Although born in Calaf, Jordi Serras is in love with Barcelona, a city where he studied and founded a technology company that became a global reference partner for IBM in after-sales service, spare parts, and repairs. With a presence in 28 countries and a turnover of 60 million euros, this company, Compuspar, was acquired in 2011 by the American multinational Syncreon. After the sale, Serras did not forget the business world, but instead chose to invest in a new sector, the hotel industry, which he knew well from having been a client of dozens of hotels around the world where he stayed due to his professional obligations.
"The hotel business is very different, but I have a great time, because it's a business where you make people happy thanks to the luxury experience we offer," explains Jordi Serras to The New Barcelona Post coinciding with the opening of his second hotel: the Serras Luxury Boutique Resort & SPA, located in Andorra. This establishment joins the Hotel Serras Barcelona, located on Passeig Colom in the Catalan capital, and it will not be the last, quite the opposite. "We have decided to create the Serras Collection brand to grow the Serras model, based on five-star boutique establishments where we don't just offer service, but living an experience," Serras anticipates.
For now, the chain will focus on the Spanish market, with an eye on Madrid, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona, a city where they are looking for an opportunity to open a second establishment. However, Jordi Serras assures that "he is not closed to any possibility" and, if an opportunity arises in another international destination, as has happened with Andorra, it will be analyzed. "We are a family business, we don't have the urgency of a listed company or the pressure of an investment fund. We prefer to keep our feet on the ground and go step by step," he emphasizes.
Serras, who has three children involved in the management of the company, has partnered to execute the Serras Collection project with the two executives who have accompanied him from day one in his hotel venture: the couple formed by Antonio Bignone and Ona Matas, general manager of the group and director of Serras Barcelona, respectively. Both worked in renowned luxury hotels in London ---their career led them through the Dorchester, Mandarin, Bulgari, and Ritz--- when the businessman went to find them in 2014 with the challenge of transforming an old building on Passeig Colom that he had just bought into the Hotel Serras Barcelona.
"We left London and, in 2015, we opened in Barcelona what has just been recognized as the best urban luxury hotel in Spain by the Beyond Luxury Awards, which are considered the Oscars of world hospitality," highlights Bignone. According to the executive, this success invites them "to go for more" with the launch of Serras Collection, which plans to open four new hotels in the next five years in Seville, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona, with an investment that will be between 15 million and 20 million euros.
Although acquiring buildings as was done in the Catalan capital is not ruled out, the group's idea is to opt for long-term rental or management contracts, as they have just done in Andorra. Their model involves paying rent to the building owner and assuming the necessary investment to open the hotel, which they will manage directly and assume all the risk. The idea is to open five-star grand luxury boutique hotels with a maximum of 60 or 70 rooms, prioritizing locations, either in very central areas or in historic buildings that allow opening "hotel jewels" that become an absolute reference in that destination and are also recognized for their gastronomic proposal.
The resort that has just opened in Andorra is the great showcase and the best declaration of intent of the hotel concept that Serras Collection wants to develop and which, according to Bignone, is "unique in the sector". Located in Soldeu, at an altitude of 1,800 meters and only 500 meters from one of the ski lifts of the Grandvalira ski resort, the new Serras Luxury Boutique Resort & SPA has involved an investment of four million euros and has 57 rooms, double that of Barcelona. It is a unique hotel in Andorra due to having two private 200-meter ski slopes ---equipped with two ski lifts--- optimal for children and beginners that operate under the Ski Canaro brand. Their use is free for hotel guests, located at the foot of the slopes and steeped in history.
The new Serras Andorra is the successor of the old Hotel Canaro, an establishment that opened in the 1930s and which, according to Bignone, was the first hotel in the Principality. Owned by a well-known Andorran family, the Canaro was also the first hotel to have a heated pool and was a pioneer in launching Andorra's first artificial snow cannon.
The Canaro, which had four stars, closed as a result of the pandemic and in August 2021 became part of the Serras group thanks to the signing of a 30-year lease agreement. The proposal formulated by Jordi Serra and his team prevailed over the offers presented by other renowned hotel chains in a competitive process organized by Cushman & Wakefield. After winning the tender, the company immediately began renovation work on the establishment, which culminated this month with the launch of an exclusive spa and the change of the hotel's name, which now bears the Serras brand and has hung the first "full" sign for the Purísima long weekend.
"We have a very clear objective: to turn this mountain resort into a reference destination in Andorra", states Jordi Serra, very satisfied with how the hotel has turned out after the ambitious renovation. The cozy interior design, based on noble materials with a predominance of wood, is the work of Eva Martínez's studio. The businessman is convinced that the establishment "will be a success", as "Andorra is on fire". "Andorra has once again known how to reinvent itself and is fashionable", he highlights, after emphasizing the pulling effect and the substantial investments made by Grandvalira to consolidate itself year after year as the main ski area in the Pyrenees.
