Acta Atrium Palace — Hotel in Barcelona

This is a well located hotel near the Plaça de Cataluyna which is a tourist hotspot for shops and close enough to La Rambla for walking distance. There’s a metro line close by too (L2) that’ll get you around the city with ease and bus stops nearby too.

The staff here are very nice, we didn’t need to interact with them too much as we ate out every night and explored the city.

Our room was quite spacious, had everything we needed really, the bed was very comfortable and the mini bar was well stocked, we got a complimentary water on arrival but didn’t use the mini bar for anything else.

Our room faced the courtyard where a school is located and it can get noisy from 08:30 onwards Monday to Friday, and tournaments/games occur on Saturdays using the futsal pitches below. If your room faces onto the courtyard and the noise is too much, I’d probably ask for a different room if you’re staying for more than 4 days.

Our room did get quite warm overnight and the AC is probably a bit outdated and in need of an upgrade in my opinion, considering it’s March, we had to open the window to get the heat out, however with that, comes the noise from the school waking you up at 8:30.

The other thing that did bother me a bit is the fact you can’t stream or connect a HDMI to thenTV in the room if you wanted to unwind or watch something you wanted, I’m not sure if this is the case for every room in the hotel.

Overall this is a nice hotel, good for a short break, really friendly staff, but we probably wouldn’t come back due to the noise from the school and how warm our room got considering it’s March, I wouldn’t want to imagine what it’s like in the summer. We didn’t raise this with the hotel reception or staff as it wasn’t a major issue for us, but something to highlight...

This has to be the worst hotel I have stayed in so far in. I travel to Barcelona for work very often, (in fact I lived in Barcelona for 4 years & moved back to the UK 2 years ago). Firstly this is not a 4 star hotel maximum 2/3. The taps were dirty, bath had bits falling off it and the tiles in the room where broken as well as the wardrobe and ironing board which for some reason had a totally broken ironing board attached to it (baffling). Room review aside - the main caveat with this hotel is that they do not allow guests in the hotel without ID. It is literally like a prison or a very well guarded hostel. I had 4 friends and a very important work client that were turned away due to them not having the right ID. They have to show a full valid passport and not driving licenses or anything else that is an international ID basically, (who the hell carries a passport around with them??). If the hotel is targeting its demographic to international customers, surely you would be lenient on what ID they can use, other than a full passport they can use?! The whole scenario is a shambles and it felt like a prison and not a hotel. At one point they tried to tell me that showing ID's now where a requirement within all hotels in Barcelona ... they probably didn't know I travel to this country every other week and I have stayed in countless hotels that categorically do not require an ID to enter a hotel. DO NOT BOOK if you are 1. Looking for a 4 hotel 2. Want to have guests over at any point 3. Feel like you are in a prison 4. Looking for good customer service 5. A hotel that is in disrepair. Good luck if you do book - you will need it. Feel free to comment on this post and I will happily share...

This hotel felt more like a 3-star than a 4-star, mainly due to some frustrating issues during my stay. However, there were a few bright spots.

Pros The room was clean, which is always a big plus. Good water pressure and hot water came quickly in the shower. The location was good and quiet, making it easy to get around and rest at night (when there wasn't renovation noise). They tried their best to let us check in early, which I really appreciated. Irene, the manager, was great – she was the only friendly face at the front desk.

Cons The internet was pretty bad; I could barely use it to search for anything. The lift was terrible; it felt like it would fall at any moment from the shaking, and it was extremely small. Most of the receptionists didn't seem friendly or welcoming, except for Irene. The pillow was very thin and didn't offer good neck support for a comfortable sleep. My room tissue wasn't refilled for 2 days. They were doing renovations during my stay with no warning, which meant I couldn't rest during the daytime. They really should warn guests and avoid renovating next to occupied rooms. While they mentioned having a kettle, you had to request for it. The fridge was full of paid items, leaving no room for my personal items. The toilet was incredibly difficult to use – it wasn't a simple push and flush; you had to hold the handle for several seconds before it would actually flush. You have to register at the front desk if you have a visitor...