The world’s first and largest luxury hotel brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, has this week opened the InterContinental Barcelona. It is the first luxury hotel to open in Barcelona this year and is situated in the heart of the Montjuïc district. Located southwest of the city, Montjuïc is a scenic hill that overlooks the harbour offering stunning views of Barcelona. The rich influence of the city’s Jewish roots can be seen all over this thriving, cultural destination for visitors from around the globe, complete with national treasures including the Palau Nacional, an iconic palace built in 1929 that now houses the National Museum of Catalan Art.
Taking inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea and the striking architecture that the city is famous for, InterContinental Barcelona’s 273 rooms offer guests an elegant space with an unparalleled level of sophistication. Following an extensive renovation, guests will find nods to the richness of a European city built on unique Catalan culture, including the use of natural wood interiors with hues of blue, ochre, and neutral tones woven into the soft furnishings. InterContinental Barcelona is also home to a 180sqm Presidential Suite, as well as 17 Junior Suites, which offer stunning views of Barcelona, embodying the brand’s modern luxury philosophy.
Enrique Escofet, General Manager, InterContinental Barcelona, commented: “InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has been pioneering luxury travel in new destinations and established, upmarket locations for 75 years. The brand is renowned for weaving modern luxury design through its collection of iconic properties globally and InterContinental Barcelona is a perfect example of how the brand can reimagine an existing property to exceed the expectation of the modern luxury traveller.”
From Michelin star Chefs to up-and-coming talent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts represents the best of international and local culinary expertise and InterContinental Barcelona is no exception. With three restaurants and bars within the hotel, guests can expect to be immersed in local culture with menus referencing earthly elements.
Quirat, the hotel’s main restaurant, will be headed by Victor Torres, the youngest chef in Spain to achieve a Michelin star. Directly translated to mean ‘the measurement of purity amongst the elements that make up the earth’, Quirat will offer a specially curated menu designed to offer guests a unique experience tailored around the chef’s interpretation of the earth. All dishes will be made with locally sourced quality ingredients that are available seasonally.
Arrel, InterContinental Barcelona’s second restaurant has been designed around the concept of roots being the source of vitality of the earth and its produce. The menu pays homage to the humble root as the origin of all earth’s ingredients and only uses seasonal ingredients. With an open kitchen, diners will have a full view of the chefs at work whilst enjoying a selection of sharing plates. For breakfast, Arrel will offer hotel guests a buffet service, whilst for lunch and dinner, there will be a daily set menu and a small à la carte menu available for guests and locals alike.
The hotel’s Gebre Cocktail and More bar offers a selection of classic and signature cocktails, the Boira Coffee Lounge is a great space for relaxation any time of the day, and the 173 Rooftop Terrace has spectacular 360° views over the whole of Barcelona and offers guests a seasonable swimming pool.
The Spa, one of the most spacious spas in the city spanning 1,200sqm, is designed to be a sanctuary for both guests and locals. It boasts an expansive wet area, with a hydrotherapy pool, jets and water beds, steam bath, sauna, and a hammam. There are also six treatments rooms, including two doubles, where guests can enjoy therapies from award-winning Spa brand Natura Bissé.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has become synonymous with bold exploration, travel and cultural discovery, having pioneered luxury travel in emerging and well-loved destinations for the past 75 years. This year, as the brand toasts its diamond anniversary, it invites guests to celebrate the joy of travel and rediscover InterContinental hotels and resorts around the world.
Today, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 205 hotels and over 70 set to open in the coming years, with the vision of bringing luxury travel to emerging and established destinations continues. In the coming months, the brand will be opening new doors in inspiring locations like Rome in Italy, Sorrento in Australia, Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Appi Kogen in Japan.
Rooms at InterContinental Barcelona start from €315.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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8 Comments
This all looks incredibly impressive. What’s more its located in one of my fave Euro cities. Can’t wait to visit.
It’s the way the world seems to be heading, albeit slowly. I must say, our own meat consumpmtion has dropped enormously ever since our youngest became pescatarian a number of years ago.
Rooftop looks to be the place to head for, must be one of the best spots in Barca for breakfast.
Yes! I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better breakfast location in the city!
If you had a free choice of where you were going to put a hotel in Barcelona I doubt that you could pick a better location than Montjuïc.
It’s probably not just the views that attracted ICH, you get some nice cooling breezes up there too. After a busy day down in the city it would be good to escape up to Montjuïc.
