Viage
Brussels, Belgium
OWNER: Casinos Austria International
DESIGN ARCHITECT: BOA
INTERIOR DESIGN: BOA
CONSTRUCTION: ARTER
TOTAL INVESTMENT: €40 million
“Viage” is the name of the new, permanent casino which has replaced the former, temporary Grand Casino of Brussels. Operator Casinos Austria International decided to use the changeover to create a multifaceted nightlife center in which the gaming offering, though still a main element, is accompanied by equally impressive restaurants, bars and live theater entertainment.
The casino project is its own separate element within the recently renovated Anspach Gallery. The gallery features a covered shopping lane eight meters wide with a ceiling 30 meters high, home to 19 retail shops on the first two levels of the seven-story building. Another separate element of the Anspach Gallery is the Aparthotel Adagio, with 139 apartments.
“The idea when we renovated the building was to recapture the spirit of the first galleries created throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th century,” said Muriel Lambotte, project marketing manager at Fortis, which owns the building.
Fortis may have been interested in revival, but Casinos Austria International was more concerned with creating something new, and which could serve as a template for future casino projects. Even the name “Viage” had to be created, playing off the Italian word for “voyage” but becoming something unique in its own right.
Viage “happens” over several floors of the building, plus the rooftop. The trendy Cinna-Bar is the welcome center, serving drinks, coffees and a special cocktail that changes weekly. The casino’s 35 gaming tables, 370 slot machines, live bingo room and poker room can be found on three floors totaling 3,200 square meters. The décor is glass, light and color.
Special clients are wecome in the Oak Room, with its three roulette tables and four blackjack tables, specialty champagnes and connoisseur whiskies.
Up on the roof, guests seeking a gourmet meal with a view of Brussels will find the Kameleon Sky restaurant. On weekend nights the restaurant transforms into a lounge at 11 p.m. with DJs spinning through the night.
Brown’s Sports Bar & Grill has the requisite dozen TV screens and features soccer matches from various national leagues around Europe. The bistro Saffron, located in the heart of Viage and serving until 4 a.m., provides everything from pizza and burgers to quiche and Asian wok dishes. The Viage Theater, with a wide variety of musical and other offerings planned, seats 350 or holds 700 standing.
Andrew Webb, managing director of Viage, sums it up nicely: “The colored balls in our logo stand for a sparkling experience, almost like the bubbles in a glass of champagne, with all the different colors representing all of the different experiences you can find within Viage.”
