Hotel Hesperia, Barcelona (A Monochrome Study)

L’Hospitalet, #20. Barcelona, 2018

As I go around photographing the less-touristy buildings and architecture of the Barcelona area, I generally try to work on getting a wide variety of perspectives. What follows, then, is one example of how that works.

To keep a consistent style going, I use almost exclusively the Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 zoom lens on my Nikon D850. I also prefer to see in the sky either interesting clouds and/or contrails which I use to enhance the composition (and the black and white conversion).

Out of this small group of seven images (from a larger original group of 30 or so), I may consider only one as a “keeper” (#22 below?)–or perhaps none of them…if, after several return visits under different weather and lighting circumstances, I come up with something I like better. Gotta keep coming back, ya know.

NH Collection Tower (formerly, Hesperia Tower) – Curiosities

–28 floors above ground, two floors below; 105 meters tall (344 feet); cost was roughly 52 million Euros.

–280 rooms, a conference center, a sport/fitness center, and a restaurant on top.

–The first five-star hotel in the Barcelona metro area.

–Construction was started in 2002 and finished in 2006; Designed by Richard Rogers (UK), Luis Alonso, and Sergi Balaguer.

–The summit dome houses the Evo Restaurant inspired by the creations of the late chef Santi Santamaria (died in 2011). Expect to spend somewhere around 300 Euros or more for a dinner for two.

–That 32-ton dome (flying saucer?) was lifted up there using the same crane that worked on Torre Agbar (Torre Glòries) and the Sagrada Familia.

–Construction required the approval of the Barcelona Airport authority due to its height and location.

–This is currently the 11th tallest building in the Barcelona metro area.

–It is the fourth tallest in the L’Hospitalet de Llobregat area after Hotel Porta Fira (113m), Torre Realia Barcelona (112m), and the Puig Headquarters Tower (109m).