Review: Hotel Arts Barcelona, managed by The Ritz-Carlton (Marriott Bonvoy)

This is my review of the Hotel Arts Barcelona.

I originally reviewed this hotel back in 2019, and liked it so much that I decided I should bring my family back one day. (I’ve spent over £5,000 in the last year returning to hotels we originally stayed at for free to review!) With my daughter finishing school early after her GCSEs we decided to go on a father daughter break.

I paid cash for the stay, although the hotel gave me club lounge access to allow me to review it. Unlike other brands, lounge access at The Ritz-Carlton, which manages the hotel, is not a benefit for elite Bonvoy members because they are of a far higher standard. There are usually five food presentations per day plus high end free flowing drinks.

The Ritz-Carlton cannot trade under that name in Spain, Portugal or the UK due to existing Ritz-branded hotels. The Ritz-Carlton hotels in these countries trade under their own names, often with ‘A Ritz-Carlton Hotel’ mentioned alongside. Hotel Arts has dropped the ‘A Ritz-Carlton Hotel’ suffix since I was there in 2019 although the staff still have @ritzcarlton.com email addresses.

The Hotel Arts Barcelona website is here.

Why the current refurbishment is good news

I should start off by saying that the hotel has just started a complete refurbishment. It will be overhauled over 2-3 years whilst remaining open, so if you are reading this in 2027 I wouldn’t waste your time going any further.

For now, it is good news. Scaffolding covers one full side of the hotel and three complete room floors are closed at any one time. This means capacity has dropped from 455 rooms to around 250.

Based on my stay, there are no queues for breakfast and no pressure to get a seat at the pool. Indeed, we were often the only people at the adult pool.

The situation may change when they start work on the restaurants, public areas and the two pools, but for now it’s a great time to go.

Do note that, until the end of October, pricing will be impacted by the Americas Cup yachting. The hotel is next to the marina which will be the base for the racing.

Location

The Hotel Arts was built as part of the 1992 Olympics preparations, before which the beach area had been neglected and cut off from the centre.  Barcelona is still a sprawl, and it is a decent stroll from La Rambla to the hotel.  You can walk to Sagrada Familia in about 20 minutes.

The nearest metro station is about 10 minutes walk although you can connect to a tram which takes you nearer to the hotel.  The hotel runs a free shuttle bus every 45 minutes from 10.30am to 5.15pm to Placa Catalunya in the heart of the city.

The upside of being away from the centre is, of course, that you are virtually on the beach and have access to two impressive outdoor pools.  I felt it was a trade-off worth making.

My room at Hotel Arts

In normal times, the hotel has 455 rooms, including 56 suites, although due to the refurbishment it will be running with just 250 in the medium term.

I had booked a twin bed Panoramic Room With Sea View via American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, to guarantee a 4pm check-out. I was upgraded to a twin bed Executive Suite, albeit one without a sea view! Upgrades are not guaranteed on Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings but are usually provided. I wasn’t told I was upgraded and wasn’t told that I no longer had a direct sea view!

This was our very spacious bedroom:

The decor is, it has to be said, plain – although apparently in keeping with typical Spanish domestic styles. The new look, which I wasn’t allowed to see (only a handful of rooms had been done at the time of my stay, none currently for sale), is meant to be far more interesting.

The window above the desk had a direct view of the Sagrada Familia – the photo doesn’t do it justice at all:

All of the suites sit in the corners of the building, so you also get a side view from the bedroom. From ours we could see the marina (and a bit of the scaffolding being used for the renovation):

The bathrooms in the suites are too big to photograph well. You get smart double sink basins:

…. plus these h-u-g-e showers. The Asprey toiletries used in 2019 have been replaced by Diptyque products in large bottles. There is also a second loo and sink by the entrance.

The suite had this residential-style seating area which, to be honest, we hardly used. Whilst it was obviously good to be upgraded to a suite, we never took advantage of it. In most hotels my happy place is a Junior Suite (ie a single large open plan room) where I find I can make better use of the space.

I asked the hotel to show me a standard room. These are, apparently, the largest standard rooms of any luxury hotel in Barcelona:

Even the standard rooms have a large bathroom:

There are penthouses too ….

Uniquely, the top floors of the hotel – it has 44 floors in total – contain 28 one, two and three bedroom duplex penthouses.  These are bookable via the hotel website.

I had a tour of one back in 2019 and they are amazing, especially the views.   Each comes with a kitchen, lounge and dining area.

