Everyone knows the idyll that Bruce Springsteen has with Barcelona and his followers. The Catalan capital has been a mandatory stop on all its European tours for decades, and has also witnessed the most memorable concerts. But in Barcelona, the singer from New Jersey maintains another idyll with the establishment where he is staying.
It is the La Florida hotel, at the foot of Tibidabo, where Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa always stay when they are in Barcelona. The Boss arrived at El Prat airport on a private flight on Wednesday morning and went directly to the hotel located on the Vallvidiera al Tibidado road. The singer really likes the 5-star establishment because of the privacy it offers him, because of its location close to the city, but away from the hustle and bustle of the urban center, and because of the magnificent views he has over Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea.
These days the La Florida hotel is closed to the general public until Monday, May 1, but dozens of fans wait at the doors to see Springteen leaving or arriving after performing the sound checks at the Estadi Olímpic, where on Friday and on Sunday they will hold two concerts, the first of their European tour and the only two in Spain.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the fans stationed outside the hotel were rewarded as the singer stopped to sign autographs, take photos and make a few statements. As of tonight, fans will no longer be able to approach the hotel, which will be shielded, as former US president Barack Obama will also be staying with his wife Michelle, as well as film director Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw. The two couples are close friends of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa and have been invited by the singer himself for his concert in Barcelona. In the last few hours, the presence of another friendly couple, actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, was also announced.
The Gran Hotel La Florida is a five-star Grand Luxury establishment and is considered one of the best urban resorts in the world. It has 70 rooms and eight art nouveau-inspired suites with oak floors and large windows to enjoy panoramic views of Barcelona.
The hotel has other services such as restaurants, bistro, bar, terrace, live relaxing music, outdoor and indoor pool for winter, 500 m2 spa and gym.
The Gran Hotel La Florida was built in 1924 by Dr. Andreu. But during the Spanish Civil War it became a military hospital. In 1950 it was reborn as a hotel and became one of the favorite places for Barcelona's high society, especially in summer. At that time Ernest Hemingway, James Stewart, George Sanders, Rock Hudson or Baduino and Fabiola from Belgium stayed there. But little by little the hotel began to deteriorate due to lack of investment and in 1979 it closed its doors.
In 2001, more than 20 years after its closure, the Gran Hotel La Florida underwent a total reconstruction and modernization that lasted 4 years and reopened its doors as one of the best boutique hotels in the world. In addition to not being in the center of Barcelona and therefore you have to have a private vehicle, the prices of the rooms are cheaper than other hotels of the same category that are in the same city. Thus the prices of the rooms range between 207 and 450 euros per night.
