Grand Hotel Central

Class: First

Style: Modern design

Rooms: 147

Barcelona's Grand Hotel Central carries the signature of two architects working 85 years apart: Adolph Forensa, who designed the original building in 1924, and Oriol Tintoré, who created its recent new look. The design hotel is built around an open central patio, a diaphanous space that allows a unique diffusion of light and sound. Guests who cross through the impressive lobby will be greeted by the Ávalon Restaurant & Café, serving culinary creations by the prestigious chef Ramon Freixa. The lobby itself is laid out largely in its original format, a kind of blast from the past to remind guests of Grand Hotel Central’s original function and design as an office building. The house's original entrance, a carriage path with sidewalks and a main path have all been maintained. A library at the entrance and living rooms at the end of corridors provide common space and break up the typical hegemony of rooms and corridors. Arriving on the rooftop, a magnificent pool provides the perfect setting to take in the spectacular views of Barcelona's old centre. Interior design by Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez emphasising urban modernity is in place but with a transparency motif operating as well: much is made of glass and semi-opaque dividing surfaces. Bedroom and bath merge into each other without overemphasis on compartmentalised space, and wardrobes are open to further enhance this open, flowing feeling. Softness and subtlety come from sconce lighting, dark wooden floors, contrasting with the simple lines and oversized rectilinear shapes. All rooms at the Grand Hotel have street views, owing to the gallery construction. Superior rooms benefit from the larger scale of the building's original layout of space. Graphics, interior design and architecture combine to make the Grand Hotel Central one of Barcelona's design treats.