Today, Barcelona is a dynamic and welcoming city which has become one of the major economic and business centers in Mediterranean Europe. Thanks to its strategic geographical location, it extends its influence over a wide area of the Mediterranean and maintains tight relations with the EC market and Latin American countries.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is located on the coast, surrounded by the Collserola, sierra to the north, the river Besós to the east and the Llobregat to the west, and is less than 150 kilometers from the Pyrenees. Located on the Mediterranean seaboard, it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate, with pleasant temperatures all year long.
Barcelona is a city which breathes art, contrasts and coexistence of cultures which endow it with a magic difficult to find in any other city. Important architectural works surprise visitors as they stroll along the streets, streets of a bustling city in which you can also find many tranquil spots and even beautiful beaches just minutes on foot from the city centre.
Since the 1992 Olympic Games, the city has had an extensive, top-quality Barcelona hotels infrastructure which, together with tourist apartments, youth hostels, campsites on the outskirts and halls of residence, comprises Barcelona's range of accommodations. Barcelona also offers a large amount of tourist apartments. More hotels are being built every year.
The hotels have their own particular styles and offer a wide range of services and comforts so that you will feel completely at home. They all offer top-quality services and conscientious customer assistance, in accordance with European standards of quality. Furthermore, the quality of accommodation and distance to venue are more homogenous in Barcelona and Cannes' favorable booking conditions have been replicated in Barcelona.

Hotels in Barcelona are classified with a five-star rating system - with only the super deluxe obtaining five stars. The average vacation package deal would place you in a three- or four-star hotels in Barcelona - occasionally a two star - all of which should have good facilities, with en-suite private bathroom and air conditioning. A one-star hotel is less common, as hostels and pensions tend to cater for the budget traveler.
Hostels vary between one and three stars - often family-owned and run. Before the mass tourism of the 60s, hostels were extremely basic but these days you'll often obtain good accommodation and restaurants at a reasonable price. At the bottom end of the scale are the cheap pensions. The best of them do offer a clean, family environment at a reasonable price - but you'll not often get your own bathroom.
Younger visitors and those looking for alternative forms of accommodation will find youth hostels, halls of residence, some of them open all year round, and campsites located a short distance from the city. In short, accommodation for all tastes and at prices to suit every pocket.
The origins of paradores go back to 1910, when the Spanish Government assigned Marquís de la Vega Inclán the task of creating a hotel infrastructure to improve Spain´s image abroad. As a result, paradores can be found in converted castles, palaces and monasteries - as well as newly-constructed ones in beautiful, unspoilt areas.
Barcelona is increasing its hotel infrastructure year after year. It currently has 250 hotels and 43,000 hotel beds. In 2004, the number of overnights rose to 10,100,000 and over 4,500,000 tourists visited Barcelona.