Countdown is on for the opening of The Hoxton in Brussels! The renowned hotel will be located in the brutalist-style Victoria Tower (the former European headquarters of IBM), right next to the beautiful Jardin Botanique of Saint Josse.
The meeting point of Europe and the city for which the term cultural melting pot should have been coined is set to welcome a new style of fluid, open-door hospitality with the May 2023 arrival of The Hoxton, Brussels. Located slap bang in the heart of the city and neighbouring the cultural hub of Le Botanique, the hotel joins a growing movement of tech, design and fashion brands putting down roots in the Belgian capital and reshaping its creative landscape. Occupying the brutalist-style Victoria Tower – the former European headquarters of IBM – the hotel will have 198 1970’s inspired bedrooms; a lofty double-height lobby complete with retro-style bar; Peruvian-inspired restaurant and bar Cantina Valentina spilling out onto a terrace; rooftop bar and taqueria Tope with a wraparound terrace offering up standout city views; and The Apartment meeting and events space. The iconic 22-storey building will also be home to Working From_, The Hoxton’s coworking brand which already has sell-out bases in London and Chicago. Eat, drink, work, play, sleep. Brussels, we mean business.
Design
Designed by AIME Studios, Ennismore’s in-house design studio, the hotel’s interiors reimagine classic 1970s design, underpinned by Brutalist shapes and motifs. Polished plaster walls and bold geometric forms are a striking background to an eclectic collection of vintage furniture sourced predominantly from Belgian antiques stores and flea markets, while saturated pops of green, blue and yellow provide tonal interest and vibrancy. Abundant greenery throughout references the heritage of neighbouring botanical gardens and bespoke murals have been commissioned from artists Madeleine Schilling and Claire de Quenetain.
Rooms
The architectural legacy of the building also informs the design of the 198 spacious bedrooms, which come in categories including Cosy, Roomy and Biggy. Textural and elemental, rooms are a riot of retro tones and raw materials with high lacquered finishes, velvet upholstery, pink marble accents, walnut cabinetry and graphic rugs framed by the original concrete facade. Vintage inspired rattan lighting and curved, futuristic floor lamps draw on classic Brutalist shapes, while complementary walls of pinks, blues and ochre provide a dark, moody vibe. And talking of vibes, the bathrooms are a mood in themselves, where a fun nod to the 70s craze for coloured suites (rest assured, avocado stays firmly in the kitchen) sets putty-pink washbasins boldly against deep blue metro tiles and oversized terrazzo flooring.
Cantina Valentina
On the ground floor of the hotel, Cantina Valentina is a restaurant, bar and terrace serving up fresh Peruvian flavours all-day every day. With a concept born and developed at a three-month residency at Rondo La Cave, the basement wine bar below The Hoxton, Holborn, and a menu overseen by chef Adam Rawson (ex-Pachamama), Cantina Valentina is a welcome addition to Brussels’ rapidly evolving food scene. Taking its stylistic cues from the textures and colours of Peruvian design (combined with a healthy dose of Lima Brutalism, naturally), the restaurant is centred around a raw bar, while the terrace is an urban jungle filled to the brim with lush foliage, inspired by the neighbouring botanical gardens.
Tope
Up on the roof with knock-out views over the city, Tope is a bar and taqueria with a rotating menu of tacos on house-made tortillas. In summer, guests can head out onto the wraparound terrace and bar and soak up the Belgian sunshine (it’s a thing, we promise!), while colder days are brightened up by the exotic interiors – centred around a cactus garden and complete with pink Zellige tiles, whitewash floors, earthy plasterwork, and vivid yellow accents. A sister to Tope Poblenou which opened in Barcelona in Spring 2022, Tope Brussels will have a neat list of classic tacos featuring slow-cooked meats and charred vegetables.
The Apartment
A staple of The Hoxton globally, The Apartment is a flexible events and meeting concept located on the ground floor, which lends itself perfectly to everything from large-scale parties to intimate private dining. Accessible via a dramatic mirrored staircase, three meeting rooms gather around a welcoming pantry with a dramatic stone island and views overs over the lobby.
Working From_
Occupying four floors of the tower and set to open in June 2023, Working From_ Brussels is the third outpost of The Hoxton’s coworking brand. Featuring open desks, studios, breakout spaces, and communal pantries on each floor, and hosting regular events focussed on professional and personal development, Working From_ is a key pillar in The Hoxton’s ecosystem approach to hospitality.
Location
Located in the beating heart of the capital, neighbours of the new hotel include KIOSK Radio, an independent broadcast station that also hosts regular open DJ sets from a self-styled wooden shack at Parc Royal, and the city’s cultural powerhouse, Le Botanique, is quite literally on the doorstep. The city’s underground fashion scene is also making serious noise, and guests can check out some of Belgium’s coolest brands alongside emerging labels at Rue Antoine Dansaert – just a 15-minute stroll away. Set in one of the most accessible cities in Europe, the hotel is ideally placed to explore the wider area and beyond, especially as nearby Brussels-Midi has direct rail connections to some of the continent’s coolest capitals including Paris, Amsterdam and London.
The Hoxton is a series of open house hotels, rooted in culture and community, located in key cities across the UK, Europe and North America. Each hotel is a reflection and extension of its neighbourhood, inspired by the diversity and originality of the streets that surround them. Vibrant, welcoming public spaces and exciting dining concepts mean every Hoxton is as much a destination for the local community as it is for guests. The Hoxton is part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company rooted in culture and community, with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart.
