GENERAL POSITIONING

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Brussels, is a city centre, four-star hotel that aligns itself for business and leisure, and is located just four minutes’ walk from Brussels Central Station and the famous Grand Place square. The city metro can be found at Brussels Central, whilst the Thalys-Eurostar rail network can be found at the Gare di Midi, which connects London, Lille, Amsterdam and Paris to Brussels. Brussels Zaventem airport can be reached in 30 minutes by car transfer or by Train.

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels has 18 multipurpose meeting rooms which can accommodate healthcare meetings from 14 in boardroom style, suitable for Advisory boards to the largest suite, the Royal, which can accommodate 420 in theatre or 160 cabaret style, ideal for investigator and sales force meetings. With most of the meeting and function spaces on the first floor, this presents an opportunity for any healthcare company to privatise the floor for larger meeting types.  

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels has three restaurants, The Pebblewood Corner for buffet breakfast, private lunch and dinner, the Atrium Lounge for lunches, dinners and snacks and the two Michelin starred Sea Grill. Whilst access is gained from the lobby area, The Sea Grill is not owned and managed by the hotel and would not form part of any healthcare proposal that involved HCPs.

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels has already hosted many events for the healthcare sector which include association and internal corporate and external HCP meetings such as sales force and training meetings, clinical trial meetings and meetings associated with congresses. Many corporate healthcare companies have agreed a preferred partner programme here.

SALES AND MARKETING

The Radisson Royal Blu Hotel Brussels draws on its location and extensive meetings facilities to attract both the leisure and meetings markets.

The hotels website uses cropped images of the central Atrium and a modern bedroom suite on its home page and does not try to provide a luxury position. However, some elaborate language is used to describe some hotel facilities, such as ‘stunning’ and ‘fancy’, but it is limited and, in our opinion, does not reflect the true business positioning of the venue.

Sales and marketing collateral is in line with the “Radisson Meetings” brand and is purely focussed on the detail for meeting organisers but does, to provide some local reference, show images of historic buildings in Brussels however, the hotel is not in sight of these landmarks.

The hotels website carries videos and a picture gallery that offer an insight into the hotel. Stylishly presented, they represent a realistic reflection of the hotels business and meetings décor and facilities.

External travel websites support the hotels 4-star rating and the perception of a leisure and meeting venue.

Typically, the hotels social media pages, Facebook and Instagram, carry images from leisure-based activities experienced when staying at the hotel. The hotel does not have its own LinkedIn page, but Radisson Blu does have a brand page providing an overview of their 300 properties across 69 countries.

LOCATION AND SETTING

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Brussels is in the heart of the Brussels, home to the European Parliament, EFPIA - the European regulatory body, and home to the Headquarters of NATO and seen as one of Europe’s most attractive cities for national and regional headquarters.

The hotel is just five minutes’ walk from Brussels Central Station with direct connections to the airport. The Airport train runs every 15 minutes and the journey takes 20 minutes in. Alternatively, the airport can be reached in 30 minutes by car. The city metro can also be found at Brussels Central, whilst the Thalys-Eurostar rail network can be found at the Gare du Midi, which connects London, Lille, Amsterdam and Paris to Brussels.

For delegates arriving by car, there are 60 hotel parking spaces available with another 500 available in the adjacent externally run car park.

Although located in the historic centre of the city, the hotel sits on a side road so views from any window in the building are of neighbouring offices and apartments.

Designed in Art Deco style and built in 1990 in the grounds of the Old City, the interior is mostly modern and contemporary.

Parts of the original 12th century city wall have been incorporated into the lobby area design and as such, is included in architecture websites and may be a stop for interested groups but is unlikely to be considered such a cultural or architectural incentive to attend a meeting on its own.

FIT FOR PURPOSE

With its location in the heart of the city, the Radisson Blu positions itself equally as a venue for meetings and leisure.

Radisson Blu created, as part of their core strategy for business meetings, the “Radisson Meetings” concept for meetings and events, that is said to harmonise the meetings essentials: personal, professional and memorable.

The ‘Brain Box’ breakout room here is on the first floor opposite the Meetings and Events desk and is a break out meeting room designed to support creative thinking by providing relaxed seating, walls you can write on, colours to spark the brain and refreshments to stimulate ideas. Complimentary Wi-fi is provided and personal details are not required however, for quicker speeds and additional security, a dedicated line can be installed at a cost.

‘Brain Food’ is another Radisson Blu brand standard and an innovative and responsible food & drinks solution created by nutritionists to help energise and keep meeting attendees alert. 

FACILITIES

The small forecourt/driveway is suitable for cars only, and the entrance to the hotel leads in to the marbled tiled lobby area where guests can check in on pod style reception desks or relax in 2 seating areas. There is a piano to one side of the lobby, but there is no regular performance schedule.

