Diegem, October 2009. The Holiday Inn Brussels Airport has been completely renovated over the past few months. The bedrooms, lobby lounge, swimming pool and meeting rooms have all been given a fresh new look, surprising and modern.
The work is completed and the New Holiday Inn Brussels Airport is new and is offering a highly original meeting concept, SKOJ.

New bedrooms – meeting the wishes of guests and customers

Following the takeover at the close of 2007, an extensive renovation plan was put in hand during the summer of 2008. Top of the agenda were the 310 bedrooms, followed by a complete style makeover for the lobby lounge, bar and reception area.
Before embarking on the redesign and decoration of the bedrooms, the hotel's existing guest and customer bases were asked what they would change, and what they thought the ideal bedroom should look like. Two show bedrooms were designed and completed on the basis of their comments, and they were then given a further opportunity to choose between them and tell what they thought.

The final result is a bedroom where the bed has been placed towards the window. There is a large and spacious desk behind the bed, with a quality desk lamp, a good supply of sockets for connecting up a laptop and an ergonomic, adjustable office chair. In the corner beside the window, there is a comfortable swivel armchair and an attractive standard lamp offering good reading light. Since the people asked had suggested it, the hotel paid extra attention to the lighting in general. Of course, free WiFi connection was on the wish list, along with an easy to use coffee and tea maker. As for TV, the consensus was for a large format flat screen model that could be watched from the bed and therefore also from the desk.

[NIEUWE_PAGINA]The mini bar is converted to a fridge where guests can keep their own drinks and snacks cool. There is a 'grab-and-go' stand in the hotel lobby, with a wide selection of drinks, salads, sandwiches and snacks provided by the well-known Belgian firm FOODMAKER®, which specialises in healthy, freshly prepared meals and snacks.

The lobby lounge and reception area – fresh, bright and up to the minute
In addition to the renovation work on the bedrooms, the Swedish architects DOOS¹ were also asked to provide a new style image for the lobby lounge and reception area. This is a bright, airy space with fashionable booths for private conversations, atmospheric lighting, a well-organised and businesslike reception desk, the FOODMAKER® grab-and-go stand, a range of free flatscreen computers and an open-plan bar/restaurant area with adjoining terrace. It provides guests and visitors with a place where they can enjoy sitting and spending their time.

The SKOJ is the limit

In September, 'SKOJ' − a new dimension for today's meetings − was introduced in the new Holiday Inn Brussels Airport. SKOJ − the Danish word for 'pleasure' − stands for Surprising, Kreativ (creative), Original and Joy. As meeting content is usually serious enough as it is, a dose of SKOJ is always well received. Plus, scientific studies have shown that, when people are relaxed and in a positive mood, they perform better. At the new Holiday Inn Brussels Airport, you find SKOJ in the design of the meeting rooms, the efficient uncomplicated service, and the enthusiastic attitude of the personnel.

Re-energising in the breaks

Breaks are a very important component of SKOJ meetings. The breaks for lunch and coffee/tea are moments when participants can re-energise by playing a little game, indoors or out: computer games, bowling, basketball, trampoline, Reuse Jenga or a 4-minute 'smoking stroll' (the exact amount of time it takes to smoke a cigarette). And the gardens of the new Holiday Inn Brussels Airport are the ideal setting. Participants can compose lunch themselves, choosing from a SKOJ buffet in a central area.

For technical support and results & goal-oriented meeting content, organisers can call on 'Abbit' meeting architects. This service, entirely free of obligations, offers the technology and capability to enjoy a SKOJ meeting even more. The New Holiday Inn Brussels Airport is at the cutting edge of a whole new meetings era.