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Back in November last year I hopped on a plane bound for Barcelona to check out the recently renovated hotel and hostel by Generator. The company has hostels in Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, London and Venice, but their Barcelona location marries their usual hostel offering with a hotel experience – I was intrigued to see how the fusion would work.

The last time I stayed in a hostel was when I visited Paris for the first time with university friends in 2007. If I say plastic mattresses and mouldy showers I shouldn’t need to say anymore in order to five you a visual of how delightful it was, right?! So upon arrival to Generator’s hostel-cum-hotel I was more than pleasantly surprised. The interior was quirky, colourful, stylish (and clean!), and the were staff friendly and attentive from the outset. From the off you could tell that this was a hotel of two halves (the hotel guests on higher floors took a separate elevator to those in hostel rooms, for starters!) but also by the eclectic mix of guests, which ranged from young travellers and couples through to business travellers. By night the Fiesta Gracia Bar was all a buzz with live music and plenty of late night partying, while the adjoining Lounge area took on a slightly more relaxed vibe.

The hotel room I stayed in was small but perfectly formed with lashings of natural light, a seriously good power shower and a private balcony. The bed didn’t rate too high when it came to comfort but given the affordable price, pleasant design and cleanliness the positives outweighed the negatives. Plus, for the third night of my stay I was very kindly upgraded to the penthouse suite which offered incredible views over the city, including the famous La Sagrada Familia. I liked the contrast between the modernity of the furniture, colour block brights and the rustic wooden panelling on the walls. It was after 9pm by the time I made it back to the hotel after a day exploring the city – expect a Mr. Bazaar Travels post about my highlights, soon – but that didn’t stop me trying both the shower and bath (they were too good not to tryout) despite a 4am call time for my flight back to London! What do you like about the design of Generator’s hotel and hostel in Barcelona?

// Photography by Will Taylor and Generator | Trip was sponsored by Generator but all views my own.

Author

Will Taylor

Will lives in NYC and is an interior design author and content creator. He's been blogging about his love of design, style and travel since 2009. His #MakeYouSmileStyle approach to decorating and dressing has inspired over one million Instagram uploads to the hashtag from followers across the world.

22 Comments

  1. Mike Anthony Reply

    Hi Will,
    I just love receiving your posts by email every few days…. the pix & commentary are always bright, hop & upbeat.
    Just wanted to say Thank You. Continue with the awesome blog.
    Cheers, Mike Anthony.
    Australia.

  2. Hi Will, the hotel looks great and in my favourite city too. I love the tiles, they are a lovely twist on those by Gaudi in Passeig de Gracia. In fact the bright colours are very reminiscent of the Sagrada Familia spires aren’t they. A fab find, thanks.

  3. Yay, love to see the post up, Will. Happy you made me discover this place, will definitely recommend to friends who are coming to visit my hometown. Have a wonderful weekend xx

  4. This is so different from the idea of hostel I have in my mind! I went to Barcelona few years ago during my university time and we stayed in an hostel…which actually gave me a really bad opinion about this kind of accomodations. Now I’ve changed my mind!

  5. What a great looking hotel. I think its so important for hotels/public places to create fun, quirky environments/furniture that can really lift a space. It ensures you leave with happy memories and felling good :O)

  6. Hi Will, I think it’s an interesting concept. They certainly decorate the rooms a lot nicer than the majority of mid range hotels. I love the penthouse outdoor area. The colourful decor is certainly a perfect fit for Mr Bazaar’s travels:) M x

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Hey, I'm Will

Welcome to Bright.Bazaar, my make-you-smile style corner of the internet. I’ve been sharing my love of beautiful design, feel-good homes, everyday style, inspiring travel and, pretty much everything in between, since 2009. As well as working as a content creator, I write interior design books and edit a bi-weekly e-newsletter called Smile Mail. I live in New York City with my heartmate and can often be found listening to Madonna’s Confessions album and dreaming up my next home renovation project.