The Chairman of Sol Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer, presided over the official inauguration of the Meliá Brussels Hotel in the Belgian capital yesterday. The event was attended by more than 600 invited guests, including a large number of representatives of the worlds of Belgian and Spanish politics, business and the arts, including the Mayor of Brussels, François Xavier de Donnea, and the Spanish Consul, Luís Arias Romero.

During the inauguration guests were treated to a sample of the finest of local and Spanish cuisine and were entertained by a dance group performing traditional dances from all over Spain.

According to Gabriel Escarrer, �this is a very important moment in the history of the company, and for all of those that have worked to help Sol Meliá achieve its objective of growth in Europe�. He added that �the Meliá Brussels represents a key stage in our development objectives for the capitals and major cities on the continent, an area where we aim to increase our operations through a number of projects which are currently under negotiation�.

The Meliá Brussels is located in the heart of the financial and administrative centre of the Belgian capital, and was incorporated by Sol Meliá after an agreement was reached with the Belgian real estate company P.D.G. & Co. At the end of 1997. After the original opening of the hotel in January this year, Sol Meliá became one of the first Spanish hotel companies to begin operations in Belgium.

With regards to the hotel itself, the Meliá Brussels cost almost 2,500 million  pesetas to build (more than 15 million euros), and incorporates the very latest in hotel technology, making it one of the most modern properties in the city, ideal for male and female business travellers. The hotel provides two large meeting rooms for up to 350 guests, fully equipped with all of the facilities required for the widest range of events, including satellite conferencing facilities and translation booths for up to 4 languages. 

Sol Meliá currently provides 168 city and resort hotels in Europe, including Andorra, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain, and providing a total of 44,235 rooms.

MELIÁ BRUSSELS:

• Rooms: 108 rooms, including 1 presidential suite, 2 ambassador suites, 74 executive suites and 31 standard rooms
• In-room facilities: Two direct lines, one for telephone and one for fax/modem, with Internet connection and ISDN line. Interactive, satellite TV, radio, minibar and safe. Rooms for disabled and non-smokers
• Services and facilities: Superior quality cuisine including Spanish specialities. Restaurant, buffet, piano-bar, 2 meeting and banqueting rooms  and garage. Business centre and Health and Beauty Centre with sauna, jacuzzi, solarium and weights room scheduled