Almost a century ago, the politician and businessman Francesc Cambó—whose devotion to preserving Catalonia’s unique cultural and linguistic contributions saw him become one of the great arts benefactors of his day—set his sights on his most towering project yet. Towering, quite literally: working with the celebrated Noucentisme architect, Adolf Florensa, he unveiled what was then the tallest building in Europe, nestled between Barcelona’s medieval districts of El Born and the Gothic Quarter. (It’s also alleged to have been the first building in the city with an elevator.)
And this summer, the historic building—which had been a hotel since the mid-2000s, but was given an extensive (and expensive) revamp by its new owners last year—reopened as the Grand Hotel Central, a new, laid-back gem in Barcelona’s already glittering hotel scene. First, there’s that unbeatable location, mere steps from all the city’s major sights and just a 15-minute stroll to the beach. Then, there’s the building’s grandiose trappings: its elegant facade of Montjuïc stone has been gently restored to make it one of the most striking exteriors along the entire Via Laietana.
Upon stepping inside the hotel’s theatrical revolving doors, however, there’s an immediate sense of calm. (You can partly thank the historic building methods for that: even though the clamor of tourists trawling through the city’s central streets is just outside, the thick stone walls mean you can’t hear a thing.) The lobby’s soaring ceilings and sturdy classical pillars are offset by slick contemporary details, from the glossy black marble cuboid reception desks to the striking sculpture that sits at an angle in front of the elevators, a fluid tangle of rippling red ribbons that resembles an enormous piece of coral dredged from the bottom of the (nearby) sea.
Photo: Courtesy of Grand Hotel Central