nesnith

I am not familiar with the AC Hotels. What did you mean by limited service??

nesnith

Those two properties both some great, but are unfortunately out of our price range. I also read that the Las Ramblas area gets pretty rowdy at night, and can be a noise issue for people staying around that area?

C17PSGR

AC Hotels are basically at the Courtyard level for comparison. It was a Spanish based chain that Marriott bought and has expanded around the US. It is a little more European that Courtyard but while I appreciate European design, I didn't like my AC stay in Chicago as I thought it was cheaply furnished, dimly lit, etc.

Keep in mind that in AC Hotels you won't get breakfast. You'll save a fair amount with a great breakfast in some of the properties. The breakfast at the Renn is more like a Sunday brunch and nothing like the concierge lounge.

SkiAdcock

If breakfast matters to you I'd go w/ the Ren, as reports are they do a really nice breakfast spread & have good location. You won't get brekkie at the AC properties.

Not familiar w/ the 4Pts/its location/etc, but doubt it would be as nice as LeM or W.

Cheers.

nobbyclark

The AC at Barcelona Forum is certainly not limited. The only thing it doesn't have is a lounge. It is better than some so-called full service Marriotts I have stayed at. Then again, I had a suite on the top floor overlooking the beach...

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the report! Good to know.

Cheers.

hoangb

Thanks. I was leaning towards the Renaissance Fira as well. I thought maybe the location was not ideal, but based on what you are saying, then it sounds like location is OK.

Thanks again.

itsaboutthejourney

I've only stayed at the Renaissance twice, but was dissapointed with the breakfast - seemed like cruise ship type guests swarming the buffet like it was going out of business. It was very typical of what you'd have in a suburban Renaissance (plus cold cuts and cheese), no great effort on presentation or unique dishes. Like most Marriotts, there was no significant room upgrade due to status. Decor was bland, standing out in a design-centric city like Barcelona.

It was my understanding that the Renaissance brand was supposed to be Marriott's attempt to cater to people who are interested in a bit more upscale experience from a regular Marriott as well as artsy design, so I thought this Barcelona property was tacky in a failed attempt at that. A lot of beige and typical 'swirl' carpet patterns found at most Marriotts! The outside of the building looks like an office complex that could be in Peoria, IL.

At the LeM, they have a full line of Illy coffee beverages, cava, several Asian dishes and my favorite; churros with hot chocolate!

LeM can vary significantly in terms of room types/upgrades (I've had 20+ stays there), but overall it's a great location, with excellent design (the carpet is a design inspired from the tiles found around Barcelona's sidewalks), a custom scent from Le Labo and curated music in the public areas.

As always, YMMV. I realize not everyone places an importance on aesthetics and food & beverage.

nesnith

Those are some excellent insights! My friends and I don't worry too much about complimentary breakfast since we would rather venture out, and try the local cuisine.

For now, we booked the Renaissance Fira for our stay in Barcelona. It works for our budget, and the surrounding area looks residential enough (at least on Google Maps).

Sounds like upgrades for Gold might not be happening, especially since I booked multiple rooms?

SkiAdcock

Fair enough.

Sounds like if you go back to Barcelona you might be better served (if you decide to stray to the Marriott side) at the Cotton House, Autograph Collection, which is definitely not cookie cutter. Autograph Collection is Marriott's boutique brand.

"The Cotton House, Barcelona, will be located in an iconic 19th century building in the heart of the city center formerly known as the headquarters of the Association of Cotton Manufacturers.

The 83-room boutique hotel will feature unique public spaces including several unique lounge areas, a rooftop pool and terrace, as well as a lush garden terrace area for dining and drinks. A large number of rooms feature balconies to take in the view and recharge after exploring the city. Interior design for the hotel is being crafted by the renowned Lázaro Rosa Violán studio. The design will be inspired by the decorative arts of the building’s original architecture while ensuring a luxury experience for the guests."


In the Cotton House thread, someone stayed at both CH & the R & preferred CH. Also, someone noted this re: CH. "the architecture and design of the building itself is definitely interesting. Do take the stairs at least once."

"Cotton House is in the former headquarters of the Association of Cotton House Manufacturers. The iconic building is in every way representative of the XIX century, a period which has marked the spirit and culture of Barcelona. The hotel has 83 elegant and comfortable rooms, of which five are spacious suites.

The entrance of the emblematic building is a beautiful vestibule covered in mirrors, followed by a hall which then gives access to two stairways: one, a grand marble staircase, and the other, a spiral staircase built in the 50's that received much acclamation among experts in architecture.

The old noble areas of the building contain an elegant library, several great rooms and lounges where the bar and restaurant are located, a luminous glass conservatory and a 300 sqm terrace with lush vegetation. On the sixth floor there is a serene exterior pool, a small gym and a massage room."

