Barcelona's Top New Boutique Hotels
The past year has seen a much-needed surge in Barcelona’s boutique hotel scene (which has long veered toward the traditional), with a group of design-forward properties opening. The best of them—like the four here—combine modern comforts with the historic charm of the 18th- and 19th-century buildings they occupy.
Photo: Metrixell Arjalaguer1/4Located in a four-story, 1869 neoclassical townhouse designed by architect Francisco Batlle, Casa Bonay opened as a 67-room hotel in the city’s Dreta de l’Eixample neighborhood in February. Owners Inés Miro-Sans and Luis Rullán brought in a team of collaborators for the interior design, among them Brooklyn-based Studio Tack, which oversaw the building’s original mosaic-tiled floors; baTabasTa, a Barcelona fashion label that devised the hotel’s wallpaper and cushions; and Blackie Books, an independent publisher that selected the reading material in Casa Bonay’s library. And these days, no boutique hotel is complete without its own coffee bar, so Miro-Sans enlisted local roasters Satan’s Coffee Corner for the in-house café. From $115/night; casabonay.com
Photo: Courtesy of Cotton House Hotel2/4Another new project in Dreta de l’Eixample, Cotton House Hotel opened last spring in a 19th-century former cotton textile headquarters. Designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán has preserved the best historical aspects of the building (a spiral marble staircase, original moldings, frescoed ceilings, parquet floors) while creating rooms that feel fresh, bright, and modern. From $275/night; hotelcottonhouse.com
Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Brummell3/4Barcelona-based Australian duo Crick King and Tommy Tang designed this charming 20-room hotel in the city’s Poble Sec neighborhood, convenient to Montjuic and the city center. There’s a cheerful rooftop pool and the restaurant, Café Brummell, attracts locals and guests to its calm outdoor terrace with a menu that uses vegetables grown on the rooftop. From $125/night; hotelbrummell.com
Photo: Dani Rovira4/4Opened last year, the Serras occupies an 18th-century townhouse, the site of Pablo Picasso’s first studio on the Passeig de Colom. But everything else is thoroughly modern, with designer Eva Martínez giving the lobby bright shots of color via cerulean and mustard-yellow furniture, while floor-to-ceiling windows let in the afternoon sun. Rooms come with Hypnos beds and rowboat baths by Italian brand Rexa Design, and the sleek pool deck overlooks the neighboring harbor—the perfect spot for morning coffee before exploring the city. From $340/night; hoteltheserrasbarcelona.com
