Changes in one of the city's most prestigious hotels. The brand-new general manager of El Palace, Friedrich von Schönburg, bids farewell to the city, where he arrived in 2019 as hotel manager. He ended up becoming interim general manager in February 2020, to officially assume the position in January 2021, almost a year later and in the midst of a pandemic that especially affected the tourism sector. All of this allowed him, at just 35 years old, to become the youngest general manager of a five-star grand luxury hotel in Europe. Von Schönburg, son of Count Rudi, who was director of the legendary Marbella Club, has decided to replace the Catalan capital with the Madrid one, where he will manage the renovated Hotel Rosewood Villa Magna, a chain with which he had already worked in London.
At El Palace, he will be replaced as general manager by Juan Losada. Born in Galicia, the new head of the luxury establishment graduated from the University of West London and his career began in 2007 in Atlanta as assistant director of the accommodation division of Westin Hotels & Resorts. From the United States he moved to Dubai as associate director of Guest Services. There he was part of the opening team of the luxury resort Atlantis The Palm.
Losada's professional career continued in Singapore, where he became director of Guest & Butler at the St Regis hotel. After Singapore, came Thailand and Mauritius with InterContinental Hotels Group. With the British multinational, he also took charge of InterContinental Danang, a resort located in one of Vietnam's most dynamic cities.
After having worked on three continents with more than five luxury hotel brands, Losada returns home to lead El Palace. "It is a true pleasure and challenge for me to lead what was once the Ritz of Barcelona, a hotel with a fascinating history that is now younger and more dynamic than ever," he states. With 120 rooms and suites, the hotel has a 1,500 square meter terrace, with a swimming pool and panoramic views of the city. The offer is completed with the Amar Barcelona restaurant, run by chef Rafa Zafra.