In 1890, Prosper and Edouard Wielemans, two brothers with a brewing company, opened the Café Metropole as a place in the city to sell their beer. The café was a huge success and the Weilemans-Ceuppens family then purchased the building next-door, a former bank, which would become the Hotel Metropole, inaugurated in 1895. Today, the hotel's reception desk is easily recognisable as the desk of the former bank, a significant historical and heritage glimpse of the past. The brothers commissioned French architect Alban Chambon to be the chief designer of the hotel. Today, Chambon's design is still a prominent feature of the heritage hotel, which is considered an important historical landmark in the city. Not only was the Hotel Metropole one of the first luxury hotels, it was also the first to have electricity and central heating, and is now the only existing 19th century hotel in Brussels. In fact, many heritage tours of Brussels visit the Hotel Metropole to look upon its facades and design. The Hotel Metropole is famous for having hosted the first Solvay Conference in 1911. Moreover, it is the birthplace of the Black Russian cocktail, which was created in 1949 by barman Gustave Tops for the United States ambassador to Luxembourg, Perle Mesta. Since 2002, the hotel's facade and ground floor, as well as the Belle Époque lift and ironwork, have been protected by the Monuments and Sites Directorate of the Brussels-Capital Region. As of 29 June 2015, the hotel stands at the edge of a large pedestrian zone in the centre of Brussels. It however remains directly accessible via Rue Fossé aux Loups/Wolvengracht and Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan. It is also served by De Brouckère metro station.
Building
The hotel's reception, lobby, and lounge are overtly ornate with Corinthian columns, rich furnishings, gilded details, and chandeliers. Similarly, the hotel's 11 meetings and conference rooms are decorated in a Renaissance style. The hotel offers eating possibilities in Le Café Métropolebrasserie and Le Jardin Indien breakfast room. It also has a bar, Le 31, with a late 19-century style decor, as well as a fitness room.
