They say that the first three rules of property are location, location, location, and the Hôtel des Galeries in Brussels has one of the most exceptional European city locations you’ll find. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert pull in more than six million visitors each year, and it’s easy to see why. This grand 19th Century tribute to the Italian Renaissance is a architectural beauty consisting of two spectacular 100 metre glass roofed arcades – one dedicated to the king and the other the queen. The Galerie du Roi is where you’ll find the Hôtel des Galeries, occupying a corner of the king’s precinct with a heritage-protected external façade on the adjoining Rue des Bouchers.
Although the hotel’s historical surrounds are a major selling point, they aren’t the only thing to recommend it, and that’s down in no small part to the work of interior designers Fleur Delesalle and Camille Flammarion. With a modest 23 rooms and suites on offer, the pair set about shaping a boutique hotel in a contemporary style, with a few carefully chosen statement pieces and a healthy respect for the existing architecture. Antiques from the Sablon district are joined with bespoke additions such as Bochart carpets, flooring and shutters by Sylvain Willenz, and Flammarion’s own ceramic night tables. Rooms in the four-floor hotel enjoy views of the Galerie du Roi, the soaring cathedral tower or the skyline of downtown Brussels; guests booking in for a romantic stay should consider the love nest accessible by private footbridge.
