5 Reasons I Loved My Stay at Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao, Autograph Collection, in Northern Spain [Review]

I didn’t want to leave this hotel. From its chic design to friendly staff and a great location, the Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao packed a lot of positives into my 2-night stay in early March 2026.

I also received fantastic perks during my stay, thanks to my Marriott Bonvoy elite status, and I truly wish I’d stayed here longer.

Here are 5 reasons I loved my too-short visit to the Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao, Autograph Collection, on Spain’s north coast.

Booking Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao

I booked my reservation at Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao, Autograph Collection, only 10 days before check-in. During my 2-night stay in early March 2026, the hotel was available through Marriott Bonvoy Escapes, offering a 20% discount with $230 rates for standard rooms.

Through Marriott Bonvoy, award bookings were available for 87,000 points per night. That’s a laughably bad redemption rate, letting you redeem points at 0.26 cents each. By contrast, we value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each. I wasn’t keen on using my points for such poor value, so I chose to pay for my stay.

I used my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee and earns 6x points at Marriott properties — on top of the points earned from being a Bonvoy member and bonus points from my elite status.

For reference, the Vintage Premium room I was upgraded to was selling for $330 per night during the Marriott Bonvoy Escapes sale.

Hot Tip:

Looking for tips on how to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at high value? Our guide can teach you how.

Location of Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao

Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao is in the Indautxu neighborhood of central Bilbao, the de facto capital of the Basque Country in northern Spain.

The hotel sits near the Indautxu metro stop, and you can reach the hotel in less than 10 minutes by metro or taxi from the city’s main train station, Bilbao-Abando. Alternatively, you can walk from the station to the hotel in 15 minutes.

The same distances apply to the intermodal station for long-distance buses: it’s about 10 minutes by metro or taxi, or 15 minutes on foot, from the hotel. Aeropuerto de Bilbao (BIO), the city’s airport, is about 20 minutes away by taxi.

Hot Tip:

Speaking of the airport, United Airlines will resume flying to Bilbao on May 30, 2026, bringing back a nonstop service from Newark (EWR) that we saw in 2025.

5 Reasons I Loved Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao, Autograph Collection

Let’s check out why I loved this property.

1. The Design Elements Were Wonderful

The front entrance tells you this is no ordinary hotel. Guests pass under arches of plants and then go down to the lobby by a set of stairs or an elevator. The outer room is where I found bellhops who could fetch a taxi, help with luggage, or hold an umbrella over your head during the near-constant rain outside.

From here, guests entered the lobby with a chic throwback look, wide spaces, and enough staff to ensure no one waited for assistance.

Vintage Premium Twin Room

I stayed in the hotel’s best room type, the Vintage Premium Twin, which had 2 twin beds pushed together and a mattress topper that turned the setup into a king bed. I instantly loved the room’s look and feel.

The pillows and bed were super comfortable, and I had a sitting area in the corner as well as a loveseat at the foot of the bed. Each side of the bed had a lamp, a light switch, an outlet, and a USB-C port.

The table near the loveseat had a welcome gift of bottled water and fruits.

The opposite wall had a large TV, a desk with a chair, coffee and tea supplies (which were complimentary), and a minifridge with beverages for sale.

There was a huge oval mirror near the bathroom entrance, which was accessed with a sliding wooden door.

Bathroom

The bathroom wasn’t your typical hotel bathroom. Along with dual sinks, there were dual lamps, dual close-up mirrors, and dual towel racks. To the right of the sinks, there was a glass shower box. The half wall to the left was an interesting feature, and I found both a bidet and a toilet on the other side.

Closet

Immediately inside my room’s entrance, the closet held extra bedding, robes, an iron and ironing board, and a digital safe.

Public Areas

Personally, I felt like the hotel had too many striped floors, including in Bar Americano and the hallways on my floor (the eighth). The black doors and doorframes looked nice, though, and I thought the marble floor in the elevator looked great with the golden hotel logo.

On the ground floor, there was a powder room between the concierge station and Bar Americano. It was one of the most unique elements of the hotel’s aesthetic.

2. Staff Members Were Friendly and Helpful

If you saw an employee at this hotel, they were smiling. That’s just how it went during my stay.

From bellhops and front desk staff to servers and housekeeping, I can’t think of a single bad interaction I had with staff here. Honestly, I can’t even think of a mediocre interaction.

