Before becoming a hotel, the Marivaux was one of Brussels’ great cinema landmarks. Opened in 1924 as the Théâtre Marivaux, it welcomed audiences into an impressive Art Deco auditorium with a vast seating capacity, a parterre and two balconies. At a time when moving pictures were becoming one of the most exciting forms of modern entertainment, the Marivaux quickly became part of the city’s cinematic life.

The venue was operated by Pathé, alongside the famous Pathé Palace on Boulevard Anspach, and became known for film screenings, premieres and the glamour of Brussels’ golden cinema years. During the Second World War, from 1941 to 1943, the Marivaux came under German control and was used as a Soldatenkino, a cinema for soldiers of the occupying army. After the war, it returned to its role as a public cinema.

In 1967, the Théâtre Marivaux became the Cinéma Marivaux. Like many large cinemas of the period, the original auditorium was gradually adapted to changing habits and divided into several smaller screening rooms. By the 1970s, the Marivaux had evolved into a multi-screen cinema complex, a transformation still visible today in the hotel’s event and meeting spaces.

When Pathé withdrew from the Belgian market in the early 1990s, the Marivaux closed its doors as a cinema. A few years later, the building found a new life as a hotel, preserving the spirit of its cinematic past while offering a contemporary setting in the heart of Brussels.

Today, the former screening rooms have become distinctive meeting and conference spaces, giving Hotel Marivaux a character unlike any other. Its Art Deco roots, cinema heritage and central location make it more than a place to stay: it is a Brussels address with a story, a stage where guests, meetings and events continue to come to life.

Online sources confirm the main timeline: the opening in 1924, the Pathé connection, the wartime use as a Soldatenkino, the later conversion into multiple cinema rooms and the eventual transformation into today’s hotel/event venue. Some heritage sources mention 1922 as the building date and describe the cinema as having around 1,700 seats, while the hotel’s own text uses 1924 and 1,500 seats.