Accor has rebranded the existing Pullman Barcelona Skipper, with the hotel becoming Sofitel’s flagship property in southern Europe.
Located in the city’s Port Olympic district next to the Ritz Carlton’s Hotels Arts Barcelona, the hotel originally opened in 2006 as Hotel AB Skipper, before joining the Pullman portfolio in 2009, when I last reviewed the property.
Under its present guise as the Sofitel Barcelona Skipper, the hotel features 225 rooms, two swimming pools, rooftop bar and restaurant El Cielo, and two further restaurants – Syrah, serving international dishes, and tapas bar and restaurant Tiendez.
The new owner – Swiss fund management company Propreal Capital Partners – has invested in the hotel, incorporating “avant-garde design, focusing in particular on the modernisation of the bars and restaurants”.
According to Accor the hotel’s design has been influenced by the Mediterranean blue of Barcelona and the white of Parisian buildings, with artwork in the rooms and hallways by Catalan artists Ya Ya Tur and Mario Ruiz.
Accor currently lists 21 properties in the Barcelona area, including the Fairmont Barcelona Rey Juan Carlos I (reviewed here in 2018), and the Novotel Barcelona City.
Commenting on the news Maud Bailly, general manager of Accor Southern Europe, said:
“The hotel is at a crossroads between the rich history of Catalonia and the modernity of Vila Olimpica, and we are very pleased to partner with Propreal for this landmark development.
“True to its DNA, this Sofitel mixes the French art of living and local culture, in a colorful syncretism. The Sofitel Barcelona Skipper aims to become a benchmark hotel in the city, a living space also for local communities, and a deeply committed player in terms of CSR.”
