Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels — Photo by Corinthia

The prestigious Astoria hotel on Brussels' Koningstraat has been abandoned since 2007. Now things finally seem to be moving again.

We learn more about how this icon will be brought back to life.

The demise of a monument

When it was built at the request of King Léopold II in 1910, the Astoria on Koningstraat was the top address in the city.

Unsurprisingly, it attracted a long list of high-profile guests down the years, including Winston Churchill and Dwight D Eisenhower, among others.

In 2007, the prestigious hotel closed its doors and was sold to Global Hotels and Resorts, a group which is reportedly managed by the Saudi Arabian Sheikh Mohamed El-Khereji. By 2010, work had started on the hotel's expansion. An adjacent building was even torn down to make room for a new wing, which was sadly not completed.

Revitalising a Brussels hotel icon

After the Astoria lay dormant for several years, the Corinthia Group acquired the property in 2016.

Plans were drawn up to expand the property by two floors, revamp it and get construction moving again. Some progress was made, before the project understandably ground to a halt due to Covid-19.

As of now, however, work is scheduled to resume in July 2020.

For an estimated €40-60 million, new rooms will be added and the hotel will be entirely modernised. "Our goal is to make the hotel the best in Brussels," said the chairman of Corinthia.

According to the project's lead architect Francis Metzger, the property will be ready to welcome guests to its 121 beautifully redone rooms and suites by 2022.

Hotel website