Blog de Hotel Curious

7th June 2013 in Barcelona the only MUSE concert in Spain

2013-05-13

Muse comes to Barcelona next 7th June to present the success of his seventh studio work The 2nd Law . The British group present it at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Montjuïc, and full house is expected. Winners of the Grammy Awards, the Brit and Ivor Novello, you cannot miss the chance to see Muse, as the band is known for their extravagant live shows and for fusing musical genres like rock, metal and electronic music , in their alternative rock style. Where: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys When: 07th June 2013 How much: 45 euros through TicketMaster More info: Muse official website If you need a room to stay in Barcelona for the concert, we remind you that our Discouncerts will make you save 10% on the total of your stay,!

Bruno Mars: concert confirmed in Barcelona

2013-04-30

The first Bruno Mars tour "The Moonshine Jungle World Tour" has already 2 concerts confirmed in Spain: Madrid (sold out in 72h) and now in Barcelona. On November 14, we all have a must at the Palau Olimpic de Badalona. The ticket price is 45 euros for standing tickets and 45 and 50 euros for sitting tickets. The Moonshine Jungle World Tour will start in Washington DC on June 22. A total of 68 concerts are confirmed so far, for a world tour that has sold out and tickets in the middle of the shows, and for which new dates for 2014 have been anounced. Where: Palau Olimpic (Badalona) in Barcelona When: November 14, 2013 How much: 45 euros through TicketMaster from next May 7. If you need a room to stay in Barcelona for the concert, we remind you that our Discouncerts will make you save 10% on the total of your stay, show us the entrance ticket for the concert!

Happy Sant Jordi's Day 2013!

2013-04-23

Today, April 23, the Catalans take the streets to celebrate the feastivity of St. George, patron saint of Catalonia, the Day of Books and Roses Fair. Catalan flags are waving in many balconies. Throughout Catalonia roses and books are sold, reaching its peak in Las Ramblas, where new street shops are added to the existing ones for the occasion. In recent decades the sale of books with signatures of the authors and a discount to the sale price is also promoted. Since April 23 it is officially the Book Day Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died on April 23 1616. At the end of the day, about four million roses and 800,000 books are bought. Most women wear a rose in hand, and half of the total book sales of a year in Catalonia take place in Sant Jordi. The tradition of the man giving a rose to the woman goes back probably to the XV century. Some versions say that it is related with Roses Fair taking place in Barcelona during those summers. What is certain is that the women who attended the April 23rd Mass celebrated in the chapel of Sant Jordi at Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya were given a rose. The red rose (symbolizing passion) must be accompanied by “senyera” (Catalan flag) and a wheat spike (symbol of fertility). Precisely on April 23rd it is the only open house day at Palau de la Generalitat, the main government building in Barcelona. The interior is decorated with roses to honor Sant Jordi. There is a legend related to Sant Jordi that everyone in Catalonia knows: "It is said that a terrible dragon caused terror in the surroundings of the town of Montblanc, and with its poisoned air puffs, he produced the death of all who breathed them. Concerned about the situation, the villagers thought of feeding the dragon every day with a human person to try to calm him, and decided to submit it to draw. For a while they did and the beast calmed down. But one day the fate made the king's daughter be chosen to be devoured. The young princess was loved by all and although they offered to be changed for her, the king did not permit this and that's how the princess went to meet the dragon. When she was heading to the monster, a young gentleman crossed her path, Sant Jordi, who had heard of her misfortune and was going to help her. The dragon and the knight fought until Sant Jordi wounded and killed the dragon with a spear. From the blood that flowed from the wound a rosebush with the redder roses the princess had ever seen grew, and the knight cut off one of them and handed it to the princess” We recommend you to walk around the city today and enjoy all the activities it offers such as the Sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, which is held during the day at Plaça Sant Jaume. Throughout the city, you will find many book shops and Cafés holding readings from various authors. Street performers and musicians in public squares add cheer to the atmosphere of the day. From Hotel Curious we wish you enjoy this day so special and unique!!

And the winners of the Photo Contest #CuriousBCNpics of @HotelCurious are...

2013-04-16

Last January 23 the second edition of #CuriousBCNpics was launched: the photo contest of Hotel Curious. From then until March 21 we received more than 600 photos on Instagram, of which we had to choose only 25 (the best in our opinion) that were posted on our Facebook Fan Page . And now the day has arrived. After two and a half months since we started the contest #CurousBCNpics finally today we have the names of the five winners of the contest: The first prize goes straight for @prudinnik, with 360 likes on his photo. CONGRATULATIONS! You won a two night stay for two at the Hotel Curious and a customized T-shirt with your photo! The other four more winners are @Irvine_in_frames with 131, @flordelavila with 110, @disonyando with 88 and @androguezala with 54. Congratulations to all! We will send you a customized T-shirt with your photo! We want to thank everyone for so many photos we have received. The hashtag #CuriousBCNpics already contains more than 1,200 lovely photos of Barcelona! See you in the next edition of #CuriousBCNpics!

