Review: the Grand Hyatt Barcelona hotel

This is our review of the Grand Hyatt Barcelona hotel.

It is one of two Barcelona reviews we’ll be running in July because, before I accepted an invitation from Hyatt, I had already booked a stay at Marriott’s Hotel Arts for the following weekend.

Hyatt organised a media trip to promote its MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) capabilities, and in particular the rebranded and upgraded Grand Hyatt Barcelona.

Whilst the hotel is heavily driven by events during the week, at the weekends and at holiday periods it morphs into an urban resort. The F&B, pool and spa facilities here are good and you don’t necessarily need to spend much time outside the hotel to have a relaxing break.

You can find out more about the hotel on the Grand Hyatt Barcelona website here.

Wasn’t this hotel already a Hyatt?

There are two Hyatt hotels in Barcelona. One is Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, which was previously branded as Hesperia and NH Collection.

The other is the Grand Hyatt, which has been trading under this name since 3rd April this year.

If the image looks familiar, the hotel operated as InterContinental Princess Sofia Barcelona before undergoing a full refurbishment and reopening as Hotel SOFIA in 2018. It became part of Hyatt’s The Unbound Collection, which was a slightly odd choice because this is a brand aimed at unique or boutique properties.

The hotel was taken over by its creditors during the pandemic. The new owners switched to the Grand Hyatt brand – giving it more credibility with organisers of large events – which would require Hyatt to manage the hotel directly. Event bookings are apparently up 30% since the intention to rebrand was announced in 2023.

A further €20 million has been spent on top of the €100 million invested in 2018, including a new Peruvian rooftop restaurant. The final piece of the jigsaw will be a new ground floor restaurant from a Michelin-starred chef which will open by the end of the year.

Where is Grand Hyatt Barcelona?

The hotel is situated at the top of Avenida Diagonal in the financial district of Barcelona, very close to a branch of El Corte Ingles. The Nou Camp football stadium was, before it was demolished, literally 60 seconds walk around the corner – the new stadium is due to open on the same site next year.

Maria Cristina is the nearest metro station, about five minutes away. It is an easy drive from the airport because you do not need to navigate through the city centre, although it is still 15km away.

The high end neighbourhoods of Barcelona are close to the hotel, giving it – despite the bulk of the building – a residential feel. Locals are apparently heavy users of the hotel bars and restaurants.

Rooms at Grand Hyatt Barcelona

The hotel has 465 guest rooms including 49 suites and a three bedroom penthouse. We used this for a press conference and it turned out to be bigger than my house at 319 sq m.

Don’t believe me? Here’s the living area of the penthouse, which comes with its own bar:

There are two styles of room decoration. I had a King Premium room which is the pricier option. Premium rooms are all 29 sq m, whilst standard rooms come in 24 sq m and 29 sq m variants.

I didn’t see a standard room and it isn’t clear what is different apart from the decor. Both classes of room advertise the same amenities – 49 inch TV, minibar, Nespresso machine and tea facilities, bathrobes, slippers and Natura Bisse bath amenities. The Premium room has better quality seating, looking at the photos.

As you can see, there is a definite art deco edge to the design:

From the other angle you can see the classy wood pannelling on the back wall:

These two smart chairs were by the window:

There was also, as you’d expect for a hotel aimed at the MICE market, a proper desk with a decent chair and a multitude of sockets.

The tea and coffee facilities don’t cut corners either – there are mugs, espresso cups, takeaway cups, a coffee machine, a kettle, a range of different teas and some UHT milk.

The art deco theme continues in the bathroom, with a smart double sink.

The loo is to the left whilst this good sized dual head shower is to the right, with Natura Bisse toiletries:

Whilst 29 sq m isn’t huge, the room was well appointed and comfortable. I had a view away from the city but some rooms have views over the centre and (one mile away) the sea.

Executive lounge at Grand Hyatt Barcelona

If you have Globalist status with World of Hyatt, or choose to pay extra for a room with club access, you can use the 18th floor lounge.

It is NOT your typical club operation because it is only open from 11am to 5pm. Light snacks and drinks are available during this time.

Breakfast is taken in the restaurant (7am to 10.30am) and a selection of tapas are available in the bar between 5pm and 7pm. Due to my pre-planned schedule I never saw this in person so I don’t know how much is on offer.

Food and drink at Grand Hyatt Barcelona

Breakfast is served in 1mpar, a dedicated breakfast area, but it also stretches across a number of connected rooms. This is confusing but does allow for a range of different seating options – indoor and outdoor, booths, standard tables etc.

