Meeting the Grand Hyatt event executioner

Paul Colston checks out the Grand Hyatt bleisure offer in Barcelona. For a flying visit to a destination or venue, you can’t complain about a 15-minute transfer from the airport. That’s how long it took me recent to transfer recently to the Grand Hyatt Barcelona in La Alta, next door to Barcelona FC’s Nou Camp stadium, from the airport. The Grand Hyatt Barcelona’s meetings facilities are certainly on the ball with 22 meeting rooms and 3,700sm of event space. A plenary room can accommodate up to 870 guests and, for car launches, there are 250 parking lots available, in addition to a dedicated entrance for delegates. The hotel line up includes 465 guest rooms and 49 suites and delegates can tiki-taki their way to the Maymanta Peruvian restaurant on the 19th Floor or to the Sky Bar with views to die for. The Sofia Bar & Tapas keeps the game simple and is a great place to stop and soak in the atmosphere at a slower pace, while those needing to shape up to make the team can burn away accumulated calories at the Oasis Spa which is spread out over 1,100sqm.

When I got the call to visit the manager’s office, Hyatt’s VP of revenue and sales, Paul Dalgleish was waiting to share the brand’s latest MICE performance figures: In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, MICE enquiries in 2023 increased 18% versus 2022, in Europe alone, such enquiries increased 20% to more than 108,000. In the UK specifically, MICE enquiries increased 25% year-on-year to over 19,500 enquiries in 2023. In Spain, MICE enquiries increase 48% year-on-year to over 11,500 enquiries in 2023. Usual lead times, he noted, were 12-18 months, but depending on the size of the groups, lead times could be as short as three months. “The world and hospitality industry has changed post-Covid. Business is back, and there is greater focus by companies on the creative ways in which they can deliver innovative and quality events,” Dalgleish noted. And there is no substitute for space and Hyatt in 2023 added 12 hotels and 2,750 rooms to its portfolio in Europe Africa and the Middle (EAME). In EAME Hyatt has a pipeline with 75 hotels and more than 16,000 rooms slated to open in the coming years. The manager’s pep talk also included an update on the World of Hyatt loyalty scheme which is evolving to add additional value to its 40 million members – a figure that has quadrupled over the last five years. La Alta and PortVell With meetings training over, this player was keen to sample the local area to see what is on offer after conference hours. If you wish to stay close to the Grand Hyatt Barcelona and you’ve done the tour of the football stadium, then a stroll around the surrounding La Alta area, is a treat for architecture buffs. This exclusive area is well away from the hustle and bustle and offers hidden gems like Monasterio de Pedralbes, Guell Palace, while the Sagrada Familia is not far. Further afield, I recommend for any small group a Catamaran trip along the coastline of Barcelona. Our group had the added interest of a wine-tasting masterclass of wines that had matured under the sea – presented expertly by ElixSea. Dalgleish final bit of MICE instruction included: “Leisure elements are becoming more desirable for corporates which are looking to provide inspiring environments; keep their audience motivated; and incorporate wellbeing activities into a business event – aspects that many MICE-ready hotels are developing in order to benefit from this trend.”