Originally Posted by
craigthemif
As Gold, I received an upgrade to the Exec level just this past weekend. Apart from being able to get a Diet Coke, it was nothing special - certainly not worth 40 euros a night.
Personally I much prefer staying in a hotel away from the masses of tourists. Safer (pickpockets, etc.), quieter, better restaurants. The metro line goes straight to Las Ramblas and any number of city buses will get you close to Sagrada Familia. Walking distance to the Camp Nou.
By all means stay on Las Ramblas or the DT Alexandria if that's your thing, but then you have long public transport rides to Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, Camp Nou, etc.
For future reference, this hotel has offers 5 euros (if I recall correctly) off hotel spend for declining housekeeping - there should be a little card in the room. I just grab extra shampoo off the cleaning cart which is inevitably left in the hallway.
Rude staff? Not my experience.
This is true. We are heading to Camp Nou this weekend though will only be in BCN for 2 days. I'm taking a BCN-newbie, so figured might be better to stay a little more central.
Not sure what was up with the rude staff during my stay. Like I said, Elisabeth in the restaurant during breakfast is a gem. Very friendly, lingers a little bit at your table to chat, but doesn't forgo service. ^
For what it's worth, the day I checked out, the front desk supervisor told me at the time "I had gotten a great deal" by paying 40 euros a night, because apparently they charge a 70 euro upsell normally....
For +70 euros I could've easily cancelled my reservation and rebooked an exec room for less, hahaha.
Originally Posted by
abaheti
Sorry to hear your experience. Things may have changed, but I found the staff exceptionally friendly and competent (including maps, directions,restaurants, etc) and I thought the breakfast selection quite good. The short walk to the train was just that, and bus access was very good. And our room was modern and clean and functional. My only complaint was the spotty wifi in the room (lobby bar worked great).
I'm going to edit my post with a few comments about the room, because I agree. Room itself is great.