Hosting an Olympics can be great for the image of a city. Tokyo used it in 1964 to display it’s post-war modernisation. Seoul 1988 was the harbinger of the Korean culture wave. Beijing 2008 was a display of modern Chinese wizardry. London 2012 proved that the Brits could still do cool. But the poster child for an Olympics turnaround has to go to Barcelona. In 1992, the capital of Catalonia in Spain was still recovering from General Franco’s dictatorship. Hosting the Olympics poured billions in investment and the spirit and joy of Barcelona that we know today can be traced back to the opening ceremony in 1992. With the eyes of the world on it, Barcelona catapulted to being one of Europe’s most visited cities overnight.

Nearly 25 years later, Barcelona is Spain’s most-visited city and anchors international perception of the country – rich in history, fascinating in architecture, sublime in food (Barcelona has been an epicentre of Spanish gastronomy. Much of the city still retains its beautiful, historic architecture – including Gaudi’s ethereal creations – but modern Barcelona also includes the final word is modern luxury. Here we pick the three best luxury hotels to reside at when visiting the Barcelona.