Spanish hotel chain Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has reclassified the more than 100 hotels it owns in 15 countries world-wide. From now on all hotels will be grouped into four categories with the aim of providing an even better customer experience. The four categories are Iberostar, Iberostar Premium, Iberostar Premium Gold and Iberostar Grand Collection.

According to the hotel chain, the Iberostar Grand Collection category will refer to the portfolio of the highest quality hotels in the group which are all designed to satisfy the needs of the most demanding and discerning guests. In an environment of luxury and exclusivity guests who choose to stay in hotels belonging to this category will be guaranteed gourmet restaurants, exclusive spas and excellent views from their rooms. Except for the Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey in Tenerife and the Iberostar Grand Hotel in Budapest, all hotels belonging to The Grand Collection are now exclusively for adults.

The Iberostar Premium Gold category will also offer five-star hotels of the highest quality, service and entertainment at very competitive prices. According to a hotel spokesperson: “This selection of hotels is an excellent option for families looking for the best cuisine and a wide range of entertainment for children and are to be found in great locations”.

Within the Iberostar Premium group the hotel chain offers four and five star hotels with great service and very attractive offers in terms of entertainment and cuisine. It is an ideal brand for couples looking for a romantic getaway who can take advantage of the option of staying in the adult only hotels within the Premium category.

Finally, in the Iberostar category, guests can choose to stay in lower category hotels where they can nevertheless still enjoy a unique and entertaining holiday thanks to the wide range of activities each hotel has to offer as well as top cuisine and the attentive service of its employees.

Luis Hérault, Director General of Marketing at the Iberostar Group stated that: “This segmentation aims to ensure the standards of product, service and experience in the hotels within our chain. With the four new categories we guarantee that whatever their choice of hotel group, our customers will always get the best service and attention”.

Below we present a list of hotels in Spain that offer outstanding dining facilities for you to consider if you intend taking a trip to Spain in the near future. In fact, according to one hotel comparison site, these ten Spanish hotels boast some of the best award winning restaurants on their premises. All the hotels provide elegant, exclusive and sophisticated accommodation, offering guests a stay in luxurious surroundings. In addition, the cuisine in their award winning Michelin star restaurants will satisfy even the most demanding of palates.

The Palace Hotel in Barcelona is one of the most prestigious hotels in the city. It was renovated three years ago but has kept its sophisticated décor with all the classic details. The restaurant Caelis has been awarded one Michelin star offering guests an exclusive and intimate atmosphere.

The Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Álava is surrounded by vast vineyards and is one of the best known luxury designer hotels in Spain. Its top quality restaurant has been recently awarded a single Michelin Star.

The Abama Golf & Spa on Tenerife is a great luxury resort to enjoy an unforgettable holiday. It offers incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean and the island of La Gomera and boasts a wonderful beach, tennis courts, golf course, an exclusive spa and ten bars and restaurants. Its famous MB restaurant is run by renowned chef Martin Berasategui who has received no fewer than seven Michelin stars throughout his career. The restaurant has one Michelin star.

Located in what was a nineteenth century palace, the Hotel Unique in Madrid combines the elegance of the building with a contemporary design in its interior decoration creating an exclusive atmosphere.  Its restaurant Ramón Freixa is named after its chef and has been awarded 2 Michelin stars.

The Hilton Sa Torre hotel on Mallorca is the ideal place to enjoy a quiet and relaxing holiday if you are a visitor to this ever popular island. Enjoy one of its spacious rooms with classic décor and sophisticated style. Most of the rooms have a terrace with beautiful views of the neo-Gothic chapel, pools and gardens. The hotel’s restaurant Zaranda has a Michelin star and offers guests fine Mediterranean cuisine.

The Hotel Omm in Barcelona has a charming design and is located right on the Paseo de Gracia. Guests can relax in the spa Spaciomm and enjoy personalized treatments. They can also taste the delicious dishes of the restaurant Moo, awarded one Michelin star in 2006.

The hotel Gran Meliá Don Pepe in Marbella is usually visited by famous celebrities and politicians and is one of the most exclusive hotels on the Costa del Sol. The hotel is the perfect spot to enjoy some superb cooking as it has 3 bars and 5 restaurants dedicated to Mediterranean and international cuisine. Among these is the Calima, where chef Dani Garcia creates cutting-edge dishes inspired by traditional Andalusian cuisine. The Calima has been recognized in recent years with 2 Michelin stars.

The Confortel Aqua 4 in Valencia enjoys a privileged location, being next to the City of Arts and Sciences with easy access to the beach, city centre, the harbour and the Formula 1 circuit. The Vertical restaurant is on the ninth floor with spectacular views over the city and was awarded a Michelin star in 2009.

