"A reasonable hotel for a short city break in Barcelona, but with significant room for improvement, particularly regarding comfort and safety.
The hotel provides the basic amenities needed for a sightseeing trip to Barcelona. The location is quite convenient, the rooms have private bathrooms, and breakfast is acceptable. However, our stay was affected by several unpleasant experiences that we feel are important to share.
Firstly, we were allocated an interconnecting room, with a door leading directly into the neighbouring room. Although the door was locked, we were not informed of this arrangement beforehand, nor were we offered the option of staying in a different room.
Whenever new guests arrived in the adjoining room, they would try to open the connecting door. We completely understand why someone might want to check whether the door is actually locked, but for those staying on the other side, this becomes rather uncomfortable and disruptive, particularly when it happens repeatedly.
Furthermore, the soundproofing between the rooms was practically non-existent. We could hear absolutely everything happening next door, from conversations to the use of the bathroom, including the toilet flushing and the shower running. At times, it genuinely sounded as though someone was using our own bathroom. After spending the day exploring the city, we simply wanted a peaceful night’s sleep, but the lack of privacy and quiet made it very difficult to rest properly.
However, the most concerning aspect of our stay was related to the hotel’s safety procedures.
During our visit, Barcelona was under a severe weather warning due to an approaching storm. On that very night, at approximately 6 a.m., the hotel’s emergency alarm went off.
Naturally, we were startled awake and followed what we understood to be the appropriate safety procedure by attempting to evacuate the building using the emergency staircase. However, upon reaching the ground floor, we discovered something extremely concerning: the emergency exit door was locked, preventing us from leaving the building through that route.
As a result, we had no choice but to go back upstairs and use the lift to reach reception. In a genuine emergency, this could have posed a serious safety risk. The experience left us deeply concerned and raised serious questions about the hotel’s emergency evacuation procedures and compliance with basic safety requirements.
When we eventually reached reception and asked the member of staff what had happened, we were told that it had been a false alarm. We fully appreciate that false alarms can occur and that such incidents are not always preventable. What we found unacceptable, however, was the receptionist’s attitude. She responded in a rather arrogant and dismissive manner, as though our concerns and request for clarification were completely unreasonable. The explanation provided was also unclear and did little to reassure us.
In our opinion, when a false alarm occurs, particularly in the middle of the night and while the city is under a severe weather warning, the very least guests should expect is prompt, clear and reassuring communication. A simple phone call to the rooms, explaining that it was a false alarm and that there was no danger, would have made a considerable difference.
Instead, we were left feeling that our concerns had been dismissed, despite having simply followed the appropriate safety precautions and asked for an explanation.
Overall, this hotel may be suitable for a short sightseeing stay in Barcelona, mainly due to its convenient location and adequate basic facilities. However, the poor soundproofing, the lack of transparency regarding the interconnecting room and, above all, the concerning situation involving the emergency exit and the unprofessional response from reception significantly affected our experience.
We sincerely hope that these issues will be addressed, particularly those relating to guest safety, which should always be an absolute priority."
