The Meliá group will reopen the Juan Carlos I hotel in Barcelona in January, renamed the Gran Meliá Miranda de Pedralbes, after an investment of more than 40 million euros in the reform of the complex, which includes the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya and 25,000 m2 of gardens .
The Tyrus Capital fund, the new owner of the hotel, and the directors of the chain presented the project yesterday, finally unraveled after the court ruling that last week dismissed the lawsuit from Fairmont, the former manager, who wanted to continue operating the establishment , which closed three years ago due to the pandemic.
Ramón Vidal, the new director of the complex, explained that the Palau de Congressos will reopen on October 1, with events already planned for the coming months, and he expects the hotel to start the year with an occupancy rate of around 65% and 300 workers. which will reach 400 when fully operational. The name change, he pointed out, refers to the fact that it is “the great viewpoint” over the city of Barcelona.
The reform will reduce the number of hotel rooms, from 432 to 391, to make them more luxurious, so that it will have 65 suites, VIP rooms and 30 long-stay rooms. The jewel of the establishment will be the Penthouse Suite Red Level, a room that will have three floors of accommodation, a kitchenette and private terrace and pool. Its price will not drop below 2,000 euros per night, compared to the average price of the rooms, which will be around 300 euros per night. The complex will also have two outdoor swimming pools, a lake, a wellness club, elite restaurants and a beach club that aims to become the “reference” place in the city during spring and summer.
The representative of Tyrus Capital, Manuel Juste, explained that the reform of the Palau includes the total renovation of the roofs, furniture and technological equipment. It will also make the building more versatile, to enable smaller rooms and hold several events simultaneously.
The general director of operations of Meliá in Catalonia, Alberto Lalinde, explained that this is the largest hospitality project in Europe and will be “one of the leading urban resorts” on the continent. “There is nothing similar at the moment for the tourism of events, meetings and congresses,” said Vidal.
The Miranda de Pedralbes will be the seventh hotel that Meliá has in the city of Barcelona and the fourteenth in Catalonia. Lalinde advanced that Meliá has planned another opening in Lloret de Mar and that it is negotiating other openings in the Principat.
