Plaça Catalunya is, almost by definition, the center of Barcelona. The point that connects the historic center with the Eixample and one of the city's busiest commercial arteries, Rambla de Catalunya. A daily connection space for Barcelonians due to its transport network and, at the same time, one of the enclaves that almost any visitor ends up incorporating into their tour of the Catalan capital. It is here, at the city's busiest crossroads where this August Barcelona is welcoming a new luxury hotel: Bless Barcelona. A five-star hotel that marks the arrival of the Bless Collection Hotels brand in the city and adds another address to the city's luxury hotel scene.
But the arrival of Bless Barcelona is about much more than a hotel opening: it marks the arrival of the first five-star hotel in Plaça Catalunya itself and a new stage for a building that, for years, had already been a hotel landmark in the center of Barcelona. Located at number 10 Plaça Catalunya, the new establishment takes over from the Iberostar Passeig de Gràcia, inaugurated in 2018 as a four-star hotel that marked a new stage for a building that already accumulated decades of history in the center of Barcelona.
Beyond its privileged location and its rooms, the hotel soon found in its panoramic terrace —the Sky Bar— one of its biggest draws. A space also open to Barcelonians and visitors that allowed them to enjoy a privileged perspective over the city center.
Now, this iconic space begins a new stage after the change of ownership in 2024, when the building began to begin a new chapter under the Bless Collection Hotels brand, the luxury brand of Palladium Hotel Group. For a few months, the establishment maintained its activity while underwent extensive renovations before reopening as the five-star Bless Barcelona hotel were defined.
But this is not the first transformation this building has undergone. The property that is now becoming Bless Barcelona had already been, at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the most emblematic spots in Plaça Catalunya. Here stood the Hotel Colón, one of the most renowned establishments in Barcelona at the time and a symbol of the role the square was beginning to assume as a center of urban life. During the Civil War, however, the building ceased operating as a hotel to become the headquarters of the PSUC.
Over the years, the property also changed its appearance and use. In 1942, it acquired its current look, with monumental architecture, and entered a new phase as the headquarters of Banesto. After decades tied to banking activity and a long period of disuse, the building became part of the real estate assets of Pontegadea, Amancio Ortega's (Inditex) investment vehicle, which also controls other commercial spaces in the same property, such as the Apple Store premises in Plaça Catalunya. The company owns the property and the different spaces that are part of it, and leases them to the brands that carry out their activity there, from Apple in the commercial sector, to the hotel projects that have occupied the building, first with Iberostar and now with Palladium Hotel Group.
119 rooms and a commitment to gastronomy
After more than a century of history, the building's new life begins precisely on its upper floors. This is where Bless Barcelona will be located, with 119 rooms and suites and a offering that goes beyond accommodation to incorporate gastronomic, social, and wellness spaces.
The hotel will begin to welcome its first guests on August 17, although the official inauguration will not arrive until autumn. It will do so with an accommodation offer entirely oriented to the high-end segment, with a hundred rooms and suites of different categories, most with views over Plaça Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia. Some have a private terrace and the most exclusive categories reach a 76-square-meter duplex suite.
But the Bless Barcelona experience goes beyond the rooms. Gastronomy and well-being become two of the main pillars of the project, with an offer designed for both guests and the local public. The hotel's main restaurant space will be SINEDIE, a wine bar focused on Mediterranean cuisine and a careful selection of wines. But, without a doubt, one of the great protagonists will once again be the terrace. On the upper floor, La Pajarera will recover one of the most emblematic spaces of the old Iberostar: the rooftop with panoramic views over Plaça Catalunya. The new sky lounge will combine gastronomy, cocktails —with a menu created by the renowned Adriana Chía—, a swimming pool and a year-round music programme, as well as a private space for celebrations and private events.
The offer will be completed with a gastronomic space signed by Hofmann, one of the great references in Barcelona's gastronomy, especially known for its school and its pastry shop. The establishment will serve specialty coffee, artisanal pastries, elaborate sandwiches and a selection of sweets and products to take away.
From Fiesta Hotels to Palladium
The opening of Bless Barcelona also marks the arrival in the city of BLESS Collection Hotels, the luxury brand of Palladium Hotel Group. The Catalan capital thus becomes the third destination for this high-end brand, after Madrid and Ibiza.
Although today Palladium Hotel Group is one of the main Spanish hotel operators —with more than forty hotels and nearly 13,000 rooms spread across nine countries, from the Dominican Republic to Vietnam—, its origins are much more modest. We have to go back to the late sixties, when the Ibizan businessman Abel Matutes, who years later would be Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs (1996-2000), inaugurated the first two family hotels in Ibiza. That small business grew under the Fiesta Hotels & Resorts brand, with a progressive expansion through the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, until in 2012 the group adopted its current name of Palladium Hotel Group.
Currently, the company is chaired by his son, Abel Matutes Prats, and continues to be immersed in a growth process. Last year it achieved a new record, with managed revenues of 1,162 million euros, driven by a portfolio that brings together some of the most prestigious hotel brands in the sector, such as Only YOU Hotels, Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, TRS Hotels, Hard Rock Hotels —which operates under license in Spain— and BLESS Collection Hotels, its most exclusive project and with which it makes its Barcelona debut. Launched in 2019 with the opening of BLESS Hotel Madrid and subsequently expanded with a second establishment in Ibiza, this brand embodies the group's vision of contemporary luxury.
Bless Barcelona is the latest addition to a wave of hotel openings across the city. Just a few weeks ago, El Radar focused on the landing of Meininger Hotels, a hybrid proposal between hotel and hostel located in an environment in full transformation such as Fira Barcelona. Now, the focus now shifts to the opposite end of the market with a five-star establishment oriented to luxury in the city center. Now, this focus shifts to a completely different profile: a five-star hotel that positions itself in the luxury segment by recovering an emblematic building in the heart of Barcelona.
These are just two of the latest additions to Barcelona's evolving hotel landscape. A map that, in recent months, has also incorporated such diverse projects as the new largest ibis budget in the Iberian Peninsula, inaugurated at the beginning of July in the 22@ technology district with 189 rooms, or the Hidden Hotel Passeig de Gràcia, which will open its doors this September with a boutique establishment of 64 rooms. A transformation that El Radar will continue to follow these developments in the months ahead, project after project.