“Performance, Management, Expansion”: three words that, for the creators of the Mix Brussels project, summarise the daily challenges of a large-scale entrepreneurial venture.
In Watermael-Boitsfort, the former headquarters of Royale Belge—an iconic piece of Brussels modernist architecture built in the late 1960s and long occupied by AXA—has now entered a second life. Left vacant after the insurer’s departure in 2017, this landmark building designed by architects René Stapels and Pierre Dufau has been fully redeveloped into a mixed-use project combining hotel, sports facilities, coworking, and restaurants.
At the heart of this site steeped in history, Mix embodies the transformation of a former corporate headquarters into a vibrant living space, open to the city and to the new residential district developing around Boulevard du Souverain. An ambitious entrepreneurial project led by a team of entrepreneurs who summarise its challenges in three words: Performance, Management, Expansion. An interview with Jean-Michel André, founder of Mingle Group.
How would you describe “Mix Brussels” and your entrepreneurial approach?
“Mix Brussels is a fairly unique project in Brussels, both in scale and concept. The site brings together several components: a 180-room hotel, a 7,000 m² fitness centre, coworking spaces, 13 meeting rooms, and 3 restaurants.
The idea was to create a true living space in a rather atypical area of the city, combining different experiences within a single place. Visitors can come here to work, exercise, meet people, have a drink, dine, or even spend a weekend at the hotel.
The core of the project is the fitness centre, which has become a central part of the experience. We are seeing an evolution in lifestyles: a new generation is looking for different places to meet and relax—more aesthetic and calmer than traditional nightlife venues.
This positioning also fits into a broader trend in hospitality, which now combines accommodation with experiences around wellness, sport, and rest. Today, simply offering a room and breakfast is no longer enough to attract this clientele.
We see this very clearly in the numbers: on weekends, a large share of our rooms are occupied by locals, often Brussels residents who come here to relax, enjoy the facilities, work out, go to the sauna or pool, eat at the restaurant, and simply disconnect.”
What role did the financing obtained from finance&invest.brussels play in the development of your project?
“The financing allowed us to structure the entire project and fund the fit-out required for the different activities we operate today: the hotel, coworking spaces, meeting rooms, and restaurants.
In our previous hotel projects, we typically worked with a fairly standard model: around 50% bank financing and 50% equity, which corresponds to the usual requirements of banks in this sector.
But in the case of Mix, the situation was different. We did not own the building, which meant we could not provide the property as collateral, unlike in our previous projects.
To finance the project, we therefore had to combine several sources: additional shareholder contributions, supplier credit, bank financing, and support from finance&invest.brussels. It is this combination that allowed us to structure the overall financing of the project.”
You describe the challenges of your SME through three words—Performance, Management, Expansion. How do they reflect the reality of a project like Mix?
“I think these three words quite accurately describe the daily reality of businesses, and also what a project like this represents.
Performance first, because Mix is an exceptionally large-scale project. Initially, we were supposed to launch a 120-room hotel in the building. But over time, some tenants withdrew and the project took on a completely different dimension: the hotel grew to 180 rooms and we also took over the management of other activities in the building.
The project therefore became much more ambitious, with a total surface area of around 21,000 m² and many components to develop simultaneously. For us, it almost represented a change of profession: moving from a relatively classic hotel model to a hybrid concept combining sport, hospitality, coworking, and food & beverage. It is a project we are very proud of today, and one that has sometimes surprised us with its scale.
Management is also a central dimension. A project like this involves coordinating many different activities: hospitality, restaurants, events, workspaces… This means managing teams, suppliers, schedules, and a rather complex daily operation.
But management also operates at the governance level. At the start, there were three partners in this venture. As the project evolved, new partners joined, each bringing their expertise and responsibilities. We therefore had to align visions, distribute roles, and make this collective dynamic work over time.
And then there is expansion. Mix is not just an isolated project: it is also a concept. We are now exploring how to develop it elsewhere, with several similar projects under study in Belgium and abroad.
The idea is to build on this hybrid model—a place that is both a sports facility, a living space, and a leisure destination—and roll it out in other cities.”
What do you take away from your collaboration with finance&invest.brussels?
“For us, finance&invest.brussels has been much more than a lender. Their role is not limited to providing funds: their teams thoroughly analyse the quality of the project, provide advice, and can also facilitate connections with other investors.
In our case, their support was decisive, as it strengthened the project’s credibility with banks and allowed us to unlock other financing sources.
I would say they are more of a partner than an investor. Not a shareholder, but close to one in the way we work together.
Today, we know we can rely on a strong partner that is interested not only in financial aspects, but also in elements such as job creation in the Brussels-Capital Region and the growth potential of the project.
Their responsiveness is also a real advantage: they provide quick answers, which is extremely valuable when structuring financing and convincing banking partners.”
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