The central atrium provides an impressive focal point to the hotel and houses the Atrium restaurant, a relaxed location for drinks, snacks, lunch and dinner for leisure guests. The indoor garden and carp pond support a positive atmosphere and with the glass ceiling at the 8th floor, the area is light during the day and subtly lit during the evening. This area can be privatised and used for dinners but in our view, is unlikely to be considered an appropriate space for healthcare meetings where HCPs are attending.

From the Atrium, stairs run to the first-floor meeting rooms and balcony area.

Meetings: There are five small meeting rooms on the 7th floor but the large amount of flexible meeting space is all on the first floor, and confidentiality can be obtained through exclusive use.

Lifts provide access for delegates to the 1st and 7th meeting floors but bedrooms can only be accessed by using guest room cards, supporting the hotels Safe Hotel Certificate security measures.

The Royal Room is the hotel’s largest meeting room and can be separated in to Royal A & B and together it can accommodate a maximum of 160 cabaret or 420 Theatre style; the room has no natural daylight or pillars but has air conditioning. The room is ideal for investigator or product meetings where a large plenary and breakout rooms and nearby workshop rooms are needed.

The adjacent foyer area overlooks the atrium and has a large black and white mural of the Grand Palace on one side - this fits into the dark grey, black and white colour scheme provided in all meeting rooms. Reserved for the use by the Royal Room it also serves the Brussels, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo rooms if used by the same company which is valuable when considering the need for confidentiality.

5 meeting rooms on the 7th floor of equal size could be considered for smaller advisory boards as they are designed with a boardroom meeting in mind and more secluded than similar sized rooms on the first floor.

The Club Lounge can also be found on the 7th floor and is offered as a breakout room or as a location for private lunches and dinners for 7th floor meetings and events.

Digital signage is provided at reception and on the 1st and 7th meeting room floors, so company logos may be used to direct delegates. Room specific signage can also be used to show company logos.

Bedrooms: There are 282 bedrooms, split into five categories, spread across the 2nd to 7th floors. For consistency of rooms, important for healthcare meetings, are 217 standard class rooms with 26sqm which offer flat screen tv, air conditioning, tea/coffee, free wi-fi. All rooms are modern in styling and have numerous pictures on the wall of Belgian culture. These are not for sale but add to the comfortable feel of rooms.

Restaurants: On the first floor, the PebbleWood Corner can take 140 for breakfast, lunch or dinner with a mix of seating on tables and high benches in a bright and modern room with dark flooring and white walls. This restaurant can be privatised as the hotel avoid, where possible, mixing meeting groups. Tea/coffee breaks can be provided in separated areas.

The Atrium restaurant is located on the ground floor is also used as a breakfast overflow area during periods where the hotel is full and where most are attending meetings taking place in the hotel.

The Sea Grill Restaurant is rated as one of the best in Brussels with 2 Michelin stars however, whilst references are made to it within hotel meeting brochures and the website, it is not owned or managed by the hotel and any enquiries made to the hotel are passed on directly to the restaurant - it therefore does not form part of the core meeting and events offering. Access to it is from one corner of the Atrium, opposite to stairs leading to the meeting space, and advertising is limited to modest references within the hotel. Meeting packages do not include their menus. Its presence may be perceived to be inappropriate by some more risk adverse healthcare clients.

Bar: The Atrium Lounge and Bar which is located on the lobby level.

Bar Dessine is a small room located in the corner of the lobby and is used by concierge for luggage storage and not currently used as a bar.

For an alternative meeting location, both the Atrium Lounge and the Bar Dessine can be privatised for meetings but would not form any part of any healthcare meetings programme that involve HCPs.

Leisure: The Fitness Room is modest in size and can be found on the 8th floor and only accessible by hotel guests with room cards. Machines and free weights are available and male and female saunas can be found in the changing rooms. Whilst there are two rooms available for massage, these need to be pre-booked as they are provided by an external company. Spa treatments are not available. Any leisure related facilities would not form any part of any healthcare meetings programme that involve HCPs.

SERVICE

The hotel does provide a concierge service and a part time bell boy is utilised during busy periods therefore, service levels are consistent with a venue suitable for healthcare meetings and events. There is no sign that the venue attempts to use service and a guest to staff ratio to leverage luxury impressions.

The Radisson Hotel Group is actively involved in the Think Planet scheme and the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Brussels is a Green Key hotel which represents an independent third-party audit of each hotel’s practices and actions to protect the environment.

The Radisson Rewards membership programme offers meeting professionals (and individual guests) Points for each booking which leads to complimentary hotel stays and upgrades - this is consistent to other hotel brands and should not be a deciding factor when booking this hotel for a healthcare meeting.

This venue is in a destination that has a strong offering for both business and leisure visitors. As a result, people's perceptions of the venue may differ depending on how they use the location for meetings. This venue is located close to a number of local tourist attractions. These, in our opinion, have no bearing on the venue's meeting proposition, as there is a clear separation between the hotel site and that of the attractions.