Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXIII

2 4 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Serras, a stylish new five-star boutique hotel wedged between the beguiling Gothic quarter and the rejuvenated waterfront of Port Vell in Barcelona, could have been called Hotel Picasso or something equally unimaginative that marketed the hotel based on the fact that the building was once the studio of Pablo Picasso. That this glaringly obvious option was avoided is a telling mark of the sophistication and tasteful understatement which the hotel exudes. There are no Picasso reproductions on the walls, no novelty sculptures or ceramics dotted around and no big Picasso push. You could conceivably stay at the Serras and never even know that some of the artist’s finest early works were created here… such is the subtlety. The hotel is actually named after the owner, Mr Jordi Serra, a Barcelona native and highly successful businessman who sold his global IT company and decided to become a hotelier, “because it’s a place where you see people having fun and you can have fun as well.” While the hotel is not heavily promoted on the back of the Pablo Picasso link, Serra is understandably proud of the association. “There are works in True Artistry – The Serras Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and with the alluring alleyways of the Barrio Gótico as its backyard, the Serras boutique hotel is a breath of fresh air in Barcelona.