February 16, 2012

Hotel Metropole Brussels






I have been on a short holiday and have to catch up on things. I will prepare a short posting on my trip and introduce you to two great women bloggers I met non-virtually. A whole lot of fun.  
For today a copy/paste article on hotel Metropole built in 1895 and the only 19th century hotel in Brussels still in operation today (the hotel has 298 rooms and 15 suites).
"In 1890, two brothers with a brewing company opened 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 recognizable as the desk of the former bank, a significant historical and heritage glimpse of the past.
The brothers commissioned French architect Alban Chambon to be the chief designer of the hotel. Today, Chambon’s design of modern comfort and luxury is still a prominent feature of the heritage hotel, which is considered an important historical landmark in the city.
Not only was 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’s reception, lobby, and lounge are overtly ornate with Corinthian columns, rich furnishings, gilded details, and glittering chandeliers – all which can still be seen and experienced today at the hotel. Similarly, the meetings and conference rooms of the hotel are decorated in a Renaissance style.
The Metropole is famous for having hosted the first Solvay Conference in 1911. 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 LuxembourgPerle Mesta."
http://www.metropolehotel.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Metropole,_Brussels 

15 comments:

  1. heel stijlvol en ideaal gelegen...

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  2. j'adore le style de cet hotel, il respire le prestige, très fascinant... le prix d'une nuit n'est pas trop elevé pour y loger, faudrais essayer...
    bisous et bonne journée!

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  3. Great photos and I love the story that goes with it. Thanks for sharing. Diane

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  4. Nostalgisch en 'sjiek', Anni !
    Lie(f)s.

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  5. My parents went there for their wedding night before taking the train to their Italy honeymoon.

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  6. Daar kwam ik jaren terug nog wel eens om iets te drinken zowel binnen in het restaurant als buiten op het verwarmde terras. Ze hadden er een heerlijke schotel allemaal kleine hapjes die je kon bestellen bij je drank. Het was voldoende voor een maaltijd. Nostalgie ten top!

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  7. Such Belgium beauty! I want to visit!

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  8. This is not a hotel, it is an institute!
    I've had once a meeting there and it is indeed so nice and classy!

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  9. happy to read that you, your friend , family and colleagues have such great memories.

    oui, Patrick, assez spécial.. loger à l' hôtel dans sa propre ville.

    Mijnnikonenik, vandaag is het er nog steeds een beejte zoals je beschrijft

    Judy, you now know where to stay when you get here.

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  10. "Black Russian cocktail"... cela fait envie.

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  11. Hallo Anni,
    Mooie reportage over dit monument van het Brusselse hotelwezen!
    Een van de weinige overblijfselen uit een tijd "Où Bruxelles Bruxellait"
    Groetjes,
    Frans

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  12. Hallo Anni
    Dat is een prachtige acomodatie, met heel veel sfeer.
    Groeten Bets

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  13. What a beautiful building the Hôtel Metropole is!

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  14. When I saw that first picture, I thought it was a church. It's beautiful.

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  15. Un haut lieu de l'art déco, des bobos bruxellois, l'endroit toujours et encore branché, un superbe lieu ....

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