This year, for the first time, the five-star Hesperia Lanzarote hotel, which is located in the chic, international marina of Puerto Calero, is offering all-inclusive, high-end packages for individuals, couples and families. These include great deals on top dining options as well as entertainment and a full range of leisure activities for adults and children.

The aim of the packages is to allow customers to enjoy the unique facilities of this excellent five-star hotel at very competitive prices during 2013.  Guests who book the new packages will avail of comfortable rooms as well as being able to enjoy excellent international cuisine services, entertainment and other amenities. They will also avail of wi-fi in all parts of the hotel, access to the gym, sports facilities (including tennis, paddle, squash, beach-volleyball, table tennis and mini-golf), a reading area, games area, pool chairs and towel service as well as entertainment with live music every night… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

At this time of year many people head to the mountains in search of the perfect powder to enjoy a great skiing holiday. Austria, Switzerland and France are the top choices for many travellers but Spain is also worth considering at this time of year as a ski destination. Below are some of the best hotels in Spain and Andorra which are worth consideration if you are tempted to try the pistes in either of these two destinations.

Hotel La Pleta is an exclusive five star hotel located in the heart of Val d’Aran near the ski resort of Baqueira-Beret in Lerida in the north of Spain. Frequently visited by the Spanish royal family during their winter holidays, it is one of the few hotels in Spain that provides for heliskiing. As the name suggests this involves taking a helicopter to reach the highest peaks allowing you to enjoy both incredible views and… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

Travel website TripAdvisor recently announced its ‘Travellers Choice’ hotel awards for 2013. One Spanish region that proved extremely popular with the users of the portal was Andalusia, where a total of 36 hotels won 43 awards. The hotels in this part of Spain have been receiving more and more awards in recent years demonstrating that they can compete with the top international hotels. The hotels in Malaga also performed well with 16 hotels in this part of Andalusia receiving a total of 21 awards.

In the category of ‘Best Luxury Hotel’ the Vincci Selection Aleysa Boutique & Spa located in Benalmádena in Malaga was a clear winner, gaining first place in the ‘Top Hotels in Spain’ section. Indeed, this hotel came 22nd in the list of all European hotels.

La Villa Marbella-Charming Hotel in the ever popular Spanish city won the category for ‘Best Service’ for the second consecutive year. Some guests who stayed at the… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

This year HolidayCheck, the travel review website, has selected 99 hotels worldwide to receive the ‘HolidayCheck Award 2013′. These awards are based on more than 780,000 hotel reviews written by users during the last twelve months. Awards went to six hotels in Spain, one more than last year.

In the category ‘No. 1 in the Country’, HolidayCheck gives an award to the best hotels in the twenty most popular tourist destinations worldwide. In Spain, the winner was the Lopesan Costa Meloneras Resort on Gran Canaria. This hotel also won the same award in 2012.

The other winning hotels in Spain were the SBH Costa Calma Beach hotel in Fuerteventura which won the ‘Beach Holiday Hotel’ category.  The Hotel Las Costas in Lanzarote was awarded best ‘Family hotel’, the Hipotels Hipocampo Palace in Majorca was awarded best ‘Hotel for Couples’, the Ayre Hotel Gran Via in Barcelona won the ‘City-break hotel’ category and the Hotel S’Entrador Playa in Majorca, which won… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

Toward the end of last year, the landmark Palace Hotel in Madrid celebrated a very special anniversary. The hotel opened its doors for the fist time in October 1912, just six months after the sinking of the Titanic, and one hundred years have now passed since the hotel started welcoming the cream of European society to the capital of Spain. Built at the express wishes of King Alfonso XIII, since opening, the hotel has played host to a wide range of eminent people including presidents, famous actors and actresses, artists, ministers of all sorts and even spies.

The early years of the hotel coincided with the First World War, then came the ‘Roaring 20s’ and celebrities like Josephine Baker, Carlos Gardel, Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca all stayed at the hotel and made frequent appearances at the hotel bar. Albert Einstein stayed at the hotel in March 1923.

