Tag: barcelona hotels View All Tags
Tags: NYT Reviews / Barcelona Hotels / Design Hotels / → All Tags
NYT Finds Plenty To Like (But Not Enough Towels) At Barcelona’s Hotel Denit
It’s not every day that you find an affordable hotel right in the center of one of Europe’s most popular destinations. That’s why The New York Times decided to check in and check out Barcelona’s new Hotel Denit.
The hotel, whose name means “at night” in Catalan, is located right in the city’s historical heart, the Gothic Quarter, mere steps from La Rambla and Plaça Catalunya, as well as the city’s Contemporary Art Museum. Not to worry about the noise level from the surrounding bars and clubs, though, because the hotel is set off down a quiet brick alley, ensuring both peace and privacy.
As for the rooms, “chic” these days seems to be a code word for “white on white,” and the Hotel Denit is no exception. The Times called it “spar and functional, not unlike a massage therapy room,” but notes touches like a flat-screen TV, an iPod docking station, and windows that actually open. The rest of the furniture looks Spartan to us, though, especially the mismatched lamps, the tiny desk with a canvas chair, and the open wardrobe-closet-armoire thingy.
Tags: Snapshot / Nude Hotels / W Hotels / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
The Naked Truth About the W Barcelona
Does this count as an anti-view?
With all the talk over its late opening, stonking views and questionable levels of service, you’d think you’d heard it all about the W Barcelona. Not so.
A friend of ours stayed there a couple of weeks back, and returned with the revelation that the beach it sits on appears to be a nudist beach. Que?
We didn’t quite believe her until this morning, when she sent over this picture, taken right outside the hotel. And while we’re doing our best to concentrate on the seagull (nice composition, btw) we’re acutely aware that she might not have been exaggerating.
Her verdict:
I didn't see an official nudist beach sign or anything - but there was a lot of naked people and they weren't getting arrested
Kept that one quiet, didn’t you, W? Maybe it’s because middle-aged nudists aren’t quite as sexy as the hardbodied exhibitionists we’re more used to.
She also snapped a more conventional view from her bedroom window here. Good job you can’t zoom in!
Tags: Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Barcelona Hotels / Hotel Rumors / → All Tags
Is There Another Mandarin Oriental Hotel Planned for Barcelona?
Update [2009-12-1 11:51:44 by juliana]:: A source tells us that the hotel in Puerto Rico that designer Patricia Urquiola is working on is the W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island. It is owned by the same company that owns the MO Barcelona, REIG Capital. The sources surmises that Urquiola is probably working on another REIG hotel in Barca, not necessarily a Mandarin Oriental.
It happens to the best of us. You put off a task forever, and when you finally do it, and it goes smoothly, you wonder what the problem was. And if it goes particularly smoothly, you start wondering about whether you should do it again for good measure.
That’s the mood we figured Mandarin Oriental must be in when Design Week dropped the bomb that they’re planning a second hotel in Barcelona, when their first one only just opened (late, obviously) on Thursday.
In an article about Patricia Urquiola who designed the interiors of the hotel, it said:
Mandarin Oriental has also engaged Urquiola to work on the interiors of its new resort in Puerto Rico, which will open in March, and a second hotel in Barcelona.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Hotel Delays / Hotel Hype / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
Mandarin Oriental Barcelona Is Sticking to Its Opening Date This Thursday
Well here’s a nice surprise to start the week. Despite our fears, the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is going to open on schedule this Thursday.
When we say schedule, of course, we mean delayed schedule. The hotel was originally down to open 29 October, but when the date came and went, it was pushed back to 26 November. Although we weren’t so sure it was a goer, given that the website wasn’t taking rezzies until 15 December.
But hallelujah! We just called the hotel and spoke to a delightful man who told us that it is indeed opening Thursday, although plebs like us would not be welcome – it’s a private inauguration and opening do. Guests can arrive on Friday, but he said there was very little availability till December.
Tags: Hotel Delays / Hotel Hype / Hotel Openings / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
Mandarin Oriental Barcelona Will Now Open on November 26th
Oh Barcelona, you’re pretty n all, but we could do without your mañana mañana attitude spoiling our hotel plans. First the W pushed back its opening date no less than three times, and now it’s the turn of the Mandarin Oriental.
Last time we checked, the hotel was due to open on October 29. But when we hadn't heard any fanfare today, and checked out the hotel’s website to find the calendar showing “no availability”, we smelt a rat.
So we just called Mandarin Oriental’s PR people, and they told us the hotel is scheduled to open on 26 November. So that’s delay number one. But we’re expecting a delay number two, seeing as the website’s not taking reservations until 15 December. Hmm.
Opening rates, if they are opening December 15, are showing up as €284 ($421/£254) at the moment, although there’s an intriguing note on the booking page saying that “most rooms accommodate 3 people.” Er, surely the kind of people paying that amount of money won’t want to share with two others? Unless, of course, we're being, um, naive.
