Sunset Hospitality Group adds new five-star luxury hotel to portfolio in Spain

It is partnering with Atom Hoteles, which has bought two of Barcelona's most exclusive hotels

The two hotels that the Spanish real estate investment trust Atom Hoteles has just bought in Barcelona already have someone to manage them. In fact, the announcement of the acquisition includes the names of the two companies that will be responsible for bringing them back into the exclusive five-star luxury tourism market to which they belong. Atom has paid 50 million euros for two of the ten establishments in this category in the city.

Dubai-based Sunset Hospitality Group will operate the Gran Hotel La Florida on a tenant basis following a partnership with Atom Hoteles. Meanwhile, the real estate investment trust has announced that the US firm Hyatt International will manage the Miramar, a building that was created as a restaurant for the 1929 Universal Exhibition and which, before becoming a hotel, was the headquarters of the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation in Catalonia.

Expanding its presence in Spain
For Sunset Hospitality Group, the Gran Hotel La Florida is an important step towards expanding the presence of its Sunset Hotels&Resorts division in Spain. The company already stepped on the accelerator in the last quarter of 2023 by launching this subsidiary, which plans to open 20 new hotels over the next three years in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, in addition to the current six.

The Dubai brand will manage its new hotel under the Social Living Collection brand, which it reserves for select establishments in special locations. Following the imminent refurbishment of the building, which will be carried out by Atom Hoteles, it is scheduled to open before its first centenary in 2025.

Panoramic views
La Florida is located on Tibidabo hill, just a few minutes from the centre of Barcelona. It has 70 rooms that will share panoramic views of the city with a spa, swimming pool and restaurants. Built in 1924, it functioned as a military hospital during the Civil War and did not reopen as a hotel until 1950. Since then, celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, James Stewart, George Sanders, Rock Hudson, Queen Fabiola, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen have graced its rooms.

In 2023, the company opened two hotels in Marbella (Malaga) under the METT Hotels & Resorts and Azure brands, as well as three restaurants, plus a fourth restaurant in Ibiza (Balearic Islands).

Photo: GMA