Want an example? As I was heading out for a day of exploring, I saw an employee cleaning the room next to mine. I told her I didn’t need any cleaning, just more bottled water. She kept insisting she should at least vacuum my room, and I kept insisting she didn’t need to.

Guess who tidied up my room and made my bed, even though I said she could just give me water and move along?

3. Elite Perks Were Great

Members with Marriott Bonvoy elite status should get excited for a stay here. With my Titanium Elite status, I got the following perks:

• An upgrade to the best available room
• An option of points or a food-and-beverage credit
• A second option of a daily breakfast or additional points

Room upgrades are a standard benefit of Marriott Bonvoy elite status, and I didn’t have to wait until check-in to receive one. The day before arrival, I noticed in the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app that my room type had changed to a Vintage Premium Twin room — meaning I had been assigned an upgrade in advance, and it was the hotel’s best room.

As an elite perk, those with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher get an option of 1,000 bonus points or a $10 credit for food and beverages — per stay, not per day — at Autograph Collection properties. I received this perk (and chose the points).

Platinum Elites and higher also get guaranteed lounge access at Autograph Collection hotels. Since the Hotel Ercilla doesn’t have a lounge, I was offered a choice between 1,000 points per day or daily breakfast. I took breakfast, which I could use at the buffet or the à la carte restaurant. Marriott’s terms only require the hotel to offer 750 points per day in this option, so the fact that it offered 1,000 is a nice touch.

4. Dining Was Excellent

The hotel had 3 on-site dining options: Bar Americano on the ground floor, a buffet space on the first floor, and La Terraza on the 13th floor.

Bar Americano

Bar Americano was at the far end of the ground floor, open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This restaurant had a lot of open space, and I was honestly surprised by how few tables there were.

The coolest feature was definitely the wooden bar.

I had breakfast here on the first morning, which was served à la carte.

Since I chose breakfast as a welcome amenity, I could choose 1 item from the first page — including continental breakfast and gourmet options — or choose 2 plates from the second page of the menu. This page included lighter fare like fruit bowls, yogurt, cereal, and avocado toast.

My breakfast also included a choice of juice and coffee or tea. For those paying for breakfast, prices were indicated clearly.

Buffet

This restaurant on the first floor served breakfast only, available from 7 to 10:30 a.m. daily.

Along with a central buffet, drink stands offered coffee, tea, and espresso-based beverages from pod machines. There were also juices available at the bar.

The buffet itself included multiple hot dishes like eggs and sausages, as well as cold cuts, a handful of fruits, granola, yogurt, cereals, and several milk and nondairy options. There was also a sign that guests could order eggs any style from the staff.

La Terraza

Found on the hotel’s top floor, La Terraza was open from noon daily, closing at midnight Monday to Wednesday and at 1 a.m. on Thursday to Sunday. Along with a full range of drinks, light bites were also available.

There was a small indoor seating area, which was extremely popular during my stay, and lots of outdoor seating that no one used due to constant rain. That’s because the outdoor area wasn’t covered.

5. Most Amenities Were High-Quality

The hotel doesn’t have an elite lounge, a swimming pool, or a spa. However, the amenities it has were good.

There were multiple meeting rooms, a dedicated concierge stand in the lobby, and bellhops who could hold an umbrella over your head while looking for a taxi.

The hotel’s simple gym was available 24 hours a day, and while fairly large, it felt rather empty. One side of the gym had a few pieces of cardio equipment and some exercise balls, while the other side had a few benches and a rack of free weights.

There were other amenities available, as well. Guests could rent a bicycle for €3 ($3.50) per day, borrow umbrellas from the front desk, bring pets for €20 ($23) per day, or use on-site parking for €27 ($31) per day.

Bottom Line:

The gym was very simple and felt underwhelming for its size, but other amenities at the hotel were of good quality.

Final Thoughts

I truly enjoyed my stay at Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao, Autograph Collection. I wouldn’t hesitate to return or recommend it to a friend.

The hotel’s location was fantastic, the buffet breakfast was excellent, and I loved the hotel’s look. Staff, however, truly sealed the deal. The employees were incredibly helpful and friendly throughout my stay.

Staying for just 2 nights was definitely not enough, and I’m hoping for a speedy return to this property.