{"id":16323,"date":"2026-10-26T21:59:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T21:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brunetarquitectes.com\/en\/hotel-design-renovation-mallorca\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T22:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T22:13:21","slug":"hotel-design-renovation-mallorca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brunetarquitectes.com\/en\/hotel-design-renovation-mallorca\/","title":{"rendered":"Hotel design and renovation in Mallorca: the method behind a 225-room Passivhaus hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lloren\u00e7 Brunet Nicolau, architect and CEO of Brunet Arquitectes. Member of the Mallorca board of the COAIB (Balearic Architects’ Association) since 2007, covering Heritage and Bioclimatic design.<\/em><\/p>\n

A well-designed hotel in Mallorca does three things at once. It uses little energy in summer, it is built or refurbished without clashing with the season, and it gives guests a coherent experience from the lobby to the garden. At Brunet Arquitectes we have worked this way since 1996, with one team covering architecture, interior design, landscape design and construction management.<\/p>\n

This article explains how we approach a hotel project<\/strong>, using a real case: a 225-room seafront hotel in Salobre\u00f1a (Granada), designed to passive architecture<\/strong> principles. If you are weighing up a new hotel or the renovation of an existing one in the Balearic Islands, here is the method and the decisions that matter most.<\/p>\n

\"Hotel
A bedroom with Mediterranean views at the Salobre\u00f1a hotel, Granada.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What must be decided before designing or renovating a hotel in Mallorca?<\/h2>\n

Four things need fixing before anyone draws a line: the hotel’s positioning, the applicable regulations, the construction calendar in relation to the season, and the energy target. Settling them in this order avoids redesigns once the project is already at the licence stage, and it protects the budget.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Positioning.<\/strong> Star category, number of rooms, public areas and services. The building’s brief comes from here.<\/li>\n
  2. Regulations.<\/strong> Law 8\/2012 on Tourism in the Balearic Islands<\/a>, as amended, governs tourist accommodation. Local planning rules set the buildable area, heights and permitted uses. We check each case with the town hall before the project is finalised.<\/li>\n
  3. Calendar.<\/strong> In an operating hotel, heavy works are scheduled for the months of lowest occupancy and carried out in phases, so that as few rooms as possible are closed.<\/li>\n
  4. Energy and comfort.<\/strong> In a Mediterranean climate, summer is the challenge. It is defined at the start, not added later.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Renovate a hotel or build a new one? What changes in the project<\/h2>\n

    Refurbishing part of an existing building and building from scratch call for different decisions. In a renovation, the real condition of the building and its services leads. In a new build, the site and the planning rules lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Aspect<\/th>\nRenovating an existing hotel<\/th>\nNew-build hotel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Starting point<\/td>\nCondition of structure, services and envelope<\/td>\nSite, orientation and planning rules<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Main risk<\/td>\nSurprises when walls and roofs are opened<\/td>\nLicence and construction timeframes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Calendar<\/td>\nIn phases, outside peak season<\/td>\nA single build, with an opening date<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Energy opportunity<\/td>\nUpgrade the envelope and replace systems<\/td>\nPassive design from the first sketch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Bedrooms<\/td>\nExisting rooms are reconfigured<\/td>\nDesigned around the brief<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    In practice, renovation wins when the building has a sound structure and a good location, and the problem lies in the rooms, the services or the image. A new build wins when the brief calls for something different. A preliminary study with measurements and a comparative budget makes the decision clear before money is spent on design.<\/p>\n

    Case study: a 225-room hotel in Salobre\u00f1a, Granada<\/h2>\n

    This is a 225-room hotel on the seafront, designed by Brunet Arquitectes to passive architecture principles to optimise comfort and reduce energy demand. It combines a vertical-slat envelope, planted terraces and a landscaped atrium with a water feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Item<\/th>\nProject<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Project<\/td>\nHotel in Salobre\u00f1a, Granada<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Rooms<\/td>\n225<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Location<\/td>\nSeafront<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Approach<\/td>\nPassive architecture (Passivhaus)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Envelope<\/td>\nVertical slats and planted terraces<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Central space<\/td>\nLandscaped atrium with a water feature<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Year<\/td>\n2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
    \"Vertical-slat
    The vertical-slat envelope and planted terraces define the hotel's image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Three decisions in the project offer guidance for any coastal hotel:<\/p>\n