Cool kid brand The Hoxton’s new(ish) Brussels outpost occupies a brutalist tower that once housed IBM’s European headquarters.
AIME Studios reimagined the hotel interiors as a nod to 1970s design, featuring brutalist elements, polished plaster walls, and bold geometrics. Belgian-sourced vintage furniture and vibrant bespoke murals from Brussels artists Madeleine Schilling and Claire de Quenetain enhance the multilayered design. The lush plantings throughout echo the neighboring Botanical Gardens’ heritage.
The lobby is for lounging and catching up with friends—not only is it spacious, but you will also find a retro-tinged coffee bar with a nocturnal identity: espresso spot by day, cocktail bar by night.
The 198 guestrooms categorize into three classifications: Cozy, Roomy, and Biggy. Retro hues blend with raw materials, displaying lacquered finishes, velvet upholstery, marble highlights, walnut cabinets, and bold rugs. The sophisticated palette of pinks, blues, and ochre lends a dark, moody atmosphere, while the bathrooms stand out with their putty-pink basins set against deep blue tiles and oversized terrazzo floors.
Ground-floor restaurant Cantina Valentina is a capsule of Peruvian gastronomy and mixology via its on-offer dishes and drinks. Order the Tequeño—crispy cheese wontons—and, to drink, opt for the CV Pisco Sour—Barsol Peruvian pisco blend, citrus, orange flower water, egg white, and lemon sherbet.
The Latin flair doesn’t end there. Rooftop bar and terrace Tope offers a range of Mexican-style dishes, including trés tasty tacos.
Top Takeaways
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Rating: Four-star
The Vibe: 1970s flair
Food + Drink: In the lobby, you’ll find a coffee shop that eventually turns into a bar as night prevails, followed by a Peruvian-inspired restaurant called Cantina Valentina. On the hotel’s rooftop bar & terrace is Tope, which serves Mexican cuisine (To our surprise, you can get ambrosial tacos in Brussels).
Amenities: Restaurant, bar, coffee shop, pet-friendly, and meeting rooms
Our favorite thing about the hotel: In addition to its brilliant decor sequence, I love how there’s a vintage radio atop one of the nightstands next to the bed. It emphasizes the hotel’s ‘revitalized 1970s effect.’
Any neighborhood recs? Yes, the botanical gardens next door are pleasant for an afternoon stroll. Also, and this isn’t as walkable but still within Brussels, The House of European History is one of our favorite museums to date—it tells the continent’s story, including how the EU formed.
What’s nearby?: Botanical Garden Brussels, Toy Museum, Parc Saint-François, Belgian Comic Strip Center, and Museum of the City of Brussels
Pricing: Rates start at $171
Room count: 198
Closest airport: Brussels Airport
