The rotational spectrum of 2′-hydroxyacetophenone has been recorded and assigned for the first time using a Stark-modulated free-jet absorption millimeter-wave (FJ-AMMW) spectrometer in the 59.6–74.5 GHz frequency range. The most stable conformer has been detected and assigned: A = 2277.076(11), B = 1212.113(5) and C = 795.278(5) MHz. It is characterized by a Cs symmetry where a strong hydrogen bond between the acetyl oxygen atom and the hydroxyl atom takes place. The transition lines show a fine structure due to the internal rotation of the methyl group, which allowed the determination of a V3 = 565.1(5) cm−1 barrier. The corresponding tunneling splittings have been estimated to be 51 MHz. Calculations at the B3LYP-D3(BJ)/Def2-TZVP level underestimate the height of the barrier by about 156 cm−1. This value decreases to 25 cm−1 with MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ.