Swedish hotel group Pandox announces the extension and complete renovation of the DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City hotel, recognising its success and strong potential due to its strategic location.

The group plans to invest €35 million in the construction of this annex, which will be built on the plot adjacent to the hotel, thus benefiting from a total surface area of 7,300m². The extension of the property will considerably increase its capacity from 354 to 507 rooms. The DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City will become the largest hotel in Belgium in terms of capacity.

Pandox selected the Italian firm Onsitestudio - Piovenefabi to design the extension after receiving more than 70 applications. The firm will work in tandem with its Belgian counterpart Bouwtechniek and the execution of the works has been entrusted to Denyset Socatra.

With this vast extension, the hotel will house a second ballroom with a surface area of 600 m² as well as 4 additional conference rooms in addition to the 16 existing meeting rooms. With a future surface area of 2,750 m², including the lobby and reception areas, it will become the property with the largest capacity for business and leisure receptions in Brussels.

The first floor will include a large fitness room accessible to both hotel guests and locals. The roof of the hotel, which will be accessible directly from the street by an external lift, will house a 400 m2 fully landscaped hanging garden as well as a bar and restaurant on two floors covering 650 m2. Customers will of course be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the Belgian capital and its emblematic monuments.

A commercial space of 250 m² located on the ground floor will be occupied by an internationally renowned restaurant concept. Its location and access will be separate from the hotel.

Onesitestudio wishes to preserve the singular character of the original building, built in 1908 in an Art Nouveau style, by proposing an innovative architectural project that is nevertheless in line with the primary aesthetic. The extension will be reminiscent of 19th century Brussels architecture and also echoes the neighbouring building by Lener and Pompe. A central atrium will connect the old and new buildings.

The extension will be part of the sustainable tourism movement by integrating the strict and demanding sustainability criteria defined by the international BREAAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification. It will thus benefit from this certification, which is a reference in the field, being one of the most complete and widely used evaluation methods for describing the environmental performance of a building. Many criteria and categories are studied in order to obtain the certification such as 

• Energy savings and energy use
• Use of water resources 
• Waste management including recycling
• Green processes 
• The property's management process