Hotels with history

Peninsular1
Hotels with history

Hotel Peninsular: one of the most photogenic patios in the city

Javier Ortega Figueiral
We already touched upon it when visiting the Hotel España for our eighth instalment, and now we return to explore another establishment: the Peninsular. A hotel steeped in history – and brimming with stories – that stands in many ways as an exception across the city's hospitality landscape: it has...
The eyes designed by Frederic Amat, now the most distinctive feature of the exterior of Hotel Ohla. © Aqua Hotel
Hotels with history

Ohla! A thousand eyes, the police and a department store

Javier Ortega Figueiral
We return to Via Laietana for Chapter 27 of Hotels with History: the fortnightly series published by The New Barcelona Post. This time, we visit number 49, where the Ohla watches us. Literally. A thousand eyes. This was once the site of a department store that carried far more weight...
One of the rooms in this historic building. © Mercer Hotel
Hotels with history

Hotel Mercer: the city wall and a Pritzker Prize

Javier Ortega Figueiral
The Lledó family was an important dynasty in the history of Barcelona. The city remembers them with a street in Ciutat Vella. The street is pedestrianised and narrow, the kind that fascinates travellers seeking special corners in the Catalan capital. Some pause before the large door at number 7 to...