Peri-Urban Resort: the new hospitality luxury

Par Gabriel Goldberg 30 March 2026 3 min read

Prestige hospitality has always had its untouchable temples. Those historic palaces and new design gems planted right in the heart of our capitals continue to fascinate. Sleeping opposite a historic square or steps from the great museums offers an irreplaceable urban energy. Yet a new trend is beautifully complementing this traditional offering. For the modern traveller, the hyper-centre sometimes imposes frustrating compromises on space. Building a 3,000-square-metre gym, a sprawling spa or vast gardens there is simply impossible without astronomical budgets. This is where a fascinating concept emerges: the "Lifestyle Hub" or "Peri-Urban Resort". The idea is brilliant. Create an absolute oxygen bubble blending architecture, sport, art and gastronomy, located exactly twenty to thirty minutes from the nerve centre. It is the perfect psychological distance. Far enough to disconnect completely into greenery, yet close enough to order an Uber on a whim and dive into the urban nightlife. The Brussels example: The Mix monument I did not need to go far to observe this phenomenon. In Brussels, the Mix project has rewritten the rulebook. The Mix Brussels building, the former Royale Belge headquarters, reinvented as a lifestyle hub on the edge of the Sonian Forest. Nestled in the former iconic Royale Belge building, at the gates of the Sonian Forest, this place is far more than a hotel. It is an ecosystem. The modernist architecture of this glass-and-steel colossus houses a vast sports…