Here’s hoping all will be revealed on 26 November. In the mean time, how nice does that rooftop pool look? Shame it'll be too cold to use when they finally let us in.
Tags: Checking In On / W Hotels / Hotel Openings / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
W Barcelona May Be Stylish, But Still Needs To Work On Service
<
Last time we looked, the W Barcelona wasn’t going down so well with its clients. But then that was after opening weekend, nearly a month ago. Is it time to give it another chance?
The Independent reviewed it this weekend and, going by the review, it'd seem the “abysmal” service and “no edgy people” may have been teething problems.
The hotel is “nothing if not striking”, they say, and the pool is “bracingly cool” (we're assuming that's in a literal sense - it's nearly November, after all). The views from the 26th-floor Eclipse bar, meanwhile, are “bewitching”.
Tags: Hotel Concepts / Barcelona Hotels / Fashion Hotels / Hotel Design / → All Tags
MUJI Design Turns Barcelona Apartments Into 'Whotells'
We may love us some hotels, but research into accommodations in a destination usually includes looking at alternatives like temporary stay apartments as well, especially when we sit tight in the same city for over a week. Contemporary design usually wins us over as well, since isn't the point of paying so much to stay in a nice place to not be surrounded by your usual clutter? For this reason, we totally know where we're headed next time we're in Barcelona: The MUJI Whotells buildings in the Raval, Eixample and Barceloneta quarters.
The collection of temporary stay apartments, managed and outfitted like hotel suites gone native, occupy refurbished designer apartment buildings and offer 1,2 and 3-bedroom apartments for travelers, with capacity of up to 6 people. So how are these different from other temporary stay apartments, you ask? Well, they're furnished by the Japanese master brand of simplicity and functionality: MUJI.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Twitter / W Hotels / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
W Barcelona Still Pretty, But Needs Serious Work on The Vibe
Oh dears. We really hate to say this, but could it be that with all the hype around W Barcelona and its foxy building, they forgot to work on the foxy W vibe?
Barcelona resident Pulso BCN alerted us to the fact that there could be a problem with his comment here. He stopped by on Thursday, which should have been banging, seeing as it was the first night, but although it had a nice-looking pool, he wasn’t feeling it. “Maybe the W hipness is in crates stuck in Spanish customs,” he reckons. On his Twitter feed he went further: ”No glam opening, no edgy people, just a bunch of staffers running around trying to find a spot.”. Oopsie…
Tags: Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Hype / Barcelona Hotels / Spain Hotels / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags
The W Barcelona is Open Tonight But The Weekend is Booked
Temperature: 77 degrees. Weather: partly cloudy. Time: to check in to the W Barcelona.
Western Europe’s first W, and the snazzily-numbered 33rd in the world, has opened its doors today. The Bliss therapists are unwinding tense muscles right now, the Eclipse staff are girding cocktail glasses with sugar, and the head honchos must be breathing a big sigh of relief that its third predicted opening date has finally come through. And right now, that pool must be looking a little less peaceful.
Tags: Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Barcelona Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
24 Hours to Go For W Barcelona
The pillows have been fluffed, the loungers have been wiped down, and the water features are in place - W Barcelona finally opens its doors tomorrow.
There are still rooms available for EUR 280 ($411/£255) if you fancy an off the cuff trip. To persuade you, the temperature is currently a balmy 22 degrees centigrade, although it’s a bit cloudy – let’s hope the sky clears by tomorrow morning!
Don’t worry if you can’t make it though - the opening party will be in “early 2010” according to the hotel. Let’s hope that doesn’t mean they’re worried about opening month glitches. In the mean time, here’s another picture from its Facebook photo album. We fully expect the hotel to be this buzzy when we finally make it down there…
Tags: Hotel Openings / Facebook Hotels / Sneak Peek / W Hotels / Hotel Hype / Barcelona Hotels / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags
Thanks to Facebook, We Get a Sneak Peek at the W Barcelona
There are still six days to go till it opens, but the folk at W Barcelona have stuck up some sneak peek photos on their Facebook page. The teases!
Up top is the the sundeck at the Altitude Terrace. Then there’s the WET Deck (loving the water all over the place)
Tags: Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Hotel Hype / Hotel Delays / Barcelona Hotels / → All Tags
The Countdown is On: Only Seven Days to Go Until W Barcelona Opens
We’ve waited and waited and now we’ve only got seven days of waiting left: W Barcelona opens a week today. According to the hotel, everything is on track for the opening, and it’s even sent us some pictures to prove it. Now, these look CGI to us, so we’re hoping the real thing is just as good. If it is, they’re going straight in our drool bag. In the mean time here’s what we’re most looking forward to.
The Wet Deck (above). Note how it seems to have plastic/glass walls to stop you plunging into the Med. Scary, but popular, we’re thinking. We’re also thinking about that pool – it’s 26 degrees out there (79, to those who work in farenheit), don’t you know.
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
