The Hotel Palace has an undeniable mystique, as it is a historic enclave in the city of Barcelona. For many, it will always remain the Ritz, and in fact, when you enter, you can't help but look around to see if Xavier Cugat's chihuahua is still lurking. If we are not staying there, we can access it to use its gastronomic offerings. We can go

The imposing Hotel La Florida is now called METT. In recent years, we've seen several name changes in the city's hotel sector, and this is one of them. The METT has been completely renovated and, consequently, also boasts a new culinary offering, which we went to explore. On one side, there's Vermuteria 1925, and next to it, the Albarada restaurant. Both are located opposite the terrace with its panoramic views, as we're high up on Tibidabo mountain.

Say goodbye to 2025 with a magical night in the incomparable setting ofHotel Palacio de Bellavista by URHLocated in a central location, the hotel is known for its magnificent panoramic views of the city of Girona, its elegant atmosphere, and its characteristic hospitality.URH HotelsAn exceptional setting to celebrate the New Year with all the comfort and good taste that such a special occasion deserves.

The Palace Hotel in Barcelona, ​​the oldest luxury hotel in the Catalan capital, has been owned by the Algerian state for a few weeks now, it was revealed on Tuesday. The VanguardHistorically known as the Ritz, the property located on Barcelona's Gran Via had been owned by Algerian magnate Ali Haddad since 2011. However, in 2019, Haddad was imprisoned in his country for embezzlement, abuse of power, and corruption, leading the Algerian justice system to claim ownership. Despite Algeria's claim, however, the change of ownership of the Hotel Palace in Barcelona was not resolved through legal channels. According to the newspaper, the country reached an agreement with Haddad. This is evident from the fact that a "debt-for-equity swap" was presented for registration of the luxury property at the Barcelona Property Registry, rather than the execution of a court-ordered seizure. Algeria's National Investment Fund, a public financial institution directly under the head of government, received "full ownership of the property" located at 664-668 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes in Barcelona on August 1, according to the newspaper.

"A haven of calm and serenity." This is what a rural accommodation complex located in the heart of France's Loire region offers, featuring a swimming pool and jacuzzi. Here, guests can enjoy the facilities without hearing screaming children. The establishment clearly advertises itself as accommodation adults only, as children are prohibited from enteringA campsite in the Dordogne also prefers to exclude minors. "Unlike family campsites, popular for their constant entertainment, our child-free campsite offers a peaceful alternative," its website states.

The town of Mollerussa is what we all know today (a regional capital with more than 15,000 inhabitants) thanks to two fundamental historical events: the construction of the Urgell Canal, which began irrigating land that had previously been a veritable desert in the mid-19th century, and the simultaneous construction of the train station and a line that would connect the town. A population boom was assured. Hundreds of farmers and merchants took advantage of this favorable economic climate, as did the most far-sighted entrepreneurs.

After years of record-breaking growth, the tourism sector has been experiencing for months that the momentum is slowing down. More travelers returned to Catalonia in August, but they stayed for fewer days. Furthermore, prices, which had skyrocketed in recent summers, are also beginning to slow, having become unaffordable for many, with rooms costing €200 a night in the Catalan capital.

The hotel chain Hotusa has fully repaid the loan it received from the State, through the public company SEPI, to address the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. The company chaired by Amancio López Seijas has repaid the last 56 million of the total 241 million it received in 2021.

With permission from the future Sagrada Família, the city's tallest building is getting a facelift. The Hotel Arts is temporarily taking this title, along with its twin neighbor, the Mapfre Tower, both at 154 meters tall. Born with the urban transformation brought about by the Olympic Games as the city's first luxury hotel, the establishment has surpassed its 30th anniversary, surrounded by more competitors, and is undergoing a comprehensive renovation of its facilities, under the new leadership of Renato de Oliveira as general manager.

Joan Carles Casanovas (Sabadell, 1967) is the new director of the Hostal de la Gavina. He has a long career in the hotel industry and has spent the last ten years managing another iconic establishment: the Hotel Casa Fuster. Casanovas is full of energy and attentive to detail. Before entering his office, he fixes a misplaced ribbon on a chair. He professes to being a lover of art history and a true foodie. Two passions that will be reflected in this new era in S'Agaró.

For many years, hotel breakfast has been a service that establishments would provide, but it didn't receive the same attention as other services they offered. Frozen croissants, poor-quality coffee, and a lot of food waste at the end of the service. This particular area has been the focus of many establishments, who have decided to improve it, even if only to reduce costs. Some have even brought breakfast to the culinary level of a gourmet restaurant. We analyze the changes that have occurred in recent years and which ones will take longer to arrive. In fact, according to food critic Daniel Salas in his presentation, The boundaries of the best hotel breakfast At the HIP conference held in Madrid, hotels are getting their act together, "just like when they saw that people were going out to eat at the restaurant across the street and not staying at theirs."

