Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his business partners Robert De Niro and Meir Teper are continuing to expand their Nobu Hospitality lifestyle brand in Europe, with plans to open a new hotel and restaurant in Barcelona, Spain.

The trio have partnered with Selenta Group, a Spanish real estate and hotel company, to transform and co-manage the city’s Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya into the Nobu Hotel Barcelona – “a powerful stage for shared experiences and escapism.”

Interior design firm Rockwell Group – regular Nobu collaborators – have conceived the multi-million Euro refurbishment of the hotel’s interiors. Over 23 storeys there will be 250 rooms and suites along with meeting rooms, event spaces and a Nobu Restaurant; the latter run by Nobu Hospitality under a long-term management contract.

The design seeks to capture the unique essence of the famous European city while reflecting “the brand's core aspirational lifestyle offering”. The restaurant will sit atop the building offering 360-degree views of Barcelona, with design features unifying the space with the hotel below.

When it opens at the end of 218, the Nobu Hotel Barcelona will become Nobu Hospitality fourth European hotel and third Spanish property.

The first Nobu Hotel opened in 2013 within Caesars Palace Las Vegas, followed by the Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila in 2014. Last year saw the opening of Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, while Nobu Ryokan Malibu, Nobu Hotel Shoreditch London and Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay have followed in 2017. Future developments are planned for Palo Alto, Marbella, Riyadh, Los Cabos, Chicago, Toronto and Bahrain.

Reflecting on the agreement to bring the brand to Barcelona, Jordi Mestre, Selenta Group's executive president, said: “This magnificent alliance with Nobu Hospitality consolidates our purpose of offering unique experiences in the hospitality and restaurant management sector, because one of the business areas of Selenta Group is the management agreements with international partners.

“The excellent location and the great transformation of our hotel into Nobu Hotel Barcelona strengthens the expansion of both companies and reinforces the international image of the Catalan capital.”