With individual decoration in each room, privacy and views over the surrounding countryside, the Valdepalacios Hotel Gourmand in Toledo makes its guests feel as if they were staying in their own country house. This nineteenth century house converted into a luxury hotel is famous for its one-star Tierra restaurant.

Located just next to the Cathedral and Giralda, the Eme Catedral Hotel in Seville is the result of a restoration and conversion of 14 houses from the sixteenth century. Each room has a completely different lay-out which ensures all its guests enjoy a unique stay. It is a complete entertainment and leisure complex with spa, swimming pools, a stunning roof terrace with superb views of the Giralda and 7 restaurants and bars. Its Santo restaurant has one Michelin star.

Last November the restaurant at the ABaC Hotel in Barcelona received a second Michelin star. This five-star Barcelona hotel is an excellent example of a hotel that is able to combine good taste with precision, luxury and simplicity.

The ABaC Restaurant & Hotel is a perfect choice for enjoying a weekend trip to Barcelona. The hotel is located right at the start of Tibidabo Avenue, one of the most popular areas of Barcelona. Surrounded by the Tamarita gardens and overlooking Kennedy Plaza, the location fits perfectly with the hotel’s concept of exclusivity.

The hotel is the product of the integration of two buildings, the legendary former U.S. Consulate and another building with contemporary design by the architect Antoni de Moragas. The hotel is renowned for its elegant features and tranquil atmosphere. White and cream decor with exclusive furniture and quality fabrics are the basic ingredients, although the final result is also thanks to the use of lighting which is capable of providing a special intimacy. The rooms are spacious and luxuriously equipped with large windows overlooking the gardens and some come with magnificent terraces.

The hotel has a spa reminiscent of ancient Roman baths. It was built in a quiet area illuminated by skylights, allowing the passage of natural light that is reflected in the back wall of natural stone. There is a wide range of treatments available, including stimulation or relaxation therapies.

The gourmet restaurant deserves a special mention. Jordi Cruz, the head chef, has several Michelin stars, including the two at the AbaC, and he previously was named chef of the Year in 2006. He is the youngest Spanish chef to achieve a star from this bible of gastronomy. The restaurant at the ABaC has capacity for 56 people, who can peer into its magnificent kitchen of 200 square meters and personally see how the chef and his team work.

The report published by Hotel.info shows that the evolution of the average price per room is again increasing in Spain, as it is in many cities throughout Europe. In the month of November the average price of a hotel room in Barcelona stood at €97.16 compared to €94.64 in November 2010, representing an increase of 2.6%.

The second most expensive destination among the large cities of Spain was Madrid, where the average price per hotel night increased by some 13.93% between November 2010 and November 2011 when customers had to pay an average of €92.53 compared to just €81.22 in 2010.

Hotels in Palma de Mallorca also raised their rates by some 6.19%. The average price in November 2011 being €86.93, up from the €81.86 that would need to be paid a year earlier to secure a room. After Barcelona and Madrid the most expensive cities in Spain were Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Murcia and Zaragoza. Out of these cities, only three recorded a drop in the average price, Las Palmas (-2.06%), Seville (-4.96%) and Zaragoza (-2%).

By region, the most spectacular growth in hotel prices took place in the Balearic Islands, which saw a rise of 26.5%. In Madrid and Catalonia prices also kept rising, with increases of 10.5% and 7.39%, respectively. The opposite trend was apparent in Galicia and Castile and Leon, regions where a hotel night in November 2011 cost about 3% less than a year earlier.

The crisis continues to affect the hotel sector in Spain, but the results can seem to be somewhat paradoxical. Hotel investors, fearful of the fluctuations in the market due to the debt storm in the euro zone, appear to be more cautious and are taking refuge in safer assets. In the hotel sector these safe bets are easily identifiable with the value of property ruled by an almost universal scale – the number of stars. For this reason, last year 90 percent of the investments were distributed among hotels bearing 4 and 5 stars.

There was also some investment in three-star hotels but this only accounted for 11 percent of the total, much lower than in 2010, when 25 percent of the transactions that were recorded belonged to this category of hotel. This would seem to reflect the selective nature of investors, who appear committed to investing in higher quality hotels.

Something similar is happening with regard to the location of these hotels, there being a predominance for hotels in Madrid and Barcelona. The investments in the two main cities of Spain accounted for 49.3 percent of total hotel investments made in 2011. Hotels in city center locations accounted for 64% of investments during last year. This would have been different in better economic times, when investments in hotels in the coastal areas of Spain is usually higher.

Also striking is the lack of foreign investors currently active in the market in Spain, who were only present in three transactions last year which accounted for 30 percent of the total sales volume. This can be seen as a side-effect of the damaged image of Spain abroad. “This very limited role in the number of transactions confirms the uncertainties and fears that the weakened financial condition of Spain presents to the international investment market,” explained Miguel Vázquez, spokesperson for IREA.