A small slice of history

Perched at the bottom of a delightful cobbled alleyway, at the very heart of the old historic quarter of Leuven, “‘s Hertogen Eiland”, just 2 minutes from the Oude Markt (Old Market Square) and now Martin’s Klooster, takes you back to a bygone age. In 1531, the property was home to Guy Morillon, the private secretary to Charles-Quint. The building would go on to be transformed into an Augustinian convent, serving both as a hospital for knights and as a place of rest for pilgrims on their way to Compostela over the centuries to come.

When John and Huguette Martin were scouting for their first premises in Flanders, it was love at first sight when they chanced upon the historical quarter of Leuven and its convent, with its garden and hundred-year-old trees, its turret, stepped gables, lattice and stained glass windows, blond wood shutters, its girders in oak heartwood and ceilings just under five metres in height in the old sumptuous salons.

Carrying on the spirit of great hospitality that has marked this property over the centuries, in 2004 Martin’s Hotels converted the premises into a four-star hotel that meets with the expectations held out by a demanding clientele.