There are 70 photos of the property on the property's website. Here's one of the spiral staircase.

C17PSGR

Funny, I guess perceptions differ.

I've never been on a cruise but did stay a week in the Ren Barcelona recently. My experience at breakfast didn't involve any swarming It certainly wasn't a typical suburban US breakfast. Rather, it was a quiet restaurant on the second story at the corner of the hotel with numerous window side tables overlooking the street. I don't remember any Asian dishes though. There were however, typical Spanish breakfast foods of a variety of pastries and torrijas. In addition to those, there were a wide variety of meats and cheeses, including 4-5 different Spanish cheeses, and different preparations of jambon (Spanish ham). They also had a mix of UK and US traditional breakfast foods and few random things probably intended to cater toward picky eaters. Also, several varieties of yogurt. I don't, however, remember any churros. Perhaps they could be ordered off the menu but I didn't check. I thought the coffee was good, although I tend to prefer local coffees to Illy/Starbucks. I know there was a family that sat next to me a couple of days and the kids really seemed to like the Spanish hot chocolate they brought out. For comparison, I stayed at the SLS BH (a SPG Luxury Collection) recently. They had a decent light breakfast (I enjoyed the melon agua fresca and yogurt) but the breakfast at the Ren BCN was far superior to the SLS BH in terms of high end meats, cheeses, and pastries.

As for the exterior, Barcelona has a mix of excellent architecture and ordinary buildings. I agree the exterior was ordinary. Ren interiors tend to vary but I'll also agree there was nothing wow about the interior. I'll confess that I appreciate the CH interior but don't find most hotel interiors to "wow" me. In terms of the past two months, I've stayed at Westins, W's, RC's, Luxury Collection, Autographs, Tribute Portfolio, Marriott's, Renn's, and Courtyards. On a scale of 1-10, I'd be hardpressed to give any of them more than a 5 (OK -- the CY was definitely a 3!). Also, I think the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona (which have way better lobbies generally than SPG or Marriott's) was around the corner from the Renn also had a pretty non-descript exterior. Perhaps, I'm not discerning enough on aesthetics.

I didn't get a super upgrade at the Renn in BCN -- it's always hard to get an upgrade for a week. Then again, over the past two months, I didn't get an upgrade on 1 or 2 day stays at the Westins, the Luxury Collection, or the Tribute. I did get suite upgrades at the W's, the Autograph, the Renn's and the Courtyard, as well as for one of my Marriott stays. In terms of the last two months, my suite upgrade rate at legacy Marriott properties is far higher than at legacy SPG properties.

All that being said, I'll check out the L-M next time in Barcelona. Although, if they have a setting of churros and chocolate ...I'll have to do a lot of walking around the ramblas, and probably take a nap

windhund

I second SkiAdcock: The Cotton House is one of the more unique hotels I've stayed at. The décor detailed and beautiful, and the hotel was conveniently located for me.

The breakfast provided to elites was also very generous: lots of pastries, bread, and charcuterie. When I stayed, you could also order items from a limited menu (included omelets) for 5€ each.

pinniped

We did the Fira a couple years ago and were overall pleased given its category and rate. It's walking distance to a couple different train stations. Funky hotel, great breakfast spread with complimentary cava/wine, excellent rooftop pool and bar, and a decent restaurant for dinner as well.

Downside, of course, is that you're a metro ride or Uber away from the city. It's not a *long* ride from central Barcelona...maybe a 15 minute Uber with no traffic...but it's not the same vibe as walking out your door in the middle of the city.

The neighborhood around the hotel is primarily residential one direction and a large American-style indoor mall the other. The mall also includes an IKEA and a Carrefour. (The Carrefour came in handy for snacks/wine. )

For us it made sense since we had 2 rooms, 1 paid junior suite and 1 award room, and knew from the experiences of other FTers that they'd provide breakfast for all including kids. We really enjoyed the rooftop pool and made a point to spend a little bit of time up there each day.

If it was just my wife and I going back, we'd probably opt for Cotton House or one of the central Starwoods and pay the higher category to be in the middle of the city.

ennsy

Hey guys

Staying in Barcelona for a night next June. Trying to decide between those 2 hotels. It'll be my wife and I with 2 kids under 2.

Anyone got experience at either with kids?

Location seems to be about the same. I will have Platinum with both programs by the time we get there if that matters.

Hotel Arts is 60,000 Marriott and W Barcelona is 25,000 SPG

Thanks

C17PSGR

Keep in mind that the Hotel Arts is not in the center of town. If you want to be in the middle of things, you may want to consider Cotton House or the Renn, I'm curious about the W review as well.