NOTA DE PRENSA: El Hotel Curious de Barcelona vuelve a reunir a profesionales del sector turístico en la III edición del #eHotelExperts

2013-04-12

Barcelona, 12 abril 2013 - El pasado 11 de Abril se celebró en el Hotel Curious de Barcelona la tercera edición del evento #eHotelExperts, que reúne anualmente y a partir de ahora semestralmente a profesionales a nivel nacional del sector turístico desde 2011. El eHotelExpert nació para ser una reunión de expertos del gremio donde debatir y compartir temas de interés común dentro del ámbito específico de las nuevas tecnologías, el social media y el mundo 2.0. De temática variada, el eHotelExperts pretende ser un foro de diálogo y debate donde compartir inquietudes, ideas y proyectos, y a su vez, enriquecerse con las aportaciones de colegas del sector. Este año hemos contado con la participación de Núria Verdaguer, Responsable de Comunicación y Márketing de Gallery Hoteles, quien abrió el turno de ponencias sobre los concursos en redes sociales, hilo conductor escogido para tratar en esta nueva edición. Núria nos contó cómo esta pequeña cadena (tienen dos hoteles de categoría 4 estrellas, uno en Barcelona y otro en Málaga) apostó en 2010 por tener presencia en Facebook para conseguir engagement con los simpatizantes de sus marcas. Han lanzado varios concursos vía Facebook y algunos dieron resultado y otros no tanto, según nos cuenta Núria, pero todos han valido la pena puesto que han dinamizado la comunidad y han expandido la marca. Éste es un caso de cómo un pequeño establecimiento o cadena también puede tener éxito y encontrar su lugar en el mundo digital. Actualmente cuentan con más de 1300 fans en cada fan page de Facebook y próximamente lanzarán su marca a Pinterest, una red social de fotografías muy visual e idónea para el sector hotelero. Núria concluyó que de los concursos ya realizados han aprendido que hay que aprovechar sinergias con partners y proveedores, hay que ser muy transparente, la duración tiene que ser de mínimo 7 días para maximizar su repercusión y es muy recomendable contestar a todas las dudas y comentarios de la comunidad para crear credibilidad y fidelidad. La segunda presentación fue a cargo de Marie-Thérese V. Pachmann y Stefan Schreier, Responsables de Comunicación y Márketing del Hotel W Barcelona, un hotel de estilo de vida de 100 metros de altura perteneciente a la prestigiosa cadena Starwood Hotels and Resorts y que abrió sus puertas en la zona de Nova Bocana en el barrio de la Barceloneta en 2009. Marie-Thérese explicó los tres ejes temáticos del hotel, que son la moda, la música y el diseño, y todo eso es también lo que transmiten en sus concursos online. Actualmente el Hotel W Barcelona tiene perfil en Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Wordpress y Pinterest, y utilizan una o varias de esas plataformas para lanzar sus concursos. Algunos de ellos son “You name it”, donde animaron a su comunidad 2.0 a proponer nombres para un nuevo restaurante del hotel, o el concurso “El Color de Bliss”, con el que recibieron más de 80 fotos con elementos que evocaban el mar, el agua, el spa… Otros concursos internos y muchas colaboraciones con partners (DJ, estilistas, diseñadores…) hacen que el Hotel W Barcelona esté en constante movimiento en redes sociales. Nos explicaron que entre otros de sus proyectos, está el de crear presencia en nuevas redes sociales y no dejar que la fiesta digital termine nunca. La última ponencia vino de la mano de José Antonio Jove, Social Media Manager de Intersport España, profesor del Instituto Inesdi y colaborador en The Plan Company y Guateque Digital, quien nos dio el punto de vista más técnico de los concursos online. José Antonio nos explicó cómo lanzar, gestionar y monitorizar un concurso en redes y cómo medir su impacto en nuestros negocios. Recalcó la importancia de definir bien el target y el objetivo del concurso (¿qué queremos conseguir y a quien va dirigido?), redactar bien la mecánica del concurso y sobretodo unas bases claras y bien urdidas, promocionar por varios canales el concurso con tal de hacer ruido y viralizar, y medir siempre las reacciones de las comunidades en las redes: comentarios, nuevos followers, retweets, visitas… ¡Y el Excel sirve de gran ayuda! El evento finalizó con un networking muy provechoso, acompañado de Moritz, patrocinador por segundo año del #eHotelExperts, donde todos los asistentes pudieron intercambiar impresiones y opiniones tras las ponencias. Cabe añadir que el evento se pudo seguir por Twitter a través del hashtag #eHotelExperts. Desde la organización, queremos agradecer a todos los ponentes de ésta y anteriores ediciones (Marta Bonet de Rebuzzna Comunicación y PepperMallorca, Fabián González del Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero, Rafa Mendez de Mendezlife, Toni Farrés de la Companyia Cervesera del Montseny y Jordi Serra de Artífecs) por compartir con todos sus valiosas experiencias, y a todos los asistentes por propiciar que pequeños encuentros como éste tengan éxito y puedan repetirse en la ciudad.

Sant Jordi's Day is coming!

