Brussels has welcomed a slew of impressive hotels lately: the Corinthia, Cardo, the Fleur de Ville. Now, capping off a busy 12 months is the new Standard Brussels, in the city’s ZIN development, near the Station Noord railway hub and a short walk to Kanal, the Pompidou outpost opening next year.

Typical for the brand, Standard has transformed a 1960s high-rise to draw out 200 guest rooms over 28 floors. And it’s been outfitted in the familiar deep reds, lacquered timber and pops of primary colour used in Standard properties worldwide. Collaborating on the interiors were Belgian architects Jaspers-Eyers and Bernard Dubois, both proficient in the city’s postwar modernism. They’ve brought bulbous, textural seating and a patchwork of jaunty flooring to the lobby lounge, adjacent marble bar, café and Double Standard bistro, which serves a mash-up of Belgian classics with American comforts.

Guests can pop in day or night, wandering out to the botanical garden. Upstairs, diaphanous curtains in earthy neutrals shroud the 29th-floor restaurant, Lila29, in sensual curves, obscuring the double-height glass doors leading to the deep outdoor terrace.

Rooms are outfitted in shades of caramel and bold, geometric built-ins, many with banquettes. Long-stay guests can reserve a 50-square-metre top-floor suite or a 74-square-metre one-bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and full wall of windows. All overnight stays can access the gym for free.

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