The start of… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

The hotels of Benidorm closed 2012 with an annual average occupancy of 78.6% according to the Hotel Association of Benidorm and the Costa Blanca (Hosbec). This represents a decrease of some 1.4 percent over the previous year, with the worst results occurring during the last quarter of the year, especially from late October on. Up until the last quarter of 2012 the average occupancy rate stood at very similar levels to the previous year, yet during the second half of December hotel occupancy rates came in at 63.3 percent, or 1.2 percent below the figure recorded in 2011.

The President of Hosbec, Toni Mayor, said that during the New Year’s Eve weekend most of the hotels in Benidorm were fully booked, achieving the highest hotel occupancy rate anywhere in Spain, even outdoing the traditional snow destinations. During the last two weeks of the year 49.7 percent of guests staying in Benidorm hotels… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

The Ibis hotel chain, which specialises in quality economy hotels, is continuing its expansion in Spain and has announced the opening of its latest hotel in Barcelona, the Ibis Barcelona Centro. This latest hotel opening by the Ibis group (made up of Ibis, Ibis Styles and Ibis budget) brings to 60 the number of hotels the company now operates in Spain, further strengthening its position in the country.

Located in Carrer Napols, just two blocks away from Gaudi’s iconic landmark cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, the new hotel is, according to manageress Beatriz Aguirre, “a flagship for the chain, a faithful reflection of the revolution that Ibis is undergoing, with an excellent location in one of the best tourist areas of Barcelona, a professional team available 24 hours, and Sweetbed-by-Ibis rooms with free WiFi throughout the hotel.”

Ibis Barcelona Centro has 80 soundproofed rooms equipped with the newly released bed ‘Sweetbed by Ibis’,… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

The first DoubleTree hotel by Hilton has just opened its doors in Spain. Hilton Worldwide announced earlier in the year that it had signed a franchise agreement with Urbano Rural Hotelara SL to operate the hotel. This now brings to six the total number of establishments operated by Hilton Worldwide in Spain as there are already five Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties located in Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo and Palma.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Spa Empordà has 87 bedrooms and it is noteworthy that the hotel is located on the internationally renowned Empordà Golf Club. The president of Hilton Worldwide, Simon Vincent, said: “The hotel combines a unique blend of nature with all the amenities of an elegant resort. It has great meeting areas with contemporary design, making it an ideal choice for guests who are travelling either for work or pleasure.”

Golfers visiting the hotel can enjoy two 18-hole courses designed… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

Spain is a country that enjoys a pleasant all-year-round climate, great geographical diversity with breathtaking beauty and a huge range of activities that can make any trip there an experience to remember. To fully appreciate the beauty of this unique country it can be worth moving away from beach-front establishments to seek out a hotel that enjoys super views of the surrounding countryside.

The city of Barcelona, with all its diverse attractions, remains a top destination for foreign travellers to Spain. A fantastic panoramic view of the entire city can be appreciated from the luxurious Gran Hotel La Florida, located in the Sierra de Collserola. Its excellent location makes anyone who steps on the terrace feel like the owner of the city. This is an ideal hotel to spend a few days, where luxury, art and design live in harmony.

The Balearic Islands remain very popular with many visitors to Spain. All the… Click to read more about hotels in Spain

As we have observed recently here in hotelsspain.co.uk, the number of hotels in Spain trying to differentiate their business by offering a stay which, in some way is related to the art world, has increased in recent times. Hotels have created the link to the art world either through some special architectural features in the hotel or their design or because they exhibit renowned paintings. Some hotels, like the Vinnci Bit in Barcelona even try to turn the hotel itself into a work of art. Another hotel group which has adopted this concept is the Silken Hotel group. The Silken Puerta America, thanks to its wonderful facade designed by Jean Nouvel, is one of the most distinctive hotels in Madrid. This hotel was inspired by the concept of devising something unique by combining architecture, design and art. The Silken Grand Hotel Domine Bilbao is dominated by two protagonists: Javier Mariscal, responsible for the overall… Click to read more about hotels in Spain