Hotel Arts Barcelona

Review of Hotel Arts Barcelona

BusinessClass.com review by Varun Sharma
Updated 6. Jul 2023

With 44-floors, Hotel Arts Barcelona is instantly recognisable as both a city landmark and a beachfront resort, a striking tower of blue glass with an exposed exoskeleton of steel situated on the city’s waterfront.

This luxury property features 483 spacious rooms and suites and an exclusive Club Lounge on the 33rd floor. Leisure facilities include a stunning rooftop spa and fitness centre, two outdoor swimming pools, a lush private garden with a children’s swimming pool and six restaurants – including Enoteca Paco Pérez that holds a Michelin star - and bars. As the name suggests, the hotel also features a collection of contemporary art.

The hotel opened in 1994 and has stood the test of time with refurbishments and additions to the facilities. It still remains one of the most recognisable and indeed wonderful properties in Europe. 

Hotel Arts Barcelona is managed The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The Hotel Arts Barcelona is featured on the BusinessClass.com list of The Best Luxury Hotels In Barcelona

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Location

8/10

Hotel Arts Barcelona is located at Port Olimpic, a few steps from the Mediterranean Sea, the marina and promenade. Built for the 1992 Olympic Games, this building plus the adjacent tower of Torre Mapfre on the other side of Carrer de la Marina, are the tallest in Barcelona. The Torre Mapfre building is topped by Spain’s highest helipad.

The eye-catching 52 metre - 171 foot - Golden Fish sculpture El Peix close to the hotel’s gardens, another Barcelona landmark, was designed by famed Canadian-born American architect Frank Gehry to mark the start of the Olympic harbour promenade.

It is a seven-minute walk to Barcelona Zoo and 15 minutes to La Barceloneta, a little clutch of bars and restaurants once home to fishermen and those working in the metal trade, on the water’s edge.

It takes around 30 minutes to walk to Ciutat Vella (Old Town) and the famous Las Ramblas (or a 10-minute taxi ride). The Picasso Museum near the gothic area is about a 20-minute walk. For Gaudi fans, the Sagrada Familia is a 30-minute walk or a ten-minute taxi ride away and the Parc Guell, around an hour’s walk away or a 15-minute taxi ride.

Barcelona El Prat International Airport is just a 15 – 20-minute limousine ride away.

Accommodation

9/10

Unassuming contemporary elegance with picture windows framing the city and the sea, each guest room at this 483-room hotel enjoys a large footprint with relaxation and work spaces plus roomy bathrooms with double vanities, hydro shower cabins and a separate soaking tub.

The hotel features 28 penthouses, 58 suites, 32 club rooms and 365 guest rooms.

There are controls for lighting, blinds and music with individual temperature control settings and Bang & Olufsen stereo and television systems. For those seeking access to a more personalised service, the Club Room is perfect with rooms on the upper floors and access to the Club Lounge and Club Level services such as express check in and out, a Club Concierge and food and drink snacks served throughout the day. The Club Lounge on the 33rd floor offers spectacular views across the Mediterranean and the city of Barcelona. Club guests also enjoy an exclusive Ultimate Shopping Experience at La Roca Village shopping destination with luxury private transfers, complimentary use of La Roca Village Lounge with beverages and a VIP Card entitling guests to a 10% discount in their favourite boutiques.

The suites and the penthouses – the ultimate accommodation at the property – are located on the upper floors, enjoying panoramic views out over the sea and city.

The suites range from the Executive Suites at 72 square metres - 775 square feet - to the Arts Suite and the Mediterranean, each offering a huge footprint. The Arts Suite was designed by Josep Juanpere, GCA Architects Barcelona and is located on the 30th floor and occupies the entire seafront façade with wrap-around windows offering breath-taking views. The open plan lounge features its own fireplace and dining room with open bar and adjacent kitchen. The Mediterranean is located two floors up and looks out over both the city and the sea with a large lounge area complete with baby grand piano, an entrance hall, dining room and adjacent kitchen.

The duplex penthouses however are in another league and enjoy the services of a butler, private terraces and the use of a Mini Cabrio for sightseeing. They range from a one-bedroom Loft on the 34th floor right up to the Royal and Presidential penthouses on the top floor. With an enormous 401 square metres - 4,306 square feet of space - the hotel’s finest accommodation is located on the top floor with a private reception, concierge and dedicated butler service. These two-bedroom penthouses are more like expensive private apartments with an expansive terrace, a personal fitness gym and trainer and designer furnishings. Best of all, these penthouse guests will enjoy the tallest viewpoint in the city.

Service & Facilities

9/10

The Hotel Arts Barcelona is both an urban hotel and a beachfront resort overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, with facilities to suit each.

The white sandy public beach is just a few steps from the hotel or there are two outdoor swimming pools - one is an adults-only infinity pool with couple’s loungers. A children’s pool is set amongst two levels of lush gardens and terraces for those who prefer a little more privacy.

Floating high above the city, 43 The Spa is tucked away on the 42nd and 43rd floors of the hotel, offering a luxury retreat drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea below.  This 279 square metre Spa offers a wide range of beauty treatments, therapies and massages using the skincare range of Natura Bissé. The duplex Spa also includes separate relaxation areas for men and women, each with a sauna, colour therapy steam room, vitality pool and ice fountain. There is also an outside terrace with panoramic sea views.  The fully equipped fitness centre is on ground level with personal trainers and state-of-the-art facilities.

