Le Sanglier des Ardennes, a luxury hotel in Durbuy, in Luxembourg Province, was severely damaged by a fire on Monday evening. The hotel’s owner the multi-millionaire businessman Mark Coucke, says that although the material damage to the hotel is extensive, no one was injured in the fire. The upper floor of the building was particularly badly damaged and there is extensive water damage throughout the hotel. The Michelin star chef Wout Bru, who runs the hotel's restaurant, told journalists that the fire couldn’t have come at a worse time. “December is the most important month of the year for us”
Fire damages luxury hotel and restaurant owned by the multi-millionaire businessman Marc Coucke and the Michelin star chef Wout Bru
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There are around 60 rooms at the luxury hotel. All the hotel's guests were evacuated in time. They spent the night at hotels in the vicinity. Staff were also able to leave the premises unscathed.
The material damage to the building is extensive. Marc Coucke told journalists that “There is severe fire damage on the top floor and to the roof of the restaurant and hotel. Fortunately, fire fighters were able to save the rest of the building from fire damage. However, we fear that there is a lot of damage from water used to extinguish the fire”.
Burned out rather than sold out
Chef Wout Bru told journalists that “All the customers and all staff are safe and that's the main thing”. Mr Bru also fears that the hotel and restaurant have been severely damaged.
“The edge of the hotel's roof has completely burned off and there is water down right to the basement. We haven’t seen what it looks like inside. We did manage to remove some artworks and other important things from the ground floor.”
Mr Coucke said that “It looks terrible. Instead of being sold out tomorrow it has been burned out today. Two years ago, we suffered major water damage when the Ourthe flooded. We had put that right but now there is this. It's terrible.”
Wout Bru says that the fire started in the restaurant when the coal oven in the kitchen caught fire. “Corona, the floods, and now this. We are doing so well and then there is setback every time”. For many hospitality businesses in Durbuy, the end-of-year period is a very important time.