The creative team behind Jam Hotel in Brussels has opened an edgy new place to stay in Ghent. Located next to the Citadel Park, the hotel occupies a former barracks building dating from 1903.
It’s definitely not a standard business hotel. The building looks rather grim as you approach. Two solemn stone soldiers at the entrance are a reminder that this was once home to Belgian soldiers, as well as German troops during two World Wars.
The interior has been transformed by Brussels designer Lionel Jadot and his team of some twenty creatives. They have created basic bedrooms using bare brick, concrete and plywood, along with curtains printed with the building plans. They have also added a rooftop bar open to everyone, and a narrow rooftop pool.
The rooms are classified by the number of guests that can squeeze inside. The largest rooms sleep six in an arrangement that comes close to military service, but the cost can be as little as 30 euro per person.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
