Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao: 1970s Glamour, Rooftop Terrace, Indautxu Location

Overview

Hotel Ercilla is a long-established accommodation in Bilbao's Indautxu neighborhood, with roots reaching back to the 1970s when it became known as a gathering place for celebrities visiting the Basque Country. The property is part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection and is independently described as family-owned. The hotel stands 13 storeys tall and is positioned close to theGuggenheimMuseum Bilbao and Casco Viejo, the city's medieval quarter, with a metro stop within easy reach. Public commentary in the evidence refers to the building as a landmark Bilbao institution whose character has been refreshed around a "Vintage Glamour the Bilbao Way" concept developed with studios Red Deer and 0120.

Verified Location

The structured place record and the official mapping on OpenStreetMap place Hotel Ercilla at Ercilla kalea, 34, 48011 Bilbao, Spain. Coordinates from the same records are approximately 43.2610912, -2.9385495. Independent travel writing locates the property in Bilbao's Indautxu neighborhood, near the Indautxu metro stop, and within walking distance of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Casco Viejo area.

History and Character

Coverage of the property's redesign describes Hotel Ercilla as dating back to the 1970s and as Bilbao's first purpose-built hotel, a status it held for some years before additional hotels appeared in the city. One reviewer dates its founding to 1972 and adds that it was the second hotel to exist in Bilbao at the time. Its original key count of 325 (elsewhere reported as 345 prior to a recent update) was reorganized during the renovation into fewer rooms focused on social hubs. The redesign concept, "Vintage Glamour the Bilbao Way," draws on a colour and texture palette of ochre, crème, chrome, pink, burgundy and dark blue, with tweed, houndstooth and dogtooth accents, oak panelling, travertine, faux furs, and frosted geometric globe lights. The Hotel Ercilla was for years associated with a gourmet dining venue called the Bermeo restaurant, whose contemporary reiteration has been described in the evidence as a finalist for one of the best breakfasts in Spain for its à la carte brunch menu.

Rooms

The renovated bedroom count, as stated in the design-focused evidence, is 285 keys organised into five categories: Stylish, Stylish City View, Vintage, Vintage Premium, and Suites. A later hotel-review article states the property consolidated to 272 rooms with seven suites broken mainly into Stylish and Vintage categories; readers should verify the current room count and categories directly with the hotel, as inventories and categories can change. The smallest standard room is reported in the review as roughly 235 square feet with a living/sitting area, and rooms include a flat-screen television with multi-channel and multi-lingual programming, a laptop-sized electronic safe, and a refreshment corner with complimentary mineral water, a mini-refrigerator, and an electric kettle.

Distinctive Features

A wraparound roof terrace on the 13th floor is highlighted as one of the few rooftop terraces in central Bilbao and offers panoramic city views. The rooftop is described across sources as a bar and lounge operating both indoors and outdoors, used for concerts, screenings, DJs, and live music. The rooftop venue is referred to as La Terraza, with near 360-degree views, and a separate ground-floor venue is referred to as El Bar Americano. The lower-ground floor has been reworked to include a reception, a powder room, a 108-cover bar/lounge, and conference and function spaces, while the first floor houses a breakfast room and a gym.

Services and Facilities

Evidence describes services that include free Wi-Fi, an all-day ground-floor restaurant, room service, a snack bar/deli, a fitness centre, event spaces, and conference and function rooms. In-room amenities noted in the review include air conditioning, plush bedding, flat-screen TVs, minibars, and complimentary Wi-Fi access. The property is described as pet friendly, with parking available on site (self-parking and covered/garage options cited), and additional features such as a concierge, luggage storage, safety deposit boxes, allergy-free rooms, and contactless check-in/out. Facility details such as charges for fitness, parking availability, and pet policies are subject to change, so confirm these with the hotel before arrival.

Nearby Transport

The hotel sits near the Indautxu metro stop, providing links across the city and to Bilbao-Abando, the main train station, which is approximately 10 minutes away by metro or taxi or about 15 minutes on foot. The intermodal bus station is described in similar terms: roughly 10 minutes by metro or taxi, or 15 minutes on foot. Bilbao Airport (BIO) is reported as around 20 minutes by taxi. A combined train and bus station with a main tourist information office is also within easy walking distance, along with the riverside promenade that links to the Calatrava-designed bridge leading toward the casco viejo.

Nearby Dining Context

The structured place record lists mapped catering establishments within roughly 100 m of the hotel, including Mina (about 17 m), Urdazpi (about 43 m), Lula (about 51 m), Gredos (about 57 m), Cafeteriz (about 61 m), Bertiz (about 63 m), Gürekoffee (about 82 m), Santagloria (about 82 m), Marisqueria Serantes (about 87 m), Millenium (about 88 m), La Casa Del Bacalao (about 93 m), and El Puertito (about 94 m). Commentators reference that the wider Indautxu and Diputacion areas host a concentration of pintxos bars, with the casco viejo also reachable on foot. The hotel itself has on-site dining (an all-day ground-floor restaurant and the rooftop La Terraza), as well as the contemporary iteration of the historic Bermeo restaurant.

Practical Considerations

Rates, room categories, pet policies, parking fees, gym access charges, and breakfast inclusion are subject to change; verify directly with the hotel or via the official Marriott booking page at the time of travel. A "4-star" or "luxury 4-star" framing appears in some third-party listings and on the hotel's own marketing site, but the original classification body is not established in the evidence, so confirm any star rating through an independent rating authority if needed. Credit-card-style price points (for example, EUR133 from one third-party listing or $230 nightly rates cited in a 2026 reviewer) are time-sensitive and should not be relied on for future planning.