Inside El Bar del Majestic, Jesús Marquez maintains a service that guests of the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona have been taking a shine to since the hotel opened in 1918.
Perpetuating a tradition of the Catalan bourgeoisie, who would have their shoes polished and buffed to perfection while they read a newspaper and sipped a coffee or a cocktail inside El Bar del Majestic, the hotel has kept the custom alive to offer guests an authentic experience from days gone by.
While the end result is a polished pair of shoes or boots, the service goes a step further.
Yet, the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona has reinvented the shine for guests who have arrived for a respite from the throes of the never-ending busyness of the 21st century. While the end result is a polished pair of shoes or boots, the service goes a step further, encouraging guests to sit back, unwind, and take a load off their feet.
There's a unique draw to the shoe-shine bench, too. Jesús has the distinction of being the only shoe shiner working in a hotel in Barcelona. Faithfully on the job since 1985, Jesús carries on his own tradition. He learned the craft from his uncle Manolo, who offered shines for more than 30 years next door to the hotel at one of the city's historic restaurants.
To learn more about the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona, or the shoe-shine experience with Jesús Marquez, please contact the concierge upon making a reservation.
