ME Barcelona began as a project by the Habitat Group who specialise in urban boutique hotels, but a dwindling economy meant they had to sell up before they were finished. In the meantime, the Mallorcan-owned Sol Meliá Group had set about establishing a new portfolio of hotels described as ‘the next level in luxe’. Their umbrella title, ME, refers to the idea that this new line of large-scale boutiques is all about, well, you. They stepped in and bought the property, which opened in August 2008.
At the press conference that ensued, the architect Dominique Perrault threw some light on the thinking behind the project. Long-time residents may remember the mysterious words ‘District 22@’ (22barcelona.com) being bandied around in 2001 to describe the ‘new technologies’ neighbourhood projected for Poble Nou, along the lines of London’s Docklands. At the time, five new buildings were conceived and laid out by Perrault with the idea that they would act as a ‘gateway’ to the new district.
Seven years on, the skyscraper count has dwindled to three, ME being the first. However, that the neighbourhood has changed can be in no doubt, and arguably for the better. Clearly modelled on Manhattan, the lower end of the Diagonal (from Glòries to the Fòrum) has become our very own avenue of office blocks, skyscrapers and shopping centres. It doesn’t have the buzz of the Big Apple, but it has become a major player as a business destination: 1,063 companies have moved in, and there are currently nearly 32,000 new workers in the area. The Ajuntament predicts that number will rise to 150,000 new jobs once the project is complete.
It is much harder to place the leisure traveller in this. At the end of Diagonal is the long anticipated five-star floating hotel in the shape of an old cruise ship, provisionally named Sunborn BCN. Owned by a Finnish developer, built in Malaysia, and finally opening in Sant Adrià in the spring of 2009 it will no doubt become a hot destination, at least in the short term, bringing with it the economic muscle of five-star tourists. The €120-million investment will provide 200 jobs. With the Fòrum nearby, which is already established as a centre for music festivals, and the beach at Mar Bella one of the trendiest in the city, it is hoped that this sensation of affluence will have a domino effect by inspiring hope at a time when the world economy is crumbling.
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