Claris Hotel & Spa, 30 years of commitment, evolution and vision for the future in Barcelona
The Clos family highlights the value of a pioneering space such as La Terraza del Claris and is committed to a future of innovation and excellence.
The Clos family is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Claris Hotel & Spa 5*GL “at La Terraza del Claris, a pioneering space in Barcelona that opened the hotel rooftops to locals and visitors alike. “I didn’t want to make just another hotel,” recalls Jordi Clos, president of Derby Hotels Collection, “at a time when the city was growing, I dreamed of modernising the hotel industry in Barcelona,” explains the architect of the project, which was conceptually born around 1987 and inaugurated in 1992. “Claris was the hotel benchmark that guided the city in the Olympic challenge – adds Clos – now, 30 years later, it is time to recover all that enthusiasm and excitement to make Barcelona bigger once again”, he concludes.
The opening of hotel Claris in 1992 was a clear commitment to the luxury accommodation sector at a time of innovation and transformation during the Olympic Games. The acquisition by Derby Hotels of Palacio Vedruna, at the junction of Pau Claris and Valencia street, was crucial to the realisation of Jordi Clos’ intentions in the late 1980s. The century-old façade, dating from 1890, was kept intact as an added historical value, to give way to a modern building with a glass exterior. The final result resized the original construction; a work signed by the most leading team of architects of the time: Oriol Bohigas, Martorell and Mackay.
Hotel Claris has evolved over the last thirty years at a constant pace and in tune with Barcelona. The Clos family has positioned its flagship in the luxury hotel sector by investing in comfort in the rooms, adapting common areas to corporate audiences, as well as installing the Mayan Secret Spa and introducing Premium gastronomic proposals, for both guests and locals.
The vision for the future of the business man Jordi Clos was crucial in the opening of the project, which the hotelier profoundly marked with his patronage of art and urban heritage. Claris initially housed the first - and still the only - Egyptian Museum in Barcelona, result of Jordi Clos' passion and commitment, which, thirty years later, still maintains with the same intensity. Today, Claris Hotel & Spa offers guests and visitors a museum of pre-Columbian art located on the first floor. Derby Hotels Collection in general, and the Claris Hotel in particular, have always added cultural value to their accommodation and restaurant offerings, exhibiting valuable art pieces in the rooms and common areas.
Located just a few metres away from Paseo de Gracia, Claris Hotel & Spa 5*GL continues to shine after 30 years in Palacio Vedruna and is leading a future based on new urban trends: signature cocktails, gourmet cuisine, unique spaces and personalised service.
Claris Hotel & Spa and its terrace, with 30 years of history, represent the beginning of an autumn of celebrations and novelties that will make Derby Hotels Collection reassure its commitment to gastronomy and excellence in all its establishments.
Jordi and Joaquim Clos have entrusted the restauration of Hotel Claris to the chef Jesús Pastor, who will sign the new gastronomic proposal for the entire hotel. He will be in charge of events and will head a new Asian cuisine space located in the hall - scheduled to open at the end of the year - in addition to the restaurant La Terraza del Claris, a space open during winter time in Barcelona. Starting this autumn, diners and guests will discover a menu that will remain faithful to the quality of the product and provides luxury down to the smallest detail, in an atmosphere of elegance and exclusivity.
The young chef arrives at the restaurant La Terraza del Claris after working at different luxury hotels in Barcelona and also at Quique Dacosta's restaurant "El Poblet" in Denia (Alicante).
Claris Hotel & Spa 5*GL forecasts an occupancy rate of over 70% in accommodation for this year 2022. October will reach higher levels due to the different events in the city, with an estimated 80% of foreign tourism. The American market will have again the first position, representing more than 25% of the international market followed by the English and French markets. The Clos family consider these figures to be positive, and believe it is due to the personalised and flexible service that they have implemented in all their establishments since 2020. "We listen to our guests and adapt to their needs - explains Joaquim Clos, general manager of Derby Hotels Collection - the international situation means that our differentiation is the connection with a privileged destination such as Barcelona, especially this autumn, full of interesting urban events, and also at Christmas", he adds.
A new future in Madrid
The event at the Claris is the first in a series of milestones in store for Derby Hotels Collection in 2022. In October, the Hotel Urban 5*GL in Madrid, the company's flagship in the Spanish capital, will reopen CEBO restaurant and begins a new phase under the direction of the chefs Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo. The two young chefs from Albacete, promoters of Cañitas Maite, have been awarded with different prizes, such as the Revelation Chefs Awards at Madrid Fusion 2021, as well as being authors of the Best Croquette and Best Pickled Fish in the same competition. Now they will lead the new CEBO proposal with an innovative, creative and fresh spirit.
The gastronomic proposal of the Urban hotel will be completed with the recovery of the Glass Bar as a signature cocktail bar thanks to the alliance between Derby Hotels Collection and SIPS, in what will be the first project of the bartenders Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez in Madrid.
"The Sips family is growing, the creative restlessness always makes us fly, create, innovate and above all, explore. In this case, Sips wanted to explore new territories. After the two spaces in Barcelona, Drinkery House and Esencia, now a new space will come, Glass By Sips, in the heart of the Urban hotel in Madrid, where the creative DNA will be integrated into the DNA of the hotel to create a unique space where you can try Sips' best-known creations", explains Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale.
"We are clear about the premium experience we want to offer," says Joaquim Clos, general manager and second generation at the helm of Derby Hotels Collection, "and our challenge is the digitalisation and sustainability. We have to be visionaries of the Barcelona of the future," he says.
For further press information: Derby Hotels Collection +34 93 366 88 00 |