Families are welcome at the Hotel Arts Barcelona with “Ritz Kids” greeted with a playful questionnaire on arrival with easy questions and answers to be found around the hotel. Returned forms are rewarded with an award of an ice-cream or milkshake. There are also special children’s menus in the restaurants and in the Club Lounge, small portions of the daily offerings are within a child’s reach. In the room, there are balloons, sweets and other amenities. There is also a children’s swimming pool located in the gardens.

Style

9/10

Hotel Arts Barcelona is a modern-day classic, offering a light-filled contemporary environment and outstanding unobtrusive service in a landmark building. It also shows two faces to the world – at once beach resort and smart urban hotel rolled into one.

The innovation, the creativity and friendliness of Barcelona is embodied in this one building and the staff of the hotel. Small touches abound from the iLounge with Apple technology - effectively a business centre - the stunning views, public spaces enlivened by unexpected placements of artworks by Catalan and Spanish artists and the flowers – most of all the flowers.  The large, creative and beautiful arrangement of scented blooms - all of one hue, set in vases of varying heights and shapes - sets the scene, showing that this hotel is anything but ordinary when entering the lobby. The artistry of the flower arrangements has been so successful, this style is now copied by luxury hotels the world over but at one point, this was a game-changer in hotel ambiance.

This hotel has always followed its own path, a part of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company but also having its own distinctive identity; innovations that started here and have since become commonplace. It still however marches to the beat of its own drum continuing to impress and every visit to this astonishing property will offer another unique experience.

Restaurants & Bars

10/10

There are six bars and restaurants at the Hotel Arts Barcelona ranging from the two Michelin stars at Enoteca Paco Pérez – that serves a modern, Mediterranean cuisine - to the P41 Bar & Coctelarium for innovative cocktails to those restaurants serving Spanish and Catalan specialities.

Capturing the freshness of the sea and the essence of farm and mountain produce is the philosophy of Chef Paco Pérez. Every dish is defined by the three pillars of Mediterranean cuisine – olive oil, wheat and wine and can be paired with one of the over 700 fine wines in its cellar. The restaurant is light and bright and inclement weather, extends out onto a terrace.

At the breakfast-only Lokal restaurant, the menus showcase local produce and artisan delicacies including Catalan and Spanish specialities alongside international options and lighter alternatives. The space is again light and airy with a nod to industrial design while local materials such as marble and wood, add warmth.

Bites is an inviting restaurant serving all day dining and located just off the lobby. The menu offers seasonal and healthy cuisine including gluten-free options, locally inspired dishes, home cooked classics, cakes and pastries and a curated coffee programme by Barcelona-based Hidden Coffee Roasters.

The Infinity Pool & Lounge is an al fresco venue, looking out over the ocean and the harbour. This is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing cocktail or a food platter whilst listening to live music.

The mixologists at P41 Bar & Coctelarium will rustle up all kinds of inventive drinks to satisfy every taste from an early afternoon pick-me-up, an evening drink to a sophisticated late-night cocktail.

The al fresco Marina restaurant overlooking the hotel’s terraced gardens and the ocean, offers a coastal menu inspired from dishes around the world with nods to Asia and Peruvian fare alongside local Mediterranean specialities. The epitome of summer dining and located poolside, guests are protected from the sun by a slatted canopy creating a shaded oasis. Dishes are made to be shared in this informal atmosphere.

The culinary team at the Hotel Arts Barcelona also offer an off-premises catering option for those hosting events throughout the city.

Sustainability

The Ritz-Carlton Strategy for environmental responsibility has several strategic objectives including - reducing energy and water consumption, increasing local and organic dining options by partnering with local farmers, growers and seafood providers, sourcing environmentally preferred products. The hotel promotes engaging and inspiring employees and guests in conservation efforts. This is as simple as encouraging the use of refillable water bottles.

Hotel Arts Barcelona also offers a linen and terry reuse programme and utilises environmentally preferable cleaning products.

Guests can also help to preserve Barcelona’s beautiful parks by planting trees with the help of Acciónatura, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of natural ecosystems.

What We Love

  • The location. Some dislike not being in the centre of Barcelona – some love it. Being by the sea and enjoying stunning sunrises and sunsets outweighs the stifling summer heat in the city. Barcelona is a truly magnificent city when it comes to architecture and there is no better place than the Arts to get "height" to see the buildings that make the city so popular.
  • Enoteca Paco Pérez – superb, delicious and subtle Mediterranean cuisine served without pretence. The Michelin award aside, the restaurant offers the finest ingredients, pared with delightful wines. The service is outstanding and it's a meal that you will not forget. Oh - and the views .... amazing!
  • The building – 44 floors of designed glass, metal and concrete. Frank Gehry’s Golden Fish sculpture - El Peix – is a breathtaking monument to Barcelona. If you fly in or out of the city, you cannot miss Hotel Arts. When there you cannot miss El Peix. Yes, it is all rather contemporary and Barcelona offers the best of both - old and new in perfect harmony. 

 

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