Messi’s hotel wins Spain’s top ski hotel award as Sierra Nevada lands a prize of its own

Lionel Messi’s hotel in the Pyrenees has been named Spain’s best ski hotel for 2026. Sierra Nevada had a winner of its own. El Lodge took Spain’s best boutique ski hotel award, bringing one of the national titles to Granada.

MiM Baqueira Luxury & Spa, in the Lleida resort of Baqueira Beret, beat six other nominees, Hosteltur reported on Sunday, 15 November. The World Ski Awards gave Spain’s best ski resort title to Boí Taüll, elsewhere in the Lleida Pyrenees. The three Spanish awards went to three different places.

Messi’s hotel business has roots on the Costas

The Baqueira property is part of the same MiM group as Messi’s hotels in Sotogrande, Mallorca and Ibiza. Meliá took over the management of six MiM properties under a deal EWN covered in October 2025. The award gives the footballer’s Pyrenean hotel a title of its own a year after that deal.

Sierra Nevada’s first day on the slopes still depends on snow

The award for El Lodge comes ahead of the winter season in Sierra Nevada. Specialist listings put the expected start of skiing at Saturday, 28 November, subject to snow conditions. The resort’s calendar lists a separate season opening celebration for Sunday, 6 December. For anyone thinking of heading up from the coast, the detail to watch is how much of the mountain is ready when the first lifts start running.