DO Plaça Reial Hotel Gothic Quarter, Sonder — Hotel in Barcelona

Update September 2023 Unfortunately I need to amend my review. The property has changed hands and is under a new owner. It’s not the same property I stayed at originally on 2019. Service has declined (although the front desk staff is kind) the breakfast staff is quite rude. I was given basically the same room I stayed in when I visited in 2019 and it’s in dire need of a fresh coat of paint and had A/c that didn’t work. I was given the option of switching to their other property due to the a/c that wasn’t working which was a 2 min walk away. A studio apartment with no amenities, no front desk staff, no onsite breakfast, no rooftop, and no room service. but was charged the same rate as my originally booked hotel room. Once I complained I was given a discount on the nightly price of the apartment which I then applied to stay another night. I requested something for the inconvenience as I didn’t think decreasing the nightly rate for the studio apartment was (which was fine but was not the same level as the room I booked in their original property) was sufficient compensation. I ended up speaking with the regional manager who basically refused to do anything. My point was that the studio apartment and the original room I booked were not the same and I should not be charged the same rate. A discount was given but that should not have replaced compensation for the inconvenience of staying at a different property that had none of the amenities or comfort that I had originally wanted.

This hotel is now owned by Sonder properties. Given the treatment I received and the state of the hotel and treatment of breakfast staff I would avoid any other Sonder property and wouldn’t stay in this hotel again.

This property is right on La Ramblas and right along Plaça Reial. It’s walking distance to many things and easy access to the metro. The hotel itself is lovely, with many thoughtful touches and very well maintained. My single room was upgraded to a suite for 3 nights of my 5 which was very appreciated but even the single room was very nice and comfortable. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are quiet. In the evenings the staff bring little treats like fruit or cookies before bed. Breakfast was also the best I’ve had at a hotel and includes a small buffet section with meat, cheese, cereal fruit and yogurt but also a menu where you can order omelettes, waffles sausages, bacon etc at not charge.

The staff is very welcoming and really go above and beyond to accommodate you. I felt that they were always happy to help or provide advice. Mariel and Laura at the front desk were especially welcoming and helpful and always greeting me with a happy “hello”.

This hotel was a bit of a splurge for me at the end of a 6 week vacation and I am very happy I made the choice. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again or recommend this hotel to anyone...

The room was the highlight of this hotel with its high ceiling and smooth hard wood flooring. There was plenty of space to walk around and the bathroom was nice and simple but wide and practical. There was a cool separate toilet door (linked to the huge double taps and shower roof) with a mirror covering the entire door! The whole design is boutique and minimalistic with a small balcony looking over an impressive square. We chose the King’s room with a Juliette balcony view. The decorations were interesting and there is a cosy feel around the staircase and hotel. There was no noise from the bedroom and the bed was comfortable to sleep and lounge in.

Breakfast was of good quality and fresh. For breakfast, there isn’t a large selection of items as you’ll find in a buffet but this seems to be the norm in this city in Spain after looking at other breakfast brunch places. It still is filling. They do provide 4 options to choose from. The restaurant has a lot of tasty food to choose from. Orange juice tastes pure with no chemical interferences. We tried the dinner too just in the seating outside with heaters on and the food was really tasty. The immediate area was lively (even at late night on Saturday) with lots of tourists and passers-by. The wings and fajitas had a nice, saucy flavour and the nachos was unique and made differently. The brownie with ice cream was warm and gooey, I enjoyed it. The brick carved arches in the breakfast room downstairs was a nice touch.

They do have a nice outdoor pool on the terrace although the weather was too cold on the roof for us to use in January. The sauna was a very good facility to have as it is a little hard to find in Barcelona and had private access by informing reception just 30 mins prior. It had a good bench to relax on too with water and towels/gowns provided! Overall the hotel was clean too. Since it is 5 star hotel it would have been nice to have an iron and hair dryer in the room.

The room was stocked with tea and coffee. They also gave free chocolates and sweets on arrival. It is good water is provided as some places don’t provide it and they replenished it whenever I requested a top up too. I am not quite sure why they call it a free minibar when there is just water inside the fridge, this is quite misleading. The chat function on the app and WhatsApp is helpful to answer questions. They also gave free dental kit, hair brush, emergency sewing kit and shoe shine and a fragranced body lotion.

The hotel is in a really good location, close to restaurants and shops as well as a couple minutes away from the Metro and a 20 minute walk to the beach. There are some tourist spots not...

Very mixed feelings, but overall I wouldn’t call it a 5* experience comparing to other hotels I’ve stayed at. Without a doubt, most of the team working here makes you feel fantastic, but there were many downsides. I booked a queen room 3 months in advance and paid 1700€ only to get a room with a size of a rat cage overlooking an “interior patio” which turned out to be a smelly, busy garbage shed. After paying 500 € extra we were upgraded to a very nice room with spacious, beautiful bathroom with both bathtub and a shower, located on the 1st floor. With two balconies partly overlooking plaza real and the Rambla, we “enjoyed” a sleepless night due to huge noise coming from every direction- party people until 6 am and cleaning services after that. The windows are definitely not soundproof, so please do not trust other reviews like we did. After 2 days we were moved again to the 3rd floor- no balcony, but less noise made us appreciate the location again. If you travel and stay at 5* hotels you have certain expectations when it comes to breakfast. Here you get same thing every day and the only variation is to order either scrambled eggs or tasteless omelette, accompanied with juice, fruits, natural yoghurt, croissant and a bit of Cheese and jamón. After a few days you get sick with this monotony. And even if you don’t take the omelette and bread but ask for extra croissant instead- they charge you 5 euro 🥴The air conditioning is impossible to be set to desired level- you either sweat or freeze and the fan noise works better than an alarm clock. Also, forget about good wifi connection- in order for any page or app to work, it’s better to turn it off. We checked out at 7 am to catch our flight and were refused to get at least the coffee, not to mention the breakfast included in the room rate. For me, it’s unacceptable for a 5* hotel. You won’t find basic toiletries in the bathroom, like cosmetic pads. No ironing set, no features you get used to when staying at high class hotels, maybe except for flawless in-room cleaning services. It doesn’t apply to the terrace though- we had a breakfast on the rooftop at 9 in the morning and all of the leftovers were still there, drying out in the sun at 7 pm when we came back. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful place...