luxury

I think OP will be treated better at the MO as I feel the service levels at the MO cannot be matched at the RC.

The one caveat with the MO is that the rooms are a bit on the smaller side and while a Jr. Suite would be more comfortable, the bedding may be an issue.

grumbler

Apartments are excellent. Not sure you get club with them, though.

cheryl200

Le Meridien is a Starwood property. On La Rambla, great English speaking staff. Just 2 blocks from La Boqueria Market, in the other direction a few blocks to Placa Catalunya. The best (hot) chocolat shop just around the corner for authentic breakfast. Rooms can be small, but we didnt spend much time there. Call direct to book the best room to meet your mothers' needs. Bottled water and apples on a cart on each floor near the elevators. Evening reception w/ cava Barcelona is magic - have a wonderful trip.

The W had a strange bathroom situation w. glass walls (see pics on tripadvisor) so if you go there, be sure to get 2 rooms!

vuittonsofstyle

Last time I stayed in one of their Apartments, we had club access. You pay that amount for an apartment and of course you get club! If they have changed the status then it would be shocking.

grumbler

Then I must have been an idiot for not asking...but we found the apartment experience to be pretty separate from the rest of the hotel, so I probably never thought about it. Quite liked the apartment.

nicolas75

I would definitely opt for Mandarin Oriental.

Omm hotel is another alternative (maybe not as luxurious as MO, but with very good moo restaurant, smart design by Sandra Tarruella and Isabel López, laid back armosphere). The hotel has been built some years ago but is much more interesting than W hotel.

The hotel is quite close from MO, and just opposite Vinçon, one of world's best furniture/design shop.

LHATravel

Both are two of the best options in Barcelona, just depends on what you're looking for. Arts is one of the grande dames of Barcelona, MO one of the new kids on the block (with stellar reviews). If you're concerned about an upgrade or room allocation at MO, I'd recommend booking through a Fan Club/Virtuoso Advisor who has connections at the hotel and can really secure something great for you. Same goes for Hotel Arts if you decide to book there, I'd recommend using a STARS advisor even though you have status to ensure you'll receive the best. PM me if you have more questions.

quitecontrary

Welcome to FT - you have been busy posting today!

vuittonsofstyle

No, Grumbler, THEY should have told YOU!

MegatopLover

I just returned from a week in Barcelona, my first time, and I split between the Hotel Arts and a non-lux boutiquey hotel in L'Eixample called the Axel Hotel. I was at the Hotel Arts for a conference, and I went a few days early, picking the Axel Hotel on a friend's recommendation (it styles itself as "heterofriendly"; you do the math). The conference was very well done, and the Hotel Arts delivered great services for it, including nice F&B service for a crowd of several hundred at a time. The interior of my room at Hotel Arts was excellent, quite spacious with very nice appointments/finishes, comfortable bed, decent seating arrangements, good enough desk, nice closet arrangements, and very good bathroom; for Europe, the room was fairly spacious. I was more or less content with the fitness center, and though I didn't experience it myself, other conference attendees quite liked the pool. The view from my room was positively sh!tty, as I was on a very low floor looking out on a rooftop deck where people going to and from the pool could see right into my room, obliging me to keep the blinds closed continuously. I almost asked to change, but decided not to bother. If I'd been paying published rates on my own dime, I would have politely expressed my dissatisfaction until I got a room with a view-- that's the whole point of that hotel. My room seriously should have been the last they give out, only when all other rooms are occupied.

The thing that I absolutely hated about Hotel Arts was the nickel-and-diming. Internet service would have run 25 euros per day, if I'd needed it (thankfully, the conference organizers set up some internet terminals for attendees, knowing this absurd charge would be a problem for many of our employers). Internet is free at the Holiday Inn Express, and it bloody well ought to be when you're staying at lux properties-- this is an issue I've had with FS too, so it's not unique to Hotel Arts or RC, but it's still worth pitching a fit about until policies change (internet is free at Peninsulas and in some room categories at FS now). There was a DeLonghi N'Espresso coffeemaker in the room with a selection of little cartridges. Though nothing on the information card indicated they would be charging-- yup, got slammed 4 euros apiece for those little cartridges. And then there was the phone. Two brief calls within Spain to Delta. SIX EUROS A MINUTE. I questioned it, and the chap at the front desk said the rate was 2.98 per minute for calls within Spain. I said that's bad enough, but the bill shows a rate double that. He sheepishly said the bill was right. I told him that I would pay if they insisted, but I considered it ridiculous-- and I would never return and I would tell everyone I know never to stay there. He backed down and reversed one of the charges, leaving the other.

So, true to my word, I would consider returning to the Hotel Arts. And I'm not saying "don't stay there" to anyone who'll listen. But I am saying: if you stay there, get ready to be nickel-and-dimed.

As for the location, it's not THAT far from everything. And many of the major sightseeing sites in Barcelona are spread out, meaning you'll be cabbing or taking the Metro to some things, no matter where you stay. My principal observation about the location was that the area around Hotel Arts doesn't have much right there, except the (nice) remnants of the Olympic Village and the quite nice man-made beach. Except for those things in the vicinity, it sort of could be anywhere-- Stuttgart, Avignon, San Diego. I would sooner pick a hotel closer to parts of town that feel more like Barcelona to me. That would include the MO and, indeed, the Axel Hotel, which I liked primarily because of its location in the heart of L'Eixample. That said, walking to and from the Hotel Arts is not out of the question. One evening I walked back from the Palau de Musica Catalunya (sp?), and another I walked back from the Rambla de Catalunya, though most of the time I set out by Metro. There is a Metro stop about two blocks from the Hotel Arts.

So that's my .02 euros. Which is worth 1/50 of a second on the phone at the Hotel Arts.

YMMV, of course.

Kagehitokiri

thanks ^
did the hotel do group checkin?
(i read that hotel offers it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15455209-post46.html)

recently noticed this wording for FS vegas
http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/...on_rooms/pool/
edit - thanks for the details MegatopLover ^

MegatopLover

Sort of. Regular reception is in the main lobby on the first floor (US: second floor, one above ground level). The hotel had a separate checkin area on the 0 level (US: ground floor) that they sent all conference attendees to, and checked us in individually there. It felt a lot like a regular checkin, except that I was surrounded by fellow conference participants.

spideysense

You think that's bad, I was at the O&O Bahamas and upon checkout, I was handed a bill for around $6000 for the telephone charges (about 10 hours of calls to somewhere in Asia). I disputed it of course, and it turned out to belong to some other guest (I was upgraded to a different suite during the course of my long stay there, which probably caused the mix-up).

Regarding Barcelona though, I have been there several times and I enjoyed the Arts. Modern, spacious rooms and bathrooms, and excellent service. It is a bit out of the way, but the waterfront area is quite nice and not as hectic. There's a casino next door too. I find the area near Las Ramblas way too crazy and prefer not to stay there. It's a cheap cab ride away, or you could do the Hop On / Hop Off bus tour which has a stop very close to the Arts.

grumbler

True. The service was a bit shambolic at times, particularly in the restaurants. Still, the facilities themselves remained impressive.

PandaPal

Thanks everyone! I believe I've settled on the MO, and based on weather reports/award ticket availability will be headed over in late April. Can't wait!