The Artist Grand Hotel of Art

"We chose The Artist Hotel, part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts collection, based on a recommendation that it was one of Bilbao’s top luxury hotel's. While its location across from the Guggenheim is central, that wasn’t a priority for us—and overall, the experience didn’t meet the standard we expected from a luxury property. The room was clean but small, with a super large, beautiful bathroom. Rooftop bar at sunset was a highlight, but lobby bar service was poor—we waited over 30 minutes before having to go the front desk to ask if it was even open, finally a server appeared to serve the guests. Bilbao’s Old Town was great, but persistent street vendors became uncomfortable. Also, shortly after our stay, I received a security alert about hundreds of compromised passwords. Can’t confirm it was from the hotel Wi-Fi, but it was the only digital issue in 3 weeks of travel. Decent for a short stay, but not up to the standard you'd expect from a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property.

Elegant contemporary hotel with colorful art in the elevator lobbies and some interesting sculpture here and there. Good choice of venues for dining with the rooftop terrace especially nice on a warm evening. Here we enjoyed excellent scallops and smoked salmon along with a fragrant vermouth. Our room is expansive with a sitting area and small table and a king-sized bed. Bathroom had a large soaking tub, but thankfully a separate shower area too. It would be helpful if rooms for two people had 2 luggage racks in place, although when we called for a second one, it arrived quickly. And the breakfast—not quite the largest, but the most beautifully presented buffet by far. Trimmed slices of orange and grapefruit, peeled pieces of grapefruit, lovely sliced meats and cheeses and smoked salmon, along with a varied assortment of breads and pastry. You can order eggs and pancakes and the like from the menu included as part of breakfast. Solid windows so room is very quiet and bed is very comfortable too.

Absolutely excellent from welcoming staff to comfortable and immaculately clean room. Everything stylishly done with anticipation of what you might need - even down to small details. Housekeeping prompt and unobtrusive. Breakfast expensive but good quality and generously done. We ate in Olio one night - again good food and welcoming attentive staff. Highly recommend this hotel.

We have stayed in Bilbao before, but this was a first visit to The Artist Hotel. We will definitely return, ahead of other hotel choices. Previously we have stayed at a 5 star hotel on the edge of the old town. However, prefer this location - really buzzy, feels less touristy, with a wide selection of cafes and restaurants. The hotel staff are amazing. We were in a car and they have arrival and departure down to an art. Plenty of room to pull up outside. Immediately greeted by someone to help with bags and check-in and then took the keys and sorted the parking. On check-out, the car pulled up in front within minutes, they loaded the luggage without asking and as we pulled away, noticed two cartons of water in the front for our journey. As we were only staying one night before catching a ferry, we opted for the most cost effective room. (⅔ the price of the other hotel). The room was roomy, well equipped, provided a sizeable area for the suitcases, lots of plug points. The bathroom was fab, lots of sink space, large shower, night light. There is a wonderful roof top bar where we speny a really pleasant two hours in the evening sunshine. We definitely choose this hotel again when we return to Bilbao, it ticks all the boxes.

Excellent hotel, very attentive staff, directly across from the Guggenheim Museum. The terrance overlooks the Museum and the river. Very centrally located.