Hotel Metropole, Brussels

The Hotel Metropole Brussels is a 5-star luxury hotel located on De Brouckère Square in central Brussels, Belgium. Built and opened to customers in 1895, it is the only 19th-century hotel still in operation in Brussels today.[2] The hotel has 251 rooms and 22 spacious suites.[3]

Hotel Metropole Brussels
General information
LocationCity of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
AddressDe Brouckère Square 31
Opening1895
Technical details
Floor area952 m2 (10,250 sq ft)[1]
Design and construction
ArchitectAlban Chambon
Other information
Number of rooms251
Number of suites22
Number of restaurants1 (Café Métropole)
Website
Official website

History

In 1890, Prosper and Edouard Wielemans, two brothers with a brewing company, opened the Café Metropole as a place in the city to sell their beer. The café was a huge success and the Weilemans-Ceuppens family then purchased the building next-door, a former bank, which would become the Hotel Metropole, inaugurated in 1895. Today, the hotel's reception desk is easily recognisable as the desk of the former bank, a significant historical and heritage glimpse of the past.

The Hotel Metropole in the 1920s

The brothers commissioned French architect Alban Chambon to be the chief designer of the hotel. Today, Chambon's design is still a prominent feature of the heritage hotel, which is considered an important historical landmark in the city.

Not only was the Hotel Metropole one of the first luxury hotels, it was also the first to have electricity and central heating, and is now the only existing 19th century hotel in Brussels. In fact, many heritage tours of Brussels visit the Hotel Metropole to look upon its facades and design.

The Hotel Metropole is famous for having hosted the first Solvay Conference in 1911.[4] Moreover, it is the birthplace of the Black Russian cocktail, which was created in 1949 by barman Gustave Tops for the United States ambassador to Luxembourg, Perle Mesta.[5]

Since 2002, the hotel's facade and ground floor, as well as the Belle Époque lift and ironwork, have been protected by the Monuments and Sites Directorate of the Brussels-Capital Region.[6]

As of 29 June 2015, the hotel stands at the edge of a large pedestrian zone in the centre of Brussels. It however remains directly accessible via Rue Fossé aux Loups/Wolvengracht and Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan.[7] It is also served by De Brouckère metro station.

In early 2021, the hotel is in the process of closing down. It has been facing severe financial difficulties because of drop in tourism due to recent terrorist attacks and the coronavirus.[8]

Building

The hotel's reception, lobby, and lounge are overtly ornate with Corinthian columns, rich furnishings, gilded details, and chandeliers. Similarly, the hotel's 11 meetings and conference rooms are decorated in a Renaissance style. The hotel offers eating possibilities in Le Café Métropole brasserie and Le Jardin Indien breakfast room. It also has a bar, Le 31, with a late 19-century style decor, as well as a fitness room.

  • The hotel lobby
  • The corridor

References
  1. "Fact Sheet (Hotel Metropole)". Summit Hotels & Resorts. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  2. "Home page". The Hotel Metropole. 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  3. "Hotel Metropole Facts" (PDF). Hotel Metropole. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  4. "Annual Report 1999" (PDF). Institute for Theoretical Physics (Faculty of Science, Universiteit van Amsterdam). p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-21.
  5. Sicard, Cheri (August 6, 2007). "Featured Cocktails - Black Russian and White Russian". FabulousFoods.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  6. "Bruxelles Pentagone - Hôtel Métropole - Place De Brouckère 31 - TRAPPENIERS A." www.irismonument.be. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  7. "Grand Place Brussels Hotels | Hotel Metropole - Location | Near Central and Midi Train Station". www.metropolehotel.com. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  8. Legendary Hotel Metropole closing its doors – probably forever, Flanders Today, Jan 23, 20201

City of Brussels

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