Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona

1874 - The beginning of Ércole Cacciami: Ércole Cacciami, who was born in the village of Grignasco (Piamonte, Italy), arrived in Barcelona in 1874. Like many of his fellow countrymen he started to work in the hospitality industry as an apprentice. After a difficult start and arguably thanks to his entrepreneurial spirit and hard work Ércole Cacciami managed to run and purchase Hotel Europe. Then, in 1897, Cacciami also opened Hotel Inglaterra at number 2 Calle Fontanella, which at the time was considered not only as one of the best hotels in Barcelona, but in the whole of Spain.
In 1917, encouraged by the success of Hotel Inglaterra, Hércules Cacciami decided to explore new horizons and challenges and by April 1918 his efforts had already been rewarded with the establishment of Majestic Hotel Inglaterra. 
The opening of Majestic Hotel Inglaterra was a well-publicized social event as annouced on the 28th of April 1918 by the local newspaper Diario de Barcelona.
1921 - Martín Casals Galcerán, new owner of the hotel
1921, like most of his fellow countrymen in the same business in Barcelona, Hércules Cacciami decided to sell his investment properties and return to Italy. However, under the management of other Italian professionals like Gaudenzio and Gabriele Martinetti and later on Luís Scatti, Majestic Hotel Inglaterra not only continued to operate but also managed to become one of Barcelona's leading establishments.
Soon after it opened, Majestic Hotel Inglaterra had been bought by Martín Casals Galcerán. As proprietor of the building located at 68 Paseo de Gracia (that is, right next to the hotel), Casals Galcerán decided to enlarge and refurbish the hotel. However, the Spanish Civil War and the difficult post-war period delayed his project until the 1960s.
1927 - International Exhibition and Cullinary prizes: Two years before the International Exhibition of 1929, Barcelona held a Hotel & Catering Exhibition that drew thousands of visitors. During this exhibition, Majestic Hotel Inglaterra received the Top Culinary Award.
1936 - Majestic and the Civil War: During the Spanish Civil War the activity of Majestic Hotel Inglaterra was logically affected. Due to its enviable location and excellent services, the hotel played an important role during the conflict and as a consequence its status rose. The hotel was requisitioned for some time by the "Comissariat de Propaganda": the propaganda department of the Catalan government. It was also the place where well-known public figures stayed in the city, including Antonio Machado and a good number of foreign press correspondents.
1940 - Name change and refurbishment: After the Spanish Civil War, Majestic Hotel Inglaterra was named just Hotel Majestic. Then, in the late 1950s Martín Casals Galcerán was finally able to undertake his longed-for refurbishment and enlargement project. Special attention was given to the social areas of the establishment and to services unheard-of until then, including simultaneous translation.
1963 - After the death of Martín Casals Galcerán in 1963, his daughter María Esperanza inherited Hotel Majestic. Together with her husband, the entrepreneur Oleguer Soldevila I Godó, she continued over the years enlarging and modernizing the hotel.
1970 - Enlargement of the Majestic: With the addition of a whole new building to the original one, in the 1970s Hotel Majestic concludes its long-term refurbishment and enlargement project. As a result, the hotel was able to offer 340 rooms and much improved services and facilities.
1994 - Refurbishing of the hotel and the Olympic Games: Bearing in mind Barcelona's international projection following the 1992 Olympic Games, in 1994 Majestic Hotel started a new and ambitious refurbishment project. The façade of the building as well as the hotel's bar, buffet area, hall, meeting rooms, furniture and decoration were remodelled and updated. By 1999 the Majestic was almost a brand new hotel, offering customers 303 spacious and comfortable rooms.
2000 - Majestic, hotel of the arts. Towards the end of the 1990s, Hotel Majestic was known as the "hotel of the arts", because it held the international exhibition "New Art" that showed the work of many young avant-garde artists. The exhibition was very successful and drew very favourable coverage in the media.

2010s: Queen María Cristina visited the hotel.