Brussels luxury hotel Astoria to reopen after 17 years of vacancy

The prestigious luxury hotel Astoria in Brussels’ Rue Royale should reopen in November of this year, after being vacant since 2007. Final works are currently underway on the interiors of what is set to become Brussels' most luxurious five-star hotel, reported Brussels media BRUZZ. The complex will have 126 rooms and suites, a bar, a spa, two restaurants and a private club.

Hotel Astoria was built in 1909 at the request of Belgian King Leopold II to welcome visitors to the 1910 World’s Fair in Brussels. It became a landmark that welcomed many celebrities, monarchs and heads of state throughout the last century. Salvador Dalí, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower, among others, are said to have stayed there.

In 2000, the hotel's facade, roof and parts of its interior were listed. Nevertheless, the building has been abandoned since 2007. In 2007, the group of Saudi businessman Sheikh Mohammed Youssef El Khereiji bought the hotel, but it did not complete the planned renovation works.

The hotel was then bought by Maltese luxury hotel chain Corinthia Hotels in 2016. It will therefore reopen its doors under the name Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels. The extensive renovation and extension of the hotel, led by architectural firm Ma2, took almost four years.

The showpiece of the hotel is to be the Palm Court, a ballroom with an 11-metre-high glass dome that has been completely restored. There will also be a bar, two restaurants and a 1,200-square-metre spa to which not only hotel guests will have access.

Prices are not yet fixed, but the cheapest overnight stay would cost around €650 per night, with prices rising to €10,000 for the most luxurious suites. With this concept, the hotel chain aims to attract a new kind of clientele to Brussels, an audience not yet served in Europe's capital, according to the owners.

^{Interior of the Astoria hotel in the past © BELGA PHOTO BELGA ARCHIVES}