The Radisson Hotel Group has reopened the former Radisson Blu Royal Hotel as the Grand Place Brussels hotel.
Originally opened in 1989 as the Radisson SAS and designed by Belgian architect Michel Jaspers with a seven storey atrium, the hotel was most recently a Radisson Blu and has had a multimillion Euro renovation of all public spaces and the 282 rooms using Spanish architecture firm Rafael de La Hoz.
The new name of ‘Grand Place’ reflects an upgrade from the Radisson Blu brand to the Radisson Collection, although it should be noted that the hotel is not on Grand Place, but rather a five-minute walk from it on a side street.
The hotel has two restaurants, Stoke Grand Place (pictured above) which offers modern grilled dishes while the other is the Chinese restaurant Shanghai Kitchen.
The hotel also has 18 meeting rooms, an Executive Lounge, a Presidential Suite, and a fitness centre.
Federico J. González, CEO, Radisson Hotel Group, said: “Brussels is the perfect location for our Belgian debut of the Radisson Collection brand. It is the centre of the European Union and remains the world’s first choice for international congresses or business meetings, with unparalleled international character. We look forward to hosting guests from around the world at this iconic, newly transformed property and welcoming them to the exceptional.”
The Radisson Hotel Group also took the opportunity to showcase its new hybrid product “Hybrid Rooms and Hybrid Meetings (collectively known as Hybrid Solutions).
Recognising that, for the near future at least, large scale meetings are unlikely, the hotel group is promoting its technology expertise which will allow “virtual participation options and hybrid formats” for small local gatherings, while also broadcasting to remote attendees and satellite locations.
Unfortunately, for the opening of the hotel, the system had a lot of glitches, despite partnering with Zoom “to provide a smooth experience”, and there was poor sound and vision for the press conference. Nevertheless, the refurbished hotel promises “reliable image, sound and video conferencing system, dual screens, wireless presentation clicker and high-speed internet connection” for future presentations.
The Hybrid Rooms initiative is a way that hotel companies are looking to drive occupancy of rooms in the absence of overnight travellers. So, for instance, Accor has launched a hotel office concept, as has Scandic Hotels
Radisson Hotel Group’s Hybrid Solutions is available across 50 select hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
