Not sure if this is the place to put this hotel review!
TLDR: Wait until the refurbish is completed if the hard product is important to you, but the service is quite good already.
Detailed Review:
Arrival and Check-in
Not as many doormen as other Fairmonts, but service is friendly. Lobby is newly redecorated, grand, and filled with shops and restaurants.
We (my friend and I) had booked a twin room and were upgraded to a deluxe suite using the Platinum suite upgrade. On the reservations, we had noted we wanted twin beds and cotton sheets/feather pillows (as one of us is allergic to certain types of polyester). The platinum reservations line agent had confirmed that our two requests (two beds, all-natural linens) would be related to the hotel.
Check-in was unpolished, since the original desk agent could not seem to find our reservation. The manager came over to help us and immediately knew our reservation immediately once we said our name, without even having to check the computer. The one upside is that throughout the stay, all the hotel staff had superb English, which in Spain is a miracle in and of itself...
We were shown to our rooms by the desk agent who explained the room quite thoroughly. He explained that our linens were all-natural and that all the pillows had been selected as per our request. However, the bed was 1 king bed, not two twin beds -- I probably attribute this to the suite upgrade, as it has happened to me at other Fairmonts before. He was followed shortly by another attendant who brought in the platinum amenity. More on that later.
The Room & Amenities
In a word, "tired". The amenities are half-implemented -- some things have been brought up to Fairmont standard, but others have not. For instance, the amenities are Le Labo and the doilies/coasters are Fairmont, but the towels and bathrobes are still branded Rey Juan Carlos.
The room itself is quite in need of a refresh, with lamps and furniture reminiscent of the 90s/early 2000s. There is a pretty cool speaker, but it only fits the original iPod in its docking station.
The carpet is completely threadbare in places (see pictures) and the stainless steel finishings are ... not so stainless anymore. I know things will appear "used" over time, but they probably need to address this soon, before it gets worse. One complaint I had was the shower -- it is designed as a triangular room, and the rainfall showerhead drops directly onto the drain below. Once the doors to the shower are closed and the water is turned on, the resulting sound is deafening as the water splashes off the drain covering and echoes in all directions, but the sounds remain trapped within the prism of a shower. One other minor gripe is the relative proportions of the things in the room -- some things made me feel like I was a giant living in the room -- the night tables, the peep hole, and closet are all designed for someone considerably shorter (ie one foot or more) than me (and I am 5'10), whereas other furniture such as the chairs, sofas, and tables were suited for my height.
The platinum amenity was assorted Spanish pastries and desserts, but tasted quite stale/hard.
Location
I'm still never sure about the urban planning in Barcelona. It's located at the end of line 3 of the metro (Zona Universitaria), near the University, Hospital, the Royal Palace, and a big department store called El Corte Ingles. This department store carries a lot of upscale brands (e.g., Hermes); there is another branch that is in the centre of Barcelona, but why the upscale brands are placed here at this smaller one is beyond my comprehension. As others have mentioned, it is somewhat out of the way for tourism purposes as it is quite far from the old/central area of Barcelona.
Common Areas
The spa is still the one used by the old Rey Juan Carlos hotel, and has not been converted to a Willow Stream Spa (yet). There was no word on this.
I've also been told by my travel companion that finding an indoor pool in Barcelona is pretty difficult, and this Fairmont has one, so that may be a consideration point.
There are 16 floors, although the 16th floor is reserved exclusively for the gigantic suites (royal suites), and require a separate lift for access. The other fifteen floors are open to below at the lobby/atrium.
There is no gold floor (as of yet?). Hotel employees did not seem knowledgeable of the possibility of this. Apparently they have been open/rebranded as a Fairmont since November 2014, according to staff.
Sorry for the crappy phone pics, my camera was forgotten on my table at home...