The Club Lounge

The Club Lounge is exclusively for guests who have booked a room with executive floor privileges.  It is an impressive space on the 33rd floor with a triple height ceiling and great views across the marina and coastline.

Guests with club access can check in and check out in the lounge, which is open between 7am and 11pm.  Club guests get two free pieces of ironing per day, although the 2019 benefit of complimentary morning tea or coffee delivered to your room has been withdrawn.

The Ritz-Carlton hotels have a good reputation for the quality of their lounges.  You traditionally get five different food offerings each day, and Barcelona follows the same model.

The timings are:

• Breakfast – 7am to 11.30am
• Snack selection – 1pm to 4pm
• Tea time – 4.30pm to 7pm
• Evening hors d’oeuvres – 7.30pm to 9pm
• Desserts – 9.30pm to 10.30pm

Barcelona is not short of amazing places to eat and I wouldn’t suggest you sit around the hotel just to take advantage of the free food and drink. However, whenever we popped in the selection was impressive and the evening dishes were filling enough to keep you going if you were stuck working in the hotel.

Spa and leisure facilities at Hotel Arts Barcelona

If you need to justify to your partner why you’re staying on the edge of the city centre and not amongst the crowds near La Rambla, tell them about the leisure facilities.

During the previous renovation in 2016, the hotel added an adults-only infinity pool. You can see Frank Gehry’s iconic fish sculpture behind it:

We had this to ourselves for most of the time we were there. On the lower level is a larger family pool:

There is also a small jacuzzi which tended to be used a toddler pool when turned off.  Oh, and of course you’ve got the beach and the sea about 60 seconds walk from the front entrance.

The spa at Hotels Arts Barcelona

I won’t dwell too much on this, since it is not free to hotel guests – albeit this keeps it quiet and exclusive – and it will move from its current location on the 42nd and 43rd floors as part of the refurbishment.

It is a little bonkers and worth visiting. Who doesn’t want to visit a 42nd floor plunge pool? I think you’ll also struggle to find a hotel spa with a better view from its relaxation room than this one:

Food and drink

You won’t be going hungry or thirsty at Hotel Arts.

If you want fine dining, there is Enoteca Paco Perez.  This fish-based restaurant has two Michelin stars and a wine cellar with 700 options.

This is a PR photograph, because it is better than anything I could take, although we were generously given a tour of the restaurant and the (amazingly small) kitchen:

Sensibly – because breakfast buffets and formal restaurants rarely suit the same sort of space – the hotel has a dedicated breakfast room called Lokal.  The hotel has made a lot of effort to include Spanish specialities instead of producing another bland ‘international’ buffet.

A la carte items are available for no additional charge, although I will save you another eggs royale photo!

There is a large outdoor seating area, and with almost half of the rooms closed off due to the renovation it was never an issue getting a spot.

For drinks, you have the very smart P41 bar:

You also have Bites, a cafe and informal dining space just behind reception, The Pantry, a Meditteranean restaurant, and a Summer-only outdoor restaurant called Marina Coastal Club which I can recommend:

In general, whilst the hotel is obviously family friendly with its pool and easy beach access, there is a lot for adults who want a classy weekend of eating and drinking.

Conclusion

My 2019 stay here was in January, so it was a pleasure to come back in June and finally take advantage of the pools and the outdoor eating opportunities.

If you want to be at the heart of the action in Barcelona then this is not the best choice.  The ‘action’ in Barcelona can be full-on, however, and for a more laid back break – either with family enjoying the pool and beach, or with adults enjoying the two Michelin-starred restaurant and classy bar – this is a good choice.  The phrase ‘urban resort’ is often overused, including by me, but this is a perfect example – there is also a surprising amount of grassy space in the hotel grounds which my photos don’t highight.

Pricing is all over the place until the winter due to the Americas Cup yachting which takes place directly opposite, so I won’t give examples. You should also keep an eye on the website for the state of the renovation – at the moment it’s in your favour (a lot of rooms closed off so the facilities are quiet) but at some point in 2025/26 we will start to see the pools and restaurants being disrupted.

If you are planning a cash stay, I recommend getting a quote from Emyr Thomas, our hotel booking partner. He can access special packages – priced at the standard Best Flexible Rate – which include free breakfast, $100 per stay to spend in the hotel and a potential upgrade. You can contact Emyr via the form here.

Thanks to Pol for giving us a great tour of the hotel.

The Hotel Arts Barcelona website is here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (October 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)