Taking inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea and the striking architecture that the city is famous for, InterContinental Barcelona’s 273 rooms offer guests an elegant space with an unparalleled level of sophistication. Following an extensive renovation, guests will find nods to the richness of a European city built on unique Catalan culture, including the use of natural wood interiors with hues of blue, ochre, and neutral tones woven into the soft furnishings. InterContinental Barcelona is also home to a 180sqm Presidential Suite, as well as 17 Junior Suites, which offer stunning views of Barcelona, embodying the brand’s modern luxury philosophy.
Taking inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea and the striking architecture that the city is famous for, InterContinental Barcelona’s 273 rooms offer guests an elegant space with an unparalleled level of sophistication. Following an extensive renovation, guests will find nods to the richness of a European city built on unique Catalan culture, including the use of natural wood interiors with hues of blue, ochre, and neutral tones woven into the soft furnishings. InterContinental Barcelona is also home to a 180sqm Presidential Suite, as well as 17 Junior Suites, which offer stunning views of Barcelona, embodying the brand’s modern luxury philosophy.
Enrique Escofet, General Manager, InterContinental Barcelona, commented: “InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has been pioneering luxury travel in new destinations and established, upmarket locations for 75 years. The brand is renowned for weaving modern luxury design through its collection of iconic properties globally and InterContinental Barcelona is a perfect example of how the brand can reimagine an existing property to exceed the expectation of the modern luxury traveller.”
From Michelin star Chefs to up-and-coming talent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts represents the best of international and local culinary expertise and InterContinental Barcelona is no exception. With three restaurants and bars within the hotel, guests can expect to be immersed in local culture with menus referencing earthly elements.
Quirat, the hotel’s main restaurant, will be headed by Victor Torres, the youngest chef in Spain to achieve a Michelin star. Directly translated to mean ‘the measurement of purity amongst the elements that make up the earth’, Quirat will offer a specially curated menu designed to offer guests a unique experience tailored around the chef’s interpretation of the earth. All dishes will be made with locally sourced quality ingredients that are available seasonally.
Arrel, InterContinental Barcelona’s second restaurant has been designed around the concept of roots being the source of vitality of the earth and its produce. The menu pays homage to the humble root as the origin of all earth’s ingredients and only uses seasonal ingredients. With an open kitchen, diners will have a full view of the chefs at work whilst enjoying a selection of sharing plates. For breakfast, Arrel will offer hotel guests a buffet service, whilst for lunch and dinner, there will be a daily set menu and a small à la carte menu available for guests and locals alike.
The hotel’s Gebre Cocktail and More bar offers a selection of classic and signature cocktails, the Boira Coffee Lounge is a great space for relaxation any time of the day, and the 173 Rooftop Terrace has spectacular 360° views over the whole of Barcelona and offers guests a seasonable swimming pool.
The Spa, one of the most spacious spas in the city spanning 1,200sqm, is designed to be a sanctuary for both guests and locals. It boasts an expansive wet area, with a hydrotherapy pool, jets and water beds, steam bath, sauna, and a hammam. There are also six treatments rooms, including two doubles, where guests can enjoy therapies from award-winning Spa brand Natura Bissé.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has become synonymous with bold exploration, travel and cultural discovery, having pioneered luxury travel in emerging and well-loved destinations for the past 75 years. This year, as the brand toasts its diamond anniversary, it invites guests to celebrate the joy of travel and rediscover InterContinental hotels and resorts around the world.
Today, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 205 hotels and over 70 set to open in the coming years, with the vision of bringing luxury travel to emerging and established destinations continues. In the coming months, the brand will be opening new doors in inspiring locations like Rome in Italy, Sorrento in Australia, Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Appi Kogen in Japan.
Rooms at InterContinental Barcelona start from €315.
This all looks incredibly impressive. What’s more its located in one of my fave Euro cities. Can’t wait to visit.
Barcelona is one of my favourites, too! Such a relaxed vibe, fascinating landmarks and of course great food.
Arrel will attract a lot of vegans and people who want to try to reduce their meat consumption. Interesting timing with COP 26 going on.
It’s the way the world seems to be heading, albeit slowly. I must say, our own meat consumpmtion has dropped enormously ever since our youngest became pescatarian a number of years ago.
Rooftop looks to be the place to head for, must be one of the best spots in Barca for breakfast.
Yes! I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better breakfast location in the city!
If you had a free choice of where you were going to put a hotel in Barcelona I doubt that you could pick a better location than Montjuïc.
It’s probably not just the views that attracted ICH, you get some nice cooling breezes up there too. After a busy day down in the city it would be good to escape up to Montjuïc.
Yes, and with it handily connected to the city by cable car, I think you’d still feel in the heart of everything that’s going on in the city.