JAM Hotel

A younger generation in Brussels is casting off the chocolate-box preciousness for which the city was formerly known, in favor of a brutalist-inspired industrial-chic aesthetic — of which JAM is quite possibly the perfect example. It’s set in a disused 1970s building that was initially home to an art college, and you’d have to think the old faculty, wherever they are, would approve of the use to which their old workplace has been put.

Like many youth-oriented boutique hotels it’s got dormitory-style shared rooms, as well as large-format private rooms that sleep up to six, in case you’re traveling with a band or other entourage. It’s also got classic doubles and even singles, of course, and in all categories you’ll find a fun mix of utilitarian plywood built-ins and colorful vintage pieces, as well as necessities like flat-screen televisions and coffee makers.

The accommodations are fun and comfortable enough, but a hotel like JAM truly shines in its public spaces. Unique among Brussels boutique hotels is Atsukan, a Japanese-style bathhouse with ten private tubs. On the rooftop there’s a terrace and a plunge pool, as well as a cozy bar with an Italian dinner menu, where locals and hotel guests mix and mingle.