The fact that Yurbban Passage Hotel & Spa in Barcelona is housed within a protected historic building from the 1800s is interesting, but not exceptional in a city set on Roman ruins and boasting a medieval core. But upon closer inspection, the property’s unique quality becomes clear: It sits on top of one of Barcelona’s former passageways, a sunken lane framed by arched doorways and ornate ceilings connecting Trafalgar Street to Sant Pere Més Alt Street. These sheltered corridors were once commonplace throughout the city—sometimes lined with shops—providing a quiet respite from main boulevards, as well as a shortcut from point A to B. Younger generations know little of these side streets, as most of them have been sealed off in the last few decades, but Catalan group Smart Rooms Company, which owns Yurbban Hotels, including a nearby sister property, managed to bring the Passatge de las Manufactures back to life after a nearly $25 million investment and two years of construction. Now, the lane, which was opened in 1878 by Joan Cirici, grandfather of art critic, writer, and politician Alexandre Cirici (his initials are still visible in the archway leading to the hotel), sees a steady trickle of pedestrians wandering through it and informs the hotel’s name.

Local designer Raquel Sogorb wanted to “maintain the building’s historic essence because its architecture is the guiding inspiration, prompting me to preserve large communal spaces,” she says. Yurbban Passage’s lobby, restaurant, and many of its 60 rooms and suites look out onto Passatge de las Manufactures from inner courtyards, some offering a glimpse of a delicate mobile made of wood and metal by Barcelona artist Antoni Yranzo suspended below. Sogorb took a dynamic yet understated approach in the long and somewhat narrow lobby and reception area, where its U-shaped layout forced her to be creative. It is here she makes a lasting first impression with muted colors, thick rugs, and playful details, including a wood-clad photo booth and a shuffleboard table. “Yurbban as a brand represents the cosmopolitan,” she explains. “Its aesthetic and amenities are in constant evolution with the goal being to surprise a clientele that is ever more discerning.”

The lobby feeds into a rectangular restaurant, D’Aprop, in which marble-topped tables and wicker-backed chairs nod to Barcelona’s café culture. Dark bookshelves occupy white walls of exposed brick and bench seating runs along the perimeter. The central focus, though, is a slender bar covered in Carrara marble, fronted in solid oak, and backed by a wall of windows. “The idea was to use high-end materials everywhere,” Sogorb notes.

The same black, marble, and wood palette continues in the guestrooms for a minimalist aesthetic: dark walnut does double duty as a striking headboard, iron nightstands frame the bed, and white walls and ceilings are punctuated with bespoke black pendant lights and dark fixtures in the bathroom. In addition, a spa and petite gym are tucked underground in an industrial, whitewashed space with hallways of exposed brick, while a rooftop lap pool overlooks the city. “Above all, I wanted to convey comfort combined with calm and elegance,” she says. “The design is rooted in a current context but references the emblematic places of the past.”