The British edition of National Geographic magazine has awarded Canfranc Estación, Royal Hideaway in the Unique Space category of its National Geographic Traveller Hotel Awards 2023. The prestigious publication has recognized this 5* GL establishment, inaugurated by Barceló Hotel Group this year, for its uniqueness as an emblematic building converted into a luxury hotel, surpassing other hotels such as the Villa Palladio Jaipur in India and Shiguchi Hokkaido in Japan.
The National Geographic Traveller Hotel Awards 2023 recognize hotel establishments that have exceptional service, cutting-edge design and are trendsetters in the industry. There are 14 categories and each of them has one winner and two runners-up; therefore, a total of 42 hotels from around the world have received recognition in this year’s awards.
A journey back in time in detail
Canfranc International Station was a border crossing that communicated Spain with France through the Aragonese Pyrenees and ended its service in 1970. Half a century later, Barceló Hotel Group inaugurates Canfranc Estación, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, giving a second life and endowing this unique building with its own personality. A project for which it has relied on ILMIODESIGN, the interior design studio founded by Andrea Spada and Michele Corbani.
The common thread throughout the project evokes the golden age of the railroads of the 1920s, while creating a distinct personality for each space within the hotel. The lobby is one of the most unique spaces of this luxury hotel, not so much for its innovation but for its monumentality. On the one hand, the original floor of the central part has been recovered and stone tones have been used for the walls, together with textile materials such as Vescom in brown tones, in contrast with the white moldings, to give more warmth to this large room.
The central element of the hall are the old stairs that gave access to the station and that divide on one side the reception area, and on the other, an area of sofas and benches. In the hotel reception, a large counter reinterprets the ticket offices of the great stations of the twentieth century, in this case using walnut wood with bronze-toned metal elements and incorporating nods to the hotels of the time.
Canfranc Estación, a Royal Hideaway Hotel has 104 rooms of different types spread over two floors, all with views of the Aragonese Pyrenees. In the design of the rooms, the sensation of comfort and dynamism reigns through different elements and materials. For example, the wooden strips in the walls and ceilings that shape the aesthetics of the room and guide the guest.