The buffet is extensive, especially the range of fresh fruit and pastries. A la carte options are available without an extra charge including the full range of egg dishes, avocado toast and waffles.

The only thing I’d say is that it felt a little odd at the buffet being surrounded by these large hams!

Maymanta

A key reason to stay at the hotel is to eat at Maymanta. This is a Peruvian restaurant in a new space created on the roof of the hotel.

As well as having amazing views across the city, the food genuinely offers something different. To placate us visiting Brits we ate early (8pm) but it was only really getting going when I left around 11pm. It is open until midnight or 1.30am depending on the day and was planning to trial 3am closing. Luckily it opens at noon so there is no need to eat late!

Other options include:

• Lena by Dani Garcia – this new steak restaurant from the Michelin-starred chef is under construction to open later in the year

• Pool Bar – which despite its name is both a bar and restaurant on a large outdoor terrace by the pool

• Philosofia – a cafe on the ground floor (image below) with an open-air terrace overlooking Avenida Diagonal

• Sofia Bar & Tapas – a restaurant on the ground floor with indoor and outdoor seating

• 1mpar – a space used exclusively for breakfast

Pool and spa

Following substantial investment, the hotel now offers the first spa to be opened under the Oasis Spa by Natura Bisse brand. It covers 1,100 sq m.

It is a lovely space, including a 75 sq m indoor pool (with hydromassage and a water circuit) and waterfall, a Turkish steam area, a sauna and private cabins for treatments.

For once, very rare in HfP reviews, I did try out the spa as the hotel offered me a massage which I was happy to accept.

Separate from the spa is a ‘long but narrow’ outdoor pool complete with a pool bar and restaurant.

There is also a gym, which I didn’t see, open 24/7.

MICE facilities

As I was in Barcelona to learn more about how MICE hotels operate, I should touch on the huge range of conference and meeting facilities available here.

The hotel has 22 different spaces, from small meeting rooms to a ballroom of 860 sq m that can host 800. There is 3,700 sq m of event space in total. 2/3rd of the spaces have natural light.

There is a standalone entrance and reception desk for groups which can help speed up check-in and stop general guests being disrupted.

I need to give a special mention to Zuu. Originally designed as a cabaret club inside the hotel, it proved so popular with event organisers – usually for final night parties or award events – that it is now used exclusively for groups. Apparently many events double up with an opening night party in the rooftop restaurant.

It’s a slice of 1920s Berlin transplanted to 2020s Barcelona. The loos are especially bizarre, trust me.

I was told that Hyatt had seen more than 31,000 meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions enquiries in Europe in Q1 this year, which was up 8% on 2023. Activity is continuing to bounce back post pandemic.

Conclusion

Whilst the hotel has a strong MICE element, I wrote this review from the point of view of a leisure guest. That said, if you are an event organiser I think the quality of the rooms, restaurants and leisure facilities is just as important as the meeting spaces, and Grand Hyatt Barcelona scores well here.

(The ‘bleisure’ trend, with travellers looking to combine work and personal travel on the same trip, continues to be a thing. There is, I was told, a greater willingness by corporates to pro-actively offer discounted additional nights or additional rooms for family members to encourage delegates to attend.)

If you are looking to book a leisure trip midweek outside of the summer you may find that the hotel is booked out for an event. At weekends, however, it is apparently quiet and you can enjoy the many facilities in relative peace.

If you are a first time visitor to Barcelona I can understand why you may want to stay directly in the main tourist area or on the beach (Hotel Arts review on the way) – although you’ll pay less and arguably get more at the Grand Hyatt.

For the returning visitor, I think the food and leisure facilities here, along with attractive weekend rates (from €230), allow you to revisit key tourist sites whilst knowing you can head back to a good meal or a relaxing visit to the spa or pool.

As a redemption, you will pay between 17,000 and 23,000 World of Hyatt points per night. Note that the America’s Cup yachting will distort cash pricing from late August to late October.

Get special deals with our travel agent partner

If you are booking for cash you may be better off booking via Emyr Thomas, our Virtuoso agent partner. Emyr can access a number of additional benefits under the Hyatt Prive scheme, including:

• Upgrade to next category at time of booking, subject to expected future occupancy
• Complimentary breakfast for two daily for duration of the stay
• $100 USD equivalent hotel credit once per stay
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability 

To get these benefits, simply reach out to Emyr via this contact form.

The Grand Hyatt Barcelona is website is here if you want to book or learn more.

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