Celebrity Hotels in Barcelona

A dining room dating to 1919, dressed in blue with gold moldings and crystal chandeliers, captures El Palace Hotel Barcelona’s enduring taste for ceremony. The former Ritz, a short walk from Passeig de Gràcia, puts that heritage to work at Amar Barcelona, where chef Rafa Zafra’s seafood-focused cooking includes nods to the hotel’s earlier menus. Afternoon tea brings live piano music to the historic main hall, while breakfast is served in El Jardín, an indoor garden with black-and-white décor and wrought iron details. Upstairs, the Rooftop Garden adds another dimension: greenery, open-air dining and a guest-only swimming pool, with views across Barcelona toward the Sagrada Família.

Art takes several forms at Hotel Arts Barcelona, from views of Frank Gehry’s golden El Peix sculpture beside the gardens to handcrafted headboards by Lorena Canals in the renovated rooms. The steel-and-glass tower stands on the Mediterranean waterfront near Port Olímpic, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the sea or city skyline. Rooms start at approximately 485 square feet, giving their curved furnishings, geometric lines, and Mediterranean colors room to register. Landscaped gardens and two outdoor pools extend the hotel toward the water, while Enoteca Paco Pérez gives dinner a distinct sense of place: its two-Michelin-starred cooking draws on ingredients from the Mediterranean, gardens, and mountains.

More than 1,000 works of art give Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona a reason to linger in its corridors, with pieces by Antoni Tàpies, Eduardo Chillida, Jaume Plensa, and Anish Kapoor displayed throughout the hotel. The owners’ interest in art gives this Passeig de Gràcia address a cultural identity that extends well beyond the architecture nearby. Rooms look onto Eixample courtyards or the boulevard, while La Dolce Vitae, the rooftop restaurant and bar, opens up views of Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Família. At SOLC, the connection to Catalonia takes a more practical form: vegetables come from the hotel’s own Maresme farm, alongside fish from Barcelona’s fish market and meats from local producers.

Patricia Urquiola’s contemporary interiors give Mandarin Oriental Barcelona a distinct design identity, extending from the guest rooms to the golden tones of Moments restaurant. Here, a window into the kitchen puts the cooking in view: chef Raül Balam leads a seasonal interpretation of Catalan cuisine, with his mother, Carme Ruscalleda, as gastronomic adviser. The hotel sits on Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district, placing it within Barcelona’s Golden Square and its architectural surroundings. Another perspective awaits upstairs at Terrat, the seasonal rooftop restaurant and bar, where Mediterranean dishes and cocktails come with panoramic city views. Design and Catalan cooking give this address its particular character.