The hotel sector in Barcelona is still on its honeymoon. The city's 450 hotels, with a total of 40,000 rooms on offer, have been breaking their price records for three years in a row. While in 2022 the average price of a hotel room in the Catalan capital was 152 euros – 8.6% more than in 2019, the year before the pandemic – in 2024 this figure has risen to 188 euros, which is 14.1% more than in year 2.

That tourism has returned to Barcelona after the pandemic is evident; you only have to go out on the street to see it. But now data from the Spanish Institute of Statistics (INE) confirms it. The Catalan capital's hotel occupancy rate in May was the highest in Spain. Despite the great recovery, however, most indicators are still slightly below May 2019, the year before the arrival of covid-19.

In the midst of a recovery in visitor numbers, these days the political debate in Barcelona has centred around the kind of tourism the city wants. Mayoress Ada Colau called for a limits on cruise ships and measures against overcrowding in the centre. However, the city's tourism councillor, the socialist Xavier Marcé spoken along different lines: he advocates attracting "quality" tourists, and as a key step along this path proposes that city hotels raise their rates. The president of the Gremi de Hotels, Jordi Clos, has applauded this proposal, claiming that during the two years under pandemic restrictions, when hotels attempted to seduce domestic tourists, rates tended to go down and this has meant the arrival of "lower level" visitors, in the councillor's words. He added that now that the situation is returning to normal and prices are going back up, tourists which are not the city's target are "disappearing".

"Despite the fact that we noticed an increase in tourists, the figures that we anticipated were bad and continue to be so". The general director of the Guild of Hotels of Barcelona, Manel Casals, has assumed that this summer is lost for some time now. And now the July data begin to confirm his suspicions: although tourism has doubled compared to last year, the levels are still 37% lower than before the pandemic.

The palpable increase of foreign tourism in the streets of Barcelona has not improved the situation of the city's hoteliers. The Hotelier Guild says that if it were a normal summer there would be about 60,000 people sleeping every night in hotels in Barcelona and that at the moment the number is below 15,000. "Three months ago were about 5,000, therefore, there is more tourism and it is normal to see some movement," explains Manel Casals, director general of the entity. This does not mean, however, that the situation is great.

"We always had large groups. In one edition we even had Mark Zuckerberg and his wife for dinner". In the dining room of the Michelin-starred Caelis restaurant in Barcelona, the arrival of Mobile congress participants was not appreciated this week. Chef Romain Fornell has not noticed "that joy and opulence" in the bookings that the fair brought to many tables in the city's haute cuisine restaurants. The congress attendees' drop in attendance has been reflected in the impact of their nightlife plans, which are much more discreet than in previous years. In the 7 Portes restaurant, next to the port, they have counted more last-minute bookings and lower figures than in 2019. MWC has meant, however, to recover corporate clients, and they are "very happy" for their return.

Barcelona City Council's Urban planning team is in the middle of unprecedented negotiations this week: the extension of the concession to five large hotels in the city, among which is the gigantic Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I on Avinguda Diagonal. The concession ends 20 years from now and, if no extension is agreed, the owners of these hotels will have to hand over the keys to the establishment to Barcelona City Council, which will become the owner of the site and the hotel. This was agreed in 1991, when land intended for public facilities was rezoned to allow the building of large hotels, a plan known as Clau 10. This urban planning alteration - which mortgaged an important part of public space - was justified because hotels had to be built urgently for the 1992 Olympic Games, according to the municipal government of the time. "The Hotel Plan was practically an obsession of Mayor Pasqual Maragall", explains a former collaborator of his at the time. In fact, the plan was known at the time as "Maragall's Hotel Plan". Besides the Fairmont King Juan Carlos I, the other establishments that would also become City council property are the Hotel Plaza (in Plaç Espanya), the Hotel Fira Palace (on Rius i Taulet) and the Alimara (in Vall d'Hebron). The outcome of this negotiation will have a great impact for all of them and their workers, but also for all citizens, since at stake is the possibility of recovering a lot of public space in a city where it is difficult to find an inch of unused land.

Easter 2020 was marked by total lockdown and, a year later, Easter arrives this Thursday at the gates of the fourth wave of the pandemic. Despite the threat of the virus, a lot of mobility is expected in Catalonia. There are two data that exemplify it: the Catalan Traffic Service estimates that between Thursday and Friday between 331,700 and 377,000 vehicles will leave the Barcelona area and that hotels in Girona area are between 60% and 80% full.

The arrival of capital in search of hotels in Barcelona does not stop. The restrictions of the pandemic have placed many establishments in a desperate situation and this is being taken advantage of by funds to hunt for assets at low prices. The latest establishment looking to sell is the Barcelona Apollo Hotel, operated by Meliá on Avinguda Paral·lel.