Barcelona is finally seeing an end to the days where a shortage of hotel rooms was acutely felt at certain times of the year, including the boat show, the F1 Grand Prix or the large scale trade fairs and conferences.

The city has seen a huge increase in tourism over the last decade and the construction of news hotels combined with renovating existing buildings to such a standard that they could be converted to hotels is forecast to continue well into the future.

The choice of hotel is often down to the purpose of visiting Barcelona and perhaps can be broken down into three criteria – cost, location and facilities. While many tourists choose the old town, with its darkly narrow streets within easy walking distance of the Ramblas, many business travellers choose hotels close to the Fira.

The top areas for tourists are the Ramblas, the gothic quarter and Passeig de Gràçia, as well as El Born for the nightlife. Hotel Arts is also popular, but located in the Port Olimpic area and not so convenient, although taxis are reasonably cheap compared with many cities, although can be in short supply at weekends and throughout August.

One of the problems with some hotel booking websites is that they aren’t always accurate about where they are located, and many hotels that are described as being in Barcelona are a long way out. It is easy to check though as hotels in Barcelona city will always have a 5-digit postcode starting 080.

There are a number of hotels right on the Ramblas, although you should be aware that the lower end of the street becomes the city’s prime red-light district in the early hours, although the city council is making moves to clean up the whole area.

The top end of the Ramblas, towards Plaça Catalunya, is much better and home to such hotels as 5-star Le Meridien and Hotel 1898. Close by, in the gothic quarter is the Rialto and directly opposite the cathedral is Hotel Colon. Other hotels of note include Banys Orientals in El Born, to which the popular Senyor Parallada restaurant is attached; the 5-star Majestic Hotel on Passeig de Gràcia, with the Claris nearby; and Barceló Sants. The latter is really aimed at business travellers, but as it is directly above Barcelona-Sants station is ideal for the metro and mainline stations, although there are currently massive works going on there due to the high speed train.

Barcelona hosts dozens of major exhibitions and conferences and so there are several hotels within easy walking distance, although you’ll probably want to make your way into the city centre too. 4-star Hotel Plaza is the obvious example and there is a metro station that runs straight into the centre too, but the three big hotels near Sants station are a good bet too.

However, if you’re looking for luxurious surroundings and first class service then you won’t beat the elegance of hotels such as the Majestic, Claris or Le Meridien.

David Leigh
http://www.barcelona-hotels-online.com/