Hotel Claris

Spain
Europe

The Experience

Long before Barcelona's current designer hotel boom, the Hotel Claris debuted as one of the city's first style-focused properties. It remains the hippest hotel in Barcelona thanks to a unique mix of contemporary architecture and ancient art. The building itself is the first example, with a central glass atrium set within an expertly renovated 19th-century palace and hidden behind an original belle époque facade. Light pours into the hotel, illuminating not only the modern furniture but also the ancient Roman statues and other original art pieces throughout the hotel, meticulously collected from Egypt, India and Europe.

The Rooms

Like the rest of the hotel, the Claris' rooms are filled with scores of original artwork from both the East and West. They're balanced by polished dark, tropical wood floors and a curious mix of mid-century modernist furniture alongside English antiques. In the bathrooms, look for the hotel's own take on fresh-smelling Agua Fresca, a light cologne for men and women. While standards are decently sized, the duplex suites ramp up the romance and design quotient with intricately patterned parquet floors, gallery-worthy furniture and steamy Jacuzzis sexily spread over two art- and light-filled floors.

The Service

The Claris' relatively small size and decade and a half of service allow it to handle its design, media and fashion world guests with grace and efficiency. Whether welcoming an accompanying pooch--a regular occurrence--or lending from its fleet of fun-sized Mercedes Smart cars, the hotel takes a whimsical approach to service that works well enough to keep its fans returning despite numerous other newer, hotter competitors.

The Highlights

Above reception, hotel owner Jordi Clos has created a complete museum to display his world-class collection of pre-Columbian art, the largest in all of Spain. More than 400 pieces in total are exhibited, including a large 5th-century Roman mosaic next to reception. But there's no forgetting that this is a hip hotel. At East 47, the Claris' sushi-meets-tapas-meets-caviar bar restaurant, the artwork is newer, though no less impressive, including a nice collection of iconic Warhols. And on the roof is perhaps the Claris' most stunning feature: a pool surrounded by comfortable chaise lounges, a chic, cozy café, a hip DJ booth and a view out over the rooftops of Barcelona.

 

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