Hundreds queue to buy luxury hotel furniture in Barcelona before its refurbishment

The 45 Times Barcelona Hotel is selling off all its furnishings before upgrading to five stars. Pillows for five euros and chairs for 50 euros. The market sold out of tickets and sparked a frenzy for unique bargains.

The 45 Times Barcelona Hotel, located between Plaça de Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia, has revolutionised the city centre by opening its doors for three days to sell all its furnishings before an ambitious renovation. The aim: to go from four to five stars and completely renew its image. The news spread like wildfire and tickets for the market sold out within a few hours.

During the event, visitors were able to buy everything from pillows for five euros to room chairs for 50 euros, as well as coffee makers, mirrors and even screens. Everything at clearance prices. The hotel, located in the former Banesto bank headquarters and with privileged views of Plaça de Catalunya, put absolutely everything on sale: candles, trays, hangers, plugs, mattress covers and even plants from the terrace.

The public has been highly varied: interior designers, tourism professionals, young couples, groups of female friends and curious bargain hunters. Many arrived with bags and suitcases, ready to take a piece of hotel comfort home. Some, such as Eva Rosell, came attracted by the trend for markets on social media and filled their bags with kitchen and decorative items.

The organisers limited entry to 40 people per hour to avoid overcrowding, but the fever for hotel objects meant that some products flew off the shelves within minutes. Kettles, for example, disappeared in under 20 minutes. Buyers have carried away shampoos, decorative flowers, ice buckets, coffee tables, lighting fixtures and even baby high chairs.

According to the hotel management, the sale responds to the need to adapt the space to the new brand identity. All staff will remain after the refurbishment, which will represent a strategic step forward for the establishment. The large mirrors and some decorative pieces are not yet available, but can be negotiated when the works begin.

On the terrace, chairs and sofas await a new owner. A Russian couple, newly arrived in Alicante, takes the opportunity to furnish their flat with hotel furniture. The low prices explain the rush: screens at 45 euros, trays at seven, fabric bags at one, switches at 0.50. The same scene repeats itself: buyers calculate whether the chairs fit in the lift or whether they can take more than one item for the price.

The market, organised by Arquitectura del Orden, seeks to give a second life to objects that would otherwise end up at the recycling centre. It is the first time that an initiative like this has been held in a large Barcelona hotel. According to Astrid Romero, the company’s founder, there is an abundance of pillows, mattresses and sheets, but mirrors and other unique objects sell out quickly.