Borneta Barcelona; The City’s New Boutique Hotel

Hand-crafted, luxury experiences curated by our team—speak to our concierge to learn more

By Baldwin Ho on 30th October 2024

The new lifestyle hotel brand Miiro just launched in the summer of 2024, with properties in Paris and Barcelona. Come 2025, they will be opening hotels in London and Vienna.

Having recently stayed in their newly opened Borneta Barcelona, I suspect they will be making a noticeable splash on the boutique hotel scene in the coming years.

The History

The owner of Miiro is InterGlobe Enterprises, UK. They are India's leading aviation and hospitality conglomerate. They launched the Miiro brand in the summer of 2024 to help redefine what a contemporary city hotel should be like. The Soho House vibes of the hotel are not a coincidence, having hired James Thurstan Waterworth to be in charge of the interior design for the hotel. He is the former European Design Director at Soho House.

The Lowdown

Location is everything and with Borneta Barcelona, you are in the trendy El Born barrio. It is the art quarter of the city, where you will find the Picasso Museum and Born Cultural Centre, which is both a historical site and a modern-day cultural centre. The famous narrow medieval streets are lined with independent boutique stores and hip cafes.

The hotel is also a short walking distance to the bus terminal nord, where most of the city tours start from. You can check out sites like The Tour Guy to find out the best ways to explore the city from tours that allow you to skip the queue at Sagrada Familia to a food and wine tour with a local sommelier. My best recommendation is to take a day tour of Andorra. You can journey through the scenic Pyrenees mountains. Indulge in tax-free shopping and sample some of the best Catalan cuisine in the region.

The Rooms

The 92 rooms and suites are all individually designed by London-based studio, Thurstan. The creative brief was to design rooms that reflect the local neighbourhood, so what you get are warm tones and vibrant artworks that resemble the masterpieces of Joan Miró. If the Miró connections weren't obvious enough, you might find the perfect Taschen coffee table book in your room extolling the virtues of Miró.

The timber flooring is reminiscent of other historic 19th century properties in the area. The tiling for both the floors and the walls references other historical properties in Barcelona. The designers worked with local antique dealers to bring back one-off pieces to help furnish the suites, as well as the public areas in the hotel.

They have eight room categories ranging from The Classic to The Borneta Suite. Their website is particularly handy in letting you know what'ss included in your room, with their different categories of level of services. The top tier level is the full works where you will get a complimentary mini-bar, vanity set, shaving and dental kit (which is a rarity in most hotels). With The Borneta Suite, you will get access to a spacious terrace to enjoy the sights and sounds of the old town and also a soothing soak in the outdoor hot tub. There is a separate lounge area with a warming fireplace and a double sleeper sofa.

The Dining

The Volta restaurant and bar is where you will discover the soul of the hotel. Always a vibrant hub of activity. There is verdant greenery all around as well as quirky artistic touches. The snug library room is great for intimate dinners and discreet cocktail catch-ups. In the restaurant, chef Andrea de Benedictis has curated a Mediterranean menu filled with earthy richness. You'll find courgette flower, tomato, and ricotta salad in their aubergine baba ganoush. Their version of the Vitello Tonnato has extra bone marrow on top of the veal tartare and tuna sauce to offer that added kick of umami.

Their cocktail list is equally strong on the Mediterranean focus. Expect to see drinks like the Negroni Mediterraneo, which uses olive oil and lemon thyme gin along with red bitter, and Americano vermouth. The bar makes perfect use of the skylight to allow plenty of natural daylight during the day and the opportunity to gaze at the stars at night.

The Amenities

They do offer a petit gym with state-of-the-art fitness equipment. It is open 24 hours a day, which is ideal for the hectic lifestyle of those visiting the city. They also have an exclusive rooftop terrace including an outdoor dipping pool for those looking to soak up some Catalan sunshine. As mentioned above, they also have a library which specialises in books about the local neighbourhood in both Spanish and English.

The starting rate for The Classic room is EUR 200 per night.