General Overview

Cardo Brussels opened in July 2024 and is classified as 4-star and is the largest hotel in both Brussels and Belgium. With 532 bedrooms, 15 flexible meeting rooms capable of hosting meetings up to 500 in theatre style, 3 different restaurants it is a hotel that has extensive facilities for business groups.

Cardo is a completely new brand which is uniquely linked to Autograph Collections Hotels, being part of Marriott Bonvoy.

Location

Cardo Brussels is located in the heart of Brussels, more specific in the north business district. Brussels Airport (BRU) is a 30-minute car or taxi ride away or even 20 minutes by train from Brussels Nord which also is the Eurostar terminal and is a 10-minute walk away.

The hotel is easy accessible by car too and offering an underground secured parking garage with 638 spaces.

Design

The design style of the hotel is based on references to Belgian art, such as René Magritte, Belgian cartoons, surrealism,... and this is reflected in the design, architecture and decoration throughout the hotel.

Meeting space 

The hotel offers 15 flexible meeting spaces spread over 4 meeting floors, 1, 2, 3 and 29. Among them is the grand ballroom on level 2, as is the hotel's lobby and business centre. The ballroom is capable of hosting up to 500 guests in theatre style and 700 guests for reception cocktails.

The 3rd and 29th floors are dedicated meeting floors, with the latter the highest in Brussels, offer views of the city. Almost all meeting spaces have natural daylight and integrated state-of-the-art AV technology.

On the 29th floor you can host an executive board meeting within the perfect setting and also enjoy your lunch served in the room.

Bedrooms 

The hotel offers 532 bedrooms, starting from 28m² featuring distinct and stylish design elements. Every room is equipped with cutting-edge technology for in-room control along with complimentary Wi-Fi. work desk, branded hotel toiletries.

For large groups, the hotel can offer 300 standard level rooms and a wide selection of double and twin rooms.

Restaurants

Gritto is the hotel’s main restaurant on Level 1 offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. Named after the artist René Magritte, whose nickname was "Gritto," the restaurant serves crafted dishes, respecting the rich culinary traditions of Belgium.

Gritto accommodates both intimate gatherings and larger meeting groups with meeting rooms and a pre-function area on the same floor. The hotel’s expansive pre-function areas are used for hosting large standing group lunches.

Doodles is the hotel's 2nd floor bar providing areas for small 1:1 meetings with an all day snack menu and coffee/tea menu. 

From September 2024, the 140 seat Akaï restaurant will open on the 30th floor offering an Japanese fusion menu which can be privatised on request.

Experience

Having just opened, the hotel currently does not have experience of hosting healthcare meetings and events however we already start to receive the first enquiries from large and small pharmaceutical companies.

Fitness

The ‘Contour’ Spa will open in September 2024 and will include a full equipped gym on the 25th floor with free-weights and exercise machines. The pool and spa are on the 30th and 31st floors.

As a new hotel, marketing is intended to grab attention and descriptions include ‘quirky’ and ‘lifestyle’ with a reference to a lite hearted approach to hospitality. External sites describe the hotel as a ‘trendy landmark’.  This is a multi-purpose hotel with extensive facilities for business and leisure guests.

Whilst in the heart of Brussels, the hotel is in the business district, surrounded by commercial buildings.

Guest facilities include a ‘unique’ rooftop pool, spa and gym and a restaurant and bar however, with the majority of meeting spaces on separate and lower floors, these should cause a distraction when hosting HCP meetings here.

Bedrooms on upper floors do afford guests views across the city, and would be considered upgrades but only one side of the building therefore, allocation to HCPs requires additional consideration.