Horror hotel puts Berga on the map of escape rooms around the globe

A former hostel in rural northern Catalonia has transformed into an award-winning hotel that combines accommodation with puzzles and mystery, earning a status as one of the best escape rooms in the world. 

The Insomnia Hotel, located in Berga, has recently been awarded the title of fourth best escape room in the world with their proposal, ‘The Kruggers’ Secret’, that fuses interactive games, a hotel stay, and theatrical performance in a six-hour experience.

Behind the project are Climent Vila and Sílvia Mosella, founders of Insomnia Corporation and pioneers of immersive horror in Spain. 

"When they told us we were the fourth best in the world, it was a joy that we couldn’t imagine,” they say. “Cities like Paris, London, and New York were featured at the gala, and suddenly, Berga appears. Even today we find it hard to believe," Vila says.

The Insomnia Hotel is the only hotel in the country, and one of the few in the world, where each room is a different escape room. It's not just a themed accommodation, but a continuous narrative experience that starts at the reception and doesn't stop until midnight."

From the moment you arrive, you're already inside the story,” Vila, who plays receptionist Sebastián Krugger, explains. “Everything is full of riddles. Accessing spaces, finding the restaurant menu, even using the wifi." 

The most lauded experience, ‘The Kruggers’ Secret’, welcomes groups of between 10 and 14 people, often strangers to each other, who share an afternoon and an evening marked by riddles, a theatrical tasting dinner, and a night terror experience. 

"It's much better to come without knowing anything. We don't explain details because you have to experience it," the creator insists.

Insomnia started designing escape rooms in 2013 with the first horror escape room in Spain. which in 2013 launched the first horror escape room in Spain. In 2021, amidst a huge influx of international visitors coming to Berga for their escape rooms, the team noticed a gap in the market: accommodation that could extend the experience.

"People came from far away, did the escape rooms, and didn't have a place to sleep that was up to par with what they had experienced. That's where the idea of ​​creating a hotel where the experience could continue came from," explains Vila.

The impact of their international recognition is already being felt: the hotel already receives visitors from all over the world, who include Berga in their escape room routes around the globe. "People make reservations months in advance, groups plan entire trips to come here," Vila says.

Despite the acclaim, the team are not letting the success make them complacent. "Once you are given recognition like this, you have two options: rest on your laurels, or prove it every day.” 

“We want every person who stays with us to understand why we are where we are," says Vila.