- Daniel Ordóñez has been living in the luxurious W Barcelona hotel completely alone for three months.
- As the hotel's Director of Engineering, he moved in at the start of the coronavirus lockdown to keep everything working, but initially thought he'd only be there for a couple of weeks.
- Ordóñez told Insider it's strange to cook alone in a huge hotel kitchen and wash his clothes in a big laundry room, but he loves the views over the sea and the city.
- The luxury hotel has beautiful interiors, an infinity pool, rooftop terrace, spa, gym, and more.
- Ordóñez took it upon himself to create a giant heart shape using lights on the facade of the hotel as a symbol of thanks to healthcare workers.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
The idea of living in a luxury hotel, with no other guests around to hog the sun loungers or keep you up at night, is a dream for many.
But that dream is currently one man's reality.
As Director of Engineering, Daniel Ordóñez has been living on his own in the luxurious W Hotel in Barcelona for three months.
When the hotel closed to guests as part of Spain's coronavirus lockdown, someone had to step up and keep the hotel ticking over by moving in.
As head of maintenance, Ordóñez volunteered for the job, and on March 17, he moved in. And he's been there since.
Ordóñez thought he'd be there for a couple of weeks
Ordóñez, 37, is originally from Madrid but moved to Barcelona two years ago to start a new job at the hotel.
He lives alone in Vallirana, a little village on the outskirts of the Spanish city.
But when Ordóñez left his home to move into what he calls "the most iconic hotel in the city," he had no idea he'd still be there three months later.
"I thought it would be just a couple of weeks, so I just took a book with me," Ordóñez told Insider.
It's now been three months, but the Madrileño said he's "never bored."
"I have a lot of work in this 26-floor, 99-meter high building," he said.
The hotel offers the ultimate in luxury
Designed by the world-renowned architect Ricardo Bofill, W Barcelona is considered an icon of the city thanks to its unique sail shape and location right on Barceloneta beach.
The hotel has an infinity pool, sun deck, and rooftop bar overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, not to mention its own recording studio, gym, and spa.
The price of a one night stay in the hotel ranges from around €250 ($280) for a standard room to €13,500 ($15,200) for the Presidential Suite.
Ordóñez may only be living in one of the standard rooms, but he says it's "really great."
"I have the greatest views of the city and the sea. I don't have any complaints," he said.
Of course, Ordóñez isn't living the life of a hotel guest: There's no room service, pre-bed turn-down, or daily cleaners.
There's also the fact that the engineer has a lot of work to do and no help to do it.
Ordóñez has his work cut out for him
While Ordóñez usually manages a team of 20 maintenance workers, during lockdown he has had to look after the whole hotel on his own, which means he's had his work cut out for him.
"On a normal day, the first thing I do is check the hotel machinery, the sanitary hot water, sanitary cold water, fire protection, and air conditioning equipment and also check that the temperature of the swimming pool water is fine," he explained.
But every five days, Ordóñez has to undertake a somewhat mammoth task: Checking all 1,400 taps in the hotel.
"Every five days I change my routine and open the 1,400 taps of the hotel as part of an anti-legionella protocol," he said.
"I usually open the taps of five floors and go back to the first room in order to close the first tap I opened. The water has to be running for five minutes.
"Tap day is not exciting at all, but it's one of the essentials to maintain the hotel in a good shape, so it can be 100% ready to host our guests as soon as we reopen it."
And indeed, like all hospitality and tourism companies, the hotel will be raring to reopen as soon as it can.
Ordóñez created a heart on the side of the hotel as a tribute to healthcare workers
Earlier during lockdown, when he wasn't testing taps, savoring the sea views, or video calling friends, Ordóñez found the time to send a beautiful message to the city of Barcelona by creating a lit-up heart shape on the side of the hotel.
A post shared by W Barcelona (@wbarcelona)
"We thought it would be nice to pay homage to our healthcare workers, the victims, and their families by lighting a giant heart in our façade every day," he said.
"I took a map of the hotel and made a map with the rooms I needed to light to draw a heart. For two days, I entered 39 rooms and played with the lights and curtains to draw the outline. When I had it ready, I went into 99 rooms to darken them and color the heart."
And the symbol soon became a talking point.
"I thought that, as all the population was confined, no one would notice," Ordóñez said.
"But it seems some healthcare workers saw it at night when leaving or starting their shifts, and the word of mouth started to work.
"When the residents of Barcelona were allowed out for strolls again, couples started to take selfies with the heart as a background. Now I receive many pictures of the heart every day."
Cooking for one in a huge hotel kitchen is odd
Ordóñez said there are some really strange aspects of being the only person in the hotel.
"The strangest thing is to see your clothes spinning in a large hotel washing machine, so lonely," he said.
"Or cooking for one in a huge restaurant kitchen that should be preparing meals for all our guests.
"I know many people would love the opportunity to cook in a hotel kitchen with all the equipment to hand, but cooking is not one of my passions. I basically cook for survival."
His favorite thing about being the only "guest" in the hotel, however, is being able to savor the views of the city and the sea.
"The worst thing has been being away from my family and friends, but that would have also happened if I stayed at home in Vallirana, as they are all in Madrid," Ordóñez said.
Like everyone else during lockdown, the engineer spends his evenings virtually catching up with friends.
Although he's alone, Ordóñez said he doesn't feel lonely because W Barcelona is his "second home."
"It's really nice to live in such a wonderful place," he said. "I don't feel lonely, because for me it's like being at my home.
"The only thing that I miss now is my motorbike. The first thing that I will do when I get back home is take my motorbike and start a long trip to the Pyrenees or a road trip along the Mediterranean coast."
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