2013-04-10

Next 23rd April we celebrate Sant Jordi's Day. The most popular legend in Catalonia about Sant Jordi tells that at Montblanc, in Conca de Barberà, there was a terrible dragon which viciously attacked men and beasts. To pacify it, lots were drawn and a person was chosen to be given as a sacrifice to the monster. One day, the misfortune fell on the king's daughter, who would have died in the beast's claws if it had not been for the arrival of a handsome knight (Sant Jordi) who challenged the dragon and killed it. This same legend, although with slight variations, is told as a popular legend in England, Portugal and Greece. The tradition is that men give a rose to their girlfriends and they give boys a book. Where you will spend Sant Jordi's Day? If you are looking for accommodation in Barcelona, please take a look at our offers.

Finalists of the photo contest #CuriousBCNpics of @HotelCurious

2013-03-21

Good morning! It was very difficult to choose only 25 among hundreds and hundreds of photos we've received to participate in the second photo contest that was launched last January. #CuriousBCNpics now has more than 1,000 curious photos of Barcelona! We are pleased and grateful to all participants and right now, to all of them: CONGRATULATIONS! All your pictures are fabulous! Since yesterday March 20th until next April 16th all the 25 finalists photos will be posted on our Facebook Fan Page, in the photo album "II #CuriousBCNpics photo contest -March 2013-". There you can take a look at the photos and give finalists your 'like' or even 'share' the photo to reach more people, because... the one with more LIKES next April 16th will win a 2 night stay for 2 people at Hotel Curious. Good luck to all the finalists!

Celebrating Valentine's Day at @HotelCurious

2013-02-18

Last Thursday it was Valentine's Day all around the World, and of course at Hotel Curious all special dates are an excuse to celebrate something with our guests, so we took the opportunity to sweeten a little bit the day with some delicious chocolates. We wish you had a great Valentne's Day! - Hotel Curious Team

TODAY WE CELEBRATE “CARNESTOLTES” OR CARNIVAL

2013-02-07

Carnival or Carnestoltes as stated in Catalunya, is a celebration that belongs to moon worship. This is why it is a moveable festivity, which this year takes place from 07 to 13 February. It seems that the word Carnival comes from "carnem levare" which is understood as "remove meat", which occurs during the forty days of Lent, when according to tradition, you can not eat meat. Carnival is a break with the established order during a specific period of time, ranging from family happiness of Christmas to the severity of the Easter liturgy. It questions the rules, removes the hierarchy and privilege, and breaks taboos . Throughout history this confrontation between madness and sanity, between the breaker and the established, is symbolized by two characters: the Carnival King (fat character, drinker, crazy and foul-mouthed) and the old Lent (an old woman of seven legs, who fasts and that is also vegetarian), his former enemy. Carnestoltes or Carnival King is a plastic representation of satire and wildness, and it's shaped as a human. His birth in Catalunya is documented in the seventeenth century, and the typical puppet that farmers put in cultivated fields to scare the birds, was used as a model to buid it. In Barcelona, we built a mobil puppet dressed in Carlos III style with hat and coat, and was kept in a box. He get the treatment protocol of King or His Majesty, as it is the king of wildness and the monarch of joke. According to tradition, the program of activities during Carnival is: The Dijous Gras (tomorrow February 7th) is a day to eat tortilla, egg sausage and “coca de llardons”. Between Thursday and Friday the arrival of Carnestoltes king take place, and he is greeted by ambassadors and officials, reading a speech focused on the biting satire to the civil and ecclesiastical powers. On Saturday, February 09th, the masked balls begin, and Sunday it is the traditional day for rúas, processions and parades of carriages. Monday and Tuesday continues with masked balls and finally, on Ash Wednesday, which is on February 13, King is publicly accused of being guilty for all the excesses committed during the last days , so it is judged and sentenced to death, burned and buried. In some places it's also host the "Burial of the Sardine" as a prelude to the beginning of Lent. And so Carnivel is finished. As you have seen, because of the nearness of Lent and the overruns, the Carnival typical gastronomy is characterized for the eating of fatty foods and meats. The three most common products that are consumed at the beginning of the holidays are the “tortilla”, egg sausage and “coca de llardons”. And in the end, coinciding with the beginning of Lent, sardines, herring and “coca de recapte”. Today we have served in our breakfast a just baked “coca de llardons” so our guests have tasted it during their breakfast. Yummy! Every corner of the world also celebrates Carnival and each in his way, following their own traditions and resulting thousands of very different parties. Brazil and its wildness together with its high temperatures, or Venecia with its elegant masks, and the Canary Islands and its spectacular costume parades... We just have to say that: "Per Carnival, tot s'hi val!" (For Carnival everything is allowed!)

And our #1000 follower on Twitter is...

2013-02-06

Today we want to tell you that we are celebrating a party in the hotel, because just yesterday we reached 1,000 followers on Twitter. To all of you, friends of Hotel Curious who always comment, write to us by social networks, send us photos and loooovely messages... to ALL of you and of course, to our 1000 follower Maria @Stellawants2die, a huge GRAAAAAACIAS. Of course, being the follower #1000 will be awarded: Maria has won a stay for two people and a totally free massage at Hotel Curious. ¡Congratulations! Stay tunned because the follower #2000 will also be awarded. And the #3000, and #4000... THANK YOU ALL AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!