Antwerp Hotel Expansion: 75 New Properties, 5,823 Rooms, Didier Boehlen Voices Concerns

Antwerp (Eurotoday): Antwerp now has 75 hotels with 5,823 rooms, up from 65 hotels in 2019. However, occupancy rates are below 70%. Didier Boehlen from the hotel association is concerned and wants to attract more conferences. The city plans to manage Airbnb and support new upscale hotels like Van der Valk and Botanic Sanctuary to increase tourism.

A few years ago, the Park Lane luxury care center in Antwerp lost its permit because of staff shortages and building issues. The building stayed empty until the Dutch hotel chain Van der Valk turned it into a luxury hotel, which has now opened. Another hotel is opening where the old Zillion nightclub was, and the Hilton Hotel is expanding. In 2019, Antwerp had 65 hotels with 4,946 rooms, but by May 2024, there are now 75 hotels with 5,823 rooms. Didier Boehlen from the Antwerp Hotel Association says there aren’t enough tourists to fill all these rooms, especially during the week.

How is Antwerp addressing low hotel occupancy rates?

Antwerp’s hotel federation is worried about low hotel earnings and usage rates below 70 percent. Didier Boehlen said they want to attract more conferences to bring in tourists. Ghent, which stopped new hotels, and Antwerp plans to control Airbnbs to prevent them from taking over. Boehlen believes this is important to keep tourism positive for residents.

Antwerp’s hotel federation thinks no new hotels should open for now, focusing instead on filling existing ones. Alderman Koen Kennis agrees but won’t rule out new projects if they meet market needs. Recently, hotels like Van der Valk and the five-star Botanic Sanctuary have added upscale rooms, which Kennis is happy about. This allows visitors, such as those attending concerts, to stay in Antwerp instead of traveling to Brussels. He believes there’s no oversupply in the high-end hotel market right now.


Comments

One response to “Antwerp Hotel Expansion: 75 New Properties, 5,823 Rooms, Didier Boehlen Voices Concerns”

  1. london fox Avatar
    london fox

    Oh joy, 75 hotels and still not enough tourists to fill a single room on a Tuesday! Maybe we should start handing out free waffles at the door – that ought to do the trick! 😂🏨

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Belgium Confronts Record Wildfire, Seeks European Air Support

Belgium Confronts Record Wildfire, Seeks European Air Support

Belgian federal police helicopters and Dutch aircraft began operations Sunday morning, repeatedly collecting water from a nearby lake. Later, helicopters from the Czech Republic and Sweden were expected to join after Belgium activated the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. Germany and Norway may also provide aerial support, as stated by European Commissioner for preparedness and crisis management, H

Read More

Apostolović Sets Serbia’s Reform Deadline Before Brussels

Apostolović Sets Serbia’s Reform Deadline Before Brussels

Belgrade’s EU envoy is pushing for end-of-August accession talks as scrutiny increases over judicial independence, corruption, and media freedom. Serbia’s ambassador to the EU, Danijel Apostolović, is tasked with convincing EU governments to advance accession talks while coordinating necessary domestic reforms. With institutions gearing up for an end-August submission to the European

Read More

12 Dead as Polish Pilgrimage Bus Overturns in Hungary

12 Dead as Polish Pilgrimage Bus Overturns in Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated, “I spoke on the phone with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. I expressed my condolences to the Polish people for the terrible night bus accident,” on Facebook.
According to Hungarian news agency MTI, the bus had 57 passengers and two drivers. Emergency services tried to lift the rear axle of the 24-ton vehicle to rescue those trapped b

Read More

Europe Intensifies Engagement with Taliban

Europe Intensifies Engagement with Taliban

Five years since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, European governments are engaging with the country’s de facto authorities without formal recognition. This distinction is crucial legally and diplomatically. However, negotiations on deportations, consular services, and migration are creating relationships with consequences beyond mere administrative functions.
On 15 Augus

Read More

Iran Defies Trump Over Strait of Hormuz Amid US Gas Price Surge

Iran Defies Trump Over Strait of Hormuz Amid US Gas Price Surge

Cairo, 15 August (Brussles Morning Newspaper) Iran Hormuz tensions intensified after Tehran rejected Donald Trump’s claim that the United States controlled the strategic waterway, while the US president told Americans that paying more at the petrol pump was justified by his campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.
The confrontation has placed fresh attention on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow s

Read More

Heat, Rights, and Slow Growth Shape Europe’s Week

Heat, Rights, and Slow Growth Shape Europe’s Week

From August 10 to 15, Europe’s news cycle was defined by significant decisions on civil rights and state power, continuous security concerns related to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, and new signs of modest economic growth. Extreme heat again disrupted daily life, while film festivals and continental championships provided a more celebratory, yet still politically tinged, view of Eur

Read More

Ecuadorian Fishermen Trapped Amid Cartel Threats and US Strikes

Ecuadorian Fishermen Trapped Amid Cartel Threats and US Strikes

Jaramijó and San Mateo, Ecuador, 15 August (Eurotoday Newspaper) Ecuador fishermen along the Pacific coast are being squeezed between criminal gangs demanding money or help moving cocaine and a US campaign targeting suspected drug-trafficking boats at sea, according to interviews with fishermen, police and security specialists.
Cartels tighten their grip on coastal fishing towns
The pressure is

Read More

Iceland Considers EU Negotiations

Iceland Considers EU Negotiations

Referendum Campaign in Final Two Weeks: Membership, Sovereignty, and Democracy at Stake
On 29 August, Icelanders will vote on whether to resume European Union accession negotiations. This advisory referendum is not about joining the EU but could renew a process paused over a decade ago, examining Iceland’s balance between national autonomy and European integration.
With two weeks to go bef

Read More

Grocery Price Increases Challenge Trump and Republicans Ahead of US Midterms

Grocery Price Increases Challenge Trump and Republicans Ahead of US Midterms

Bedminster, New Jersey, 15 August (Eurotoday Newspaper) Rising US grocery prices are putting renewed pressure on President Donald Trump’s economic record as Republicans prepare for November’s midterm elections, two years after he used a display of supermarket staples to attack Democrats over the cost of living.
On 15 August 2024, Trump stood beside tables loaded with beef, fruit, cereal, milk an

Read More

Burnham Announces £65m Drought Support for Farmers

Burnham Announces £65m Drought Support for Farmers

London, 15 August (Eurotoday Newspaper) Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced £65 million in additional government funding for drought-hit farmers, as prolonged dry weather puts growing pressure on crops, livestock and water supplies across England.
The new support follows the driest July on record in England and Wales and comes after Burnham chaired a COBR meeting this week on the governmen

Read More