Opening 2030 · Rue Xhrouet, Spa

The waters of Spa,
open to everyone

The historic Hôtel d’York returns to the heart of Spa, rebuilt to be fully accessible and designed around guests with a disability from the very first drawing.

Hôtel d’York, c. 1895
The Hotel

Spa gave its name to the idea of taking the waters. Hotel York is built so that every guest can, whether they walk, roll, see, hear or experience the world differently.

A small town in a wooded Ardennes valley
Spa stones and towels

A hotel for everyone: couples, families, friends and solo travellers, with or without a disability. Comfort comes first, and accessibility is part of the design rather than an addition to it.

Accessibility

Designed for
every guest

Hotel York is being designed to be fully accessible, and tailored to people with a physical, sensory or cognitive disability. No separate entrance or second-best room. The same hotel, for everyone.

  1. 01

    Step-free, everywhere

    Level entrances, wide doors and lifts to every floor, including the breakfast room, lounge and garden.
  2. 02

    Every room accessible

    All rooms built to accessible standards. Adapted rooms add ceiling hoists, roll-in showers and height-adjustable beds.
  3. 03

    Bathrooms that work

    Roll-in showers, grab rails and seats in every bathroom, with space beside the toilet for a transfer.
  4. 04

    Senses & communication

    Hearing loops, visual and vibrating alarms, tactile wayfinding, Braille and easy-read information, and quiet spaces.
  5. 05

    Care when you need it

    Equipment to borrow, partnerships with local care providers and a trained team on site, day and night.
  6. 06

    Shaped with guests

    Developed together with people with a disability and their organisations, from the first plans to opening day.
History

The Hôtel d’York, since the 1860s

On Rue Xhrouet, beside the Cascade Monumentale, the Hôtel d’York received travellers from across Europe in the great years of the spa town. Later it became the Hôtel de Spa, then the town’s music academy.

Photochrom print of the Hommage and York hotels in Spa, around 1890 to 1900
“Hommage et Hotel d’York”, photochrom, c. 1890–1900 Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-05717
  1. 1864The Spa guest list of 6 June records Nubar Pasha of Egypt and his family, eight people, staying at the Hôtel d’York. Spa then counted 27 hotels with table d’hôte.
  2. 1866–70Stereo photographs by Quéval show the Cascade Monumentale with the Hôtel d’York beside it.
  3. c. 1895A colour photochrom, “Hommage et Hotel d’York”, is published, later listed in the Detroit Publishing Company catalogue of around 1905.
  4. LaterThe hotel becomes the Hôtel de Spa. Guests of the hotels on this site included the actress Mlle Mars, King Frederick William III of Prussia, Disraeli and Charles Rogier.
  5. 1979The City of Spa acquires the building. Until 2019 it houses the Académie René Defossez, the town’s music academy.
  6. 2030Hotel York opens at Rue Xhrouet 29, a historic address made accessible to everyone.
A set restaurant table
Dining

The table & the bar

Ardennes produce, cooked simply. Tables at the right height, menus in large print, Braille and easy-read, and a kitchen used to dietary needs.

The Town

Spa, in the Ardennes

A small town of springs, promenades and forest, in the centre of town on Rue Xhrouet. Under two hours from Brussels, Cologne and Maastricht.

  • Pouhon Pierre le GrandShort walk
  • Thermes de SpaBy funicular
  • Lac de Warfaaz10 min drive
  • Spa-Francorchamps20 min drive
The Cascade Monumentale in Spa
Opening 2030

Follow the rebuild

News on the construction, the opening date and first bookings, a few times a year.