FIVE NEW ARRIVALS

Barcelona Design Museum

The Design Museum opened in December in the Glories district, the part of the city that’s witnessing the most dynamic architectural change. Its four collections span product design, fashion and textiles, graphic and decorative arts. museudeldisseny.cat/en

Cotton House Hotel

Opened in February, this 83-room property is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. Located in the former HQ of the Association of Cotton House Manufacturers on Gran Via, it has a restaurant, a library, an outdoor pool and free wifi. hotelcottonhouse.com

Barcelo Sants

This 378-room hotel was recently given a multimillion-dollar revamp and is well set up for conference delegates, located near both the Fira Barcelona institute and Sants station, and boasting 3,000 sqm of event space across 14 function rooms. The interiors have been inspired by space travel, with 1960s curved flourishes in the furniture and a monochrome colour scheme. barcelo.com

The Serras

Design Hotels member the Serras opened in January. Architect Ferran Gelabert and interior designer Eva Martinez Torres turned this historic building (it once housed Picasso’s art studio) into a modern, 29-room hotel poised between the Barri Gotic and Port Vell. hoteltheserrasbarcelona.com

New Camp Nou

FC Barcelona’s historic home ground in the west of the city will be re-modelled in 2017, so that by 2021 it will have 105,000 seats – 5,000 more than the current stadium. The € 600 million expansion is likely to be part-financed by Qatar Airways’ sponsorship of the team (the current deal runs until next year). Some reports suggest the airline could get naming rights to the ground, too. fcbarcelona.com