As soon as they cross the door that gives access to the hotel, guests can feel the "Serras experience" by receiving a hot towel to wash their hands and being offered a homemade punch made from cider, cinnamon, and spices. This "welcome ritual", executed by attentive staff, a hallmark of the house, is carried out in parallel with the transfer of the client's vehicle to the hotel's parking lot, which has all its spaces covered, an element that is also differential in Andorra. The parking lot also has one of the official charging points for Porsche electric cars. There is no need to worry about luggage or skis. The former will be transferred directly to the room and the skis will be stored in a locker in the Ski Room, located at the foot of the slope or the transfer that departs every five minutes to the Grandvalira lift. Not having to take the car to get to the slopes is indeed a luxury.
To prepare all the ski equipment, guests have the assistance of a ski butler, a butler who helps them put on their boots. They also have at their disposal the Ski concierge, who is in charge of buying their ski passes ---no more queuing at the station!--- and organizing any snow activity, such as a snowshoe excursion or a dog sled ride.
In the afternoon, upon returning from a day of skiing, the Serras Luxury Boutique Resort & SPA offers two unbeatable possibilities: relaxing in the spa or enjoying a signature cocktail on the outdoor Snow Terrace or in the Bar Lounge, equipped with comfortable armchairs by the warmth of the fireplace. In the spa, guests can enjoy a water circuit with jacuzzis, pressure jets, showers at various temperatures, and cervical jets. There is also a dry sauna and a Turkish bath equipped with a small pool of very hot water, although one then has to be brave enough to also immerse themselves in an extremely cold water pool to benefit from the contrast effect. The spa is complemented by an infrared cabin and exclusive facilities for massages or aesthetic treatments using creams from the Barcelona brand Sçens, 100% vegan and ecological. The gym is also equipped with the most advanced machinery from the Life Fitness brand.
But there is no luxury without good food, and at Serras Collection, gastronomy is an absolute priority, as well as a weakness of the owner, who is a great gourmet and wine expert. In this regard, for the Hotel Serras Barcelona, Jordi Serras signed chef Marc Gascons in 2014, whose restaurant Els Tinars (Llagostera) has a Michelin star. Gascons has redoubled his commitment to the group by also designing the culinary proposal for Serras Andorra, which features the gastronomic restaurant Bruna and a fromagerie specializing in fondues and racletts. The restaurant's spectacular wine list, with more than 400 references of Spanish and French wines, is particularly striking.
"I am sure that Bruna will become the best gastronomic restaurant in Andorra, where there are practically no establishments that have a Michelin-starred chef behind them," emphasizes Antonio Bignone. According to the general manager of Serras Collection, the hotel's philosophy is "not to impose limitations" on guests, who can eat at any time and wherever they want. "We never say no," says Carlos Cardona, the hotel director and head of a team of more than 40 employees.
With an average price of 80 euros, the signature restaurant Bruna opts for a menu based on local products and for offering classic Catalan dishes that are increasingly difficult to find, such as fricandó, escudella i carn d'olla, and cap i pota. The rustido croquettes, the vegetable cocotte, the artichoke salad, the onion soup, or the Calaf eggs with bacon, potato, and black truffle are some of the most appetizing starters that can be found at Bruna.
As a main course, the sausage, black sausage, and pumpkin rice stands out, or a salmon en papillote with vegetables and dill butter. Meat lovers will not be disappointed, as the menu features a special prominence of dishes based on Pyrenean Bruna breed veal, such as carpaccio with parmesan and capers or steak tartare with potatoes and fried egg. The star meat dish, however, is the grilled ribeye, pieces weighing over a kilo to share and accompany with roasted peppers, parmentier, or french fries.
In these first weeks of opening, the Serras Andorra already reaches average prices of between 395 and 420 euros per night, about one hundred euros below its older brother, the Serras Barcelona which, with an occupancy of 92%, this year has set its average rate at 500 to 520 euros per night. "Just like Andorra, Barcelona is also on fire, but the city could still be much better if mistakes like giving a Four Seasons to Madrid were not made. It was an immense mistake," says Jordi Serra.
55% of the clients of the Barcelona hotel come from the United States and, according to the hotelier, they show fascination for the city. "I have never understood why Barcelonans do not appreciate the seafront we have more, it is something wonderful!" he concludes in reference to what he considers the privileged location of his hotel, where, by the way, Pablo Picasso had his first studio when he resided in the Catalan capital.