongside international dishes, and open 6.30am-10.30pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant offers a two-course business lunch starting from €20 from 12-2.30pm.
Leisure facilities The hotel has a residents-only fitness centre, and separate male and female saunas.
Verdict After years of under-investment under several budget brands, this hotel has now been restored to a four-star Crowne Plaza. It’s worth requesting a Century room for a real feel of the hotel’s 100-year history.
Fact file
Room highlights Free wifi in all rooms and the original furniture in the Century rooms.
How many rooms? There are 354 including 277 Standard rooms, 61 Executive rooms, eight Junior suites, seven suites, and one Le Palace suite.
Price Fully flexible online rates for a midweek stay in March started from €190.
Contact Crowne Plaza Brussels City Centre – Le Palace Bruxelles, 3 Rue Gineste; tel +32 2203 6200; crowneplazabrussels.be
Mark Caswell
