A Modern Twist on Artful Chic: The Hotel Claris Barcelona

The luxury design Hotel Claris Barcelona is anything but your typical five-star, 500-million plus room chain hotel. Perfectly complimenting the architectural audaciousness of the city that surrounds it, Hotel Claris is a wonderland full of curiosities and class and I feel like Alice exploring a new artful realm inside a hotel rabbit-hole. Except the rabbit-hole is a modern metal-and-glass building encased in the shell of an old 18^th Century Palace called Verdruna, and the antiquities, like the collection of Egyptian carvings, Columbian artworks and Turkish Kilims that adorn each room, are a perfect fusion of the modern and the classic.

Created by the Clos family, and helmed by the architectural mastermind Jordi Clos, who also just happens to be a well-known Egyptologist in the European art-world, The Hotel Claris Barcelona is part of the wider Derby Hotel collection owned by the family, which includes a small number of luxury design hotels similar in their artful and elegant ethos situated in Madrid, London and Paris.

With an eclectic and contemporary approach to design, it’s easy to see why this hotel is an icon of the Barcelona creative class. But that doesn’t mean business travelers need to miss-out. In fact, there is such an enticing platter of room types available, from bohemian duplex’s to classy junior suites, and sleek superior spaces to “bat-cave” basic yet stylish rooms – all with vastly diverse interiors and layouts – there is an abode to suit even the most peculiar of tastes at Hotel Claris.

Speaking of rooms, the spacious duplex or loft suite where I lay my head to rest for a couple of days was littered with gorgeous restored 18^th century accents, precious artworks, ancient rugs and finished with some modern touches like the hanging “net” lamps (pictured), oriental-minimalist wardrobes, and a stylish stone bathroom. Split-level meant super-high-ceilings – a hotel’s way to my heart – and the floor-to-ceiling view of the bustling Eixample neighborhood below was an added bonus.

Hotel Claris: The Lowdown

Vibe	Sleek and sophisticated
Think	Cleopatra meets vicky christina barcelona
Sound	Lana Del Ray
Crowd	Creative media types or business peeps with character
Highlights	The chic palm-springs inspired rooftop pool (with cacti dotted all over the place) and the rooftop restaurant (order the Beef Tartare and Tuna Carpaccio).  The service – it really shows when staff are proud of where they work.  The location – just steps away from the Passeig de Gracia (famous shops, Gaudi architecture)
Lowlights	Whilst the WiFi throughout the hotel was fantastic and fast, the rooftop WiFi was intermittent, which kind of sucks when you want to do work by the pool.
Opened In	1992. Renovated several times, most recently this year.
Amenities	All the 5-stay mod-cons, free and fast WiFi, Air-Con, concierge-service.
Price	Just the right price for a perfectly chic and boutique stay. From €220