Key Notes
- RIU has acquired Grand Hyatt Barcelona, its first hotel in the city.
- Management is due to transfer on April 1, 2027, when the property joins RIU Plaza.
- The hotel’s current facilities include a seasonal garden pool, spa, rooftop dining and meeting spaces.
RIU Hotels & Resorts has bought Grand Hyatt Barcelona, the landmark hotel formerly known as Princesa SofĂa, securing its first property in the Catalan capital. The 465-room hotel is scheduled to come under RIU management on April 1, 2027, when it joins the company’s RIU Plaza city-hotel collection.
The group confirmed the purchase from Blasson Property Investments and BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts on October 30. Its announcement does not disclose a transaction price.
RIU Finally Secures a Barcelona Address
Chief executive Luis Riu said the company had spent more than a decade looking for an opportunity in Barcelona, a priority since RIU Plaza launched in 2010. The property will become the collection’s 14th hotel, joining an urban portfolio that includes Madrid, London, New York and Chicago.
The purchase gives RIU an established hotel to work with, rather than a new building awaiting completion. For travelers, the important distinction is between the acquisition and the later management handover: the announcement sets a future operating date, rather than presenting a newly opened RIU hotel ready for an immediate stay.
A Large City Hotel With a Resort-Style Pool
The existing hotel combines accommodation, restaurants, wellness facilities and substantial space for events. Its garden-set outdoor pool offers a different setting from a compact sightseeing hotel, although the current property website lists the pool as seasonal, closed from October and reopening in April.
Dining includes Maymanta, the Peruvian restaurant on the 19th floor, and Leña by Dani GarcĂa. The Oasis Wellness Spa by Natura BissĂ© includes a hydrotherapy circuit, sauna and Turkish bath, while the fitness center is open around the clock. Those are features of the hotel’s current offering; RIU has not detailed how every facility will operate after the transition.
Hyatt’s opening announcement dates the Grand Hyatt debut to April 2024, following refurbishment and repositioning. It described 22 meeting rooms alongside accommodation ranging from guestrooms to suites and a penthouse, underlining the building’s role in both leisure stays and business events.
A Base Near Camp Nou and Pedralbes
The hotel’s current address is Plaça de Pius XII, close to Avinguda Diagonal and Spotify Camp Nou. This puts the property in the city’s western hotel and business districts, rather than amid the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter. It is a location to weigh against the places a visitor actually plans to spend time.
For a match-focused break, nearby meetings or a stay built around hotel facilities, that setting may be part of the appeal. Travelers planning repeated visits to the old town should compare their daily journeys before choosing a base, rather than treating every Barcelona hotel as interchangeable.
What Travelers Should Watch Before the Handover
RIU has confirmed the management date and future brand collection, but has not published a detailed renovation program, new room rates or arrangements for bookings spanning the change. Travelers considering an April 2027 stay should ask the hotel or booking provider which operator, benefits and facilities apply to their dates.
The planned change also sits alongside the different ways hotel brands are developing in Spain and beyond. We previously covered RIU’s Fuerteventura renovation and Hyatt’s planned Berlin conversion. In Barcelona, the confirmed milestone is the acquisition; the guest experience under RIU Plaza will become clearer as the handover approaches.
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