The well-being goes up to the rooftop: cocktails with collagen, yoga and LED masks at ME Barcelona

Cocktails with collagen, LED masks, yoga, and mindfulness sessions. These are some of the ingredients of the new Beautery Rooftop Parties with which ME Barcelona wants to turn Furtivo, its rooftop facing the Sagrada Familia, into a new urban wellness space. The initiative, which takes place every Wednesday at sunset, reflects an increasingly present trend in the hotel sector: the integration of wellness into social life and leisure.

The proposal was born after detecting a change in customer behavior. According to René Hoeltschl, general manager of ME Barcelona, wellness is no longer understood as an isolated activity but has become a way of life that encompasses nutrition, physical exercise, mental health, beauty, and rest. "Clients are no longer just looking for a treatment or buying a cream. They want to take care of themselves globally, from nutrition to stress management or physical exercise," he states.

The Beautery Rooftop Parties are part of a broader strategy with which the hotel seeks to position its rooftop as one of Barcelona's new urban wellness spaces. The experience combines DJ sessions at sunset, functional cocktails made with Sesén collagen, treatments with FOREO LED masks, and a gastronomic offer oriented towards healthy lifestyle habits.

In addition, participants can access a specific package that includes a collagen cocktail, hydrating eye contour patches, and a fifteen-minute session with LED technology, transforming the traditional afterwork into an experience linked to self-care. The initiative is complemented by a stable program of activities that includes yoga, breathwork, sound bath, stretching sessions, step dance, live music, workshops, and thematic gatherings. "We don't want people to just come for a drink. We want things to happen," summarizes Hoeltschl.

Beyond the guests staying at the hotel, the project has another objective: to attract the local public. Traditionally, luxury hotels have found it difficult to connect with city residents. In this case, a good part of the strategy precisely involves breaking this barrier and turning the establishment into a space open to Barcelonians.

In fact, according to the general director, most of the attendees to the first sessions of the Beautery Rooftop Party were not tourists, but city residents. "We want people to understand that you can also live in a hotel. That you can come to an activity, to eat, to have a drink or simply to enjoy an experience," he points out.

Barcelona also plays an important role in this commitment. For Hoeltschl, the city brings together some of the conditions that best fit this type of proposal: a strong gastronomic culture, interest in new trends, and a population accustomed to incorporating innovations related to well-being.

The initiative also responds to a broader change within the hotel industry. If for years luxury was mainly associated with the product, today it is increasingly linked to the experience. "Travelers have already seen many hotels and have traveled all over the world. What they are looking for now are authentic and personalized experiences," says Hoeltschl.

This change translates into proposals increasingly adapted to the interests of each guest. The hotel even has a specific team dedicated to designing personalized experiences and tailor-made surprises for clients, from activities linked to architecture or gastronomy to details designed based on their personal preferences. Authenticity is, precisely, another of the concepts that appear most frequently when talking about the future of the sector. Faced with standardized experiences that could be repeated in any city in the world, travelers seek proposals with their own identity and a more direct connection with the destination they visit.

Although the summer program is the most intense, the project is not designed only for the warm months. The rooftop will maintain activities throughout the year, adapting the frequency and format to each season.

During high season, the program includes a minimum of four weekly wellness activities, to which are added musical sessions, workshops, thematic meetings, and the Beautery Rooftop Party themselves. The goal is for this space to function as a lively place where things happen beyond the traditional hotel experience.

For Hoeltschl, wellness will be one of the major trends that will mark the evolution of hospitality in the coming years. "We will see more and more wellness, exercise, nutrition, and health integrated into the hotel experience. It's something that customers are already asking for." Meanwhile, in a city where rooftops compete for the best views, the proposal aims to differentiate itself by offering more than just a panoramic view of Barcelona.