HISTORY OF THE HOTEL PALACE

In view of the World Exhibition in 1910 in Brussels, Les Grands Hôtels Belges S.A. launch a contest in 1908 for the construction of a deluxe hotel. The winner is the architect Adhémar Lener, assisted by the young Antoine Pompe. The first building of concrete in Belgium with a height of 35 meters, built on a surface of 35 acres in record time of 11 months. This is an impressive achievement, considering the enormous problems they encounter during the construction. Due to the marshy ground, a new method for Belgium was applied the skeleton of 7 stories high concrete was built on 1800 piles.

The Hotel Palace, owned by Georges Marquet, opens its doors on the 1st of September 1910 and counts 400 rooms with individual bathrooms.

In 1911, the Hotel Palace promotes with 500 rooms, fully equipped with bathroom, toilet and telephone with an outside line, as of 7,5 FB per room, « lightening and service charges included »

In the « Belle Epoque », the Hotel Palace was a renowned deluxe hotel. In 1930, in a special jubilee edition of the magazine « La Belgique Hôtelière », the Hotel Palace was referred to as one of the three « Grands Hotels Belges S.A. » (the Hotel Astoria in Brussels, the Château d’Ardenne in Houyet were the other two hotels) and is described as follows: « It is worldwide renowned for the formula: 500 rooms, 500 baths, 500 telephones and unanimously appreciated for its luxury, its fine comfort and impeccable service ».

A promotional brochure of the thirties mentions : « Same management: the Claridge in Paris, the Palace in Lyon, the Negresco in Nice, the Palace and the Ritz in Madrid, the Alfonso XIII in Sevilla, the Continental in St. Sébastien »; which emphasizes the highly prestigious character of the hotel Palace at that time.

The first renovation works take place at the end of the forties after the Second World War: a part of the original rooms are refurbished in the « Art Déco » style. A second renovation follows at the end of the fifties when Brussels expects a large number of visitors for the World Exhibition of 1958.

The Hotel Palace is the hotel where an important number of celebrities stays: « stars » like Gina Lologbrigida, Jean Poiret, Rita Hayworth, Brigitte Bardot, Orson Welles, the Highnesses like Prince Philippe of Edinburgh, King Ibn Saud, Princess of Monaco and King Hussein of Jordany; and stars like Fausto Coppi, Ray Sugar Robinson and many others...

The Taverne of the hotel is also very popular at this time; not only because of the ideal location at the Place Rogier, but especially because of the weekly organized entertainment shows with international stars performances.

Till the sixties the Hotel Palace is one of the most successful hotels of Brussels: « In the sixties, the ‘musts’ of the Belgian capital are the Amigo, the Brussels, the Métropole, the Palace, the Plaza, the Westbury... » (Paris Match, the 13th of November 1987).

In the 70’s, the building is for the first time in danger because of the construction of the metro underneath the ‘Petite Ceinture’. To cut a tunnel in the marshy ground seems to be impossible.

First the local authorities consider to simply demolishing the hotel, but finally the building is preserved thanks to the technique often used for the construction of the metro: the freezing of the ground.

A brochure of the famous hotel group ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ only lists one hotel in Brussels in December 1976: The Hotel Palace. The hotel Palace emplois about 400 persons, which means one person per room, a normal situation for a deluxe hotel.

But in the middle of the 70’s, a lot of deluxe hotels are built in Brussels. The revenue decreases and the badly controlled costs take ‘Les Grands Hôtels Belges S.A. to bankruptcy. The Hotel Palace closes its doors in June 1981.

This time, it looks like the building needs be to make place for modern office buildings. A Dutch company shows interest and the Commune de Saint-Josse-ten-Noode seems to be ready to change the plans of urbanism (a zone of offices in stead of a zone of habitation).

But on the last minute a buyer ready to invest in the building shows up: the 16th of November 1982, City Hotels buys the Hotel Palace at an auction for the sum of 107,5 million FB.

The prestigious Hotel Palace shows important marks of aging as result of two years of neglecting and of the stay of ‘squatters’. City Hotels hires about 200 workers. A miracle, the original furniture is saved from public sale. During two months two polishers process all the furniture. After that the problem arises to return them in their original room. As most of the furniture was tailor made and only fitted to one specific room. Thanks to Jean Kirch, the electrician who worked 30 years of his career at the Hotel Palace, the 360 rooms where refurbished in its original state.

Five months later, the 1st of April 1983, the Hotel Palace reopens its doors.

The aim is to offer the client a reasonable comfort an affordable price. The intention is not to make a deluxe hotel of the Hotel Palace. On the contrary: in 1983 an advertisement says: « A great dream... available for everybody ». At that moment, the room rate is 2.300 FB to 2.800 FB (in stead of 5.000 FB to 7.000 FB before the reopening).