Gran Hotel La Florida — Hotel in Barcelona

A five star farce disguised as opulence. I don’t usually pen down negative reviews but the extraordinary circumstances of our experience at Gran La Hotel Florida have compelled me to go out of my comfort zone to air my grievance.

As we were lured into the false sense of security the radiant exterior and the promise of decadent interiors of the hotel initially offered, we unsuspectingly stepped into what would soon reveal itself as a masquerade of luxury. This charade was masterfully crafted, concealing a grim reality behind its captivating veneer.

From the moment of check-in, chaos ensued. No bellboy for our bags, no welcome, only a befuddled cab driver left adrift. It was a far cry from luxury, our initial surprise curdled to early disappointment.

The reception staff was frosty, devoid of any welcoming warmth. Their arrogance was palpable as they demanded our documents, shooting us looks laced with judgment.

The aggravating situation was intensified by the invasive nature of the blonde receptionist, who displayed a relentless fixation on my partner's daily whereabouts. Repeatedly, she bombarded my partner with the same inquiry, "Do you live here?" Her incessant prodding persisted, regardless of whether we returned from a meal or a work-related excursion. This disregard for protocol and personal boundaries left us feeling uncomfortably scrutinized rather than genuinely welcomed, tarnishing our overall impression of the place.

The property itself is undeniably remarkable, boasting breathtaking vistas that showcase the majestic mountains and the sprawling cityscape. With such stunning views, it possesses the potential to be a charming five-star haven. However, despite its physical allure, it falls short in delivering even a four-star level of hospitality.

The staff, including those in the restaurant, appeared to lack proper training in hospitality. Their behavior exhibited a noticeable absence of gentlemanly conduct. Moreover, the dining options left much to be desired. They had a single menu shared among room service, the restaurant, and the terrace, resulting in certain items being omitted inconsistently between these three areas. While the food was satisfactory, it failed to reach the heights of being truly remarkable or exceptionally delicious. Even the cocktail menu was disappointingly limited to just one page. I couldn't help but wish for a more diverse range of culinary offerings across these three spaces. As for breakfast, priced at 28 euros, it consisted of decent pastries and a platter of eggs, bread, cheese, and juices. However, considering the cost, it fell short of delivering the level of quality one would expect to enjoy those breathtaking views the property presents.

Amidst the disappointments, there were a few silver linings to be found. One such highlight was the commendable housekeeping service, which maintained a level of cleanliness and efficiency worth acknowledging. Additionally, I must express gratitude for the exceptional assistance provided by Ms. Christine during breakfast dining. Her remarkable professionalism and polite demeanor stood out, offering a glimmer of genuine hospitality amidst an otherwise lackluster...

If you are considering this hotel this is all you need to know: Great views from this hotel, the concierge and front desk people and staff are very friendly and helpful. They really go out of their way to make sure things are as perfect as they could be. Especially, Roger at the concierge/front desk, he is the by far the best that I have ever seen in any of the hotels ( including Ritz, 4 seasons, Mandarin ...) I have stayed at in the past 20 years. I always ask for him. Rooms are clean, great views, food is good. You will need a car to get there, the hotel charges 25 euros a night extra to park your car. its on top of the mountain, and there are no restaurants or shops close by. They really don’t have a big gym, just some machines in a small space. The spa is great. The infinity pool is nice, looking over Barcelona. On weekends the narrow road to the top of the mountain is super busy, there is an attraction park right next to the hotel on the very top of the mountain, and it gets very crowded with long lines over the weekend, there are also a lot of bikers pedaling up and down this mountain, I clocked one going at 60 km per hour down the mountain, unbelievable, was very dangerous, all that bike and car traffic makes going up and down the mountain kind of dangerous and slow. You need to be very careful. Also if it rains hard, the mountain road becomes very foggy, just one accident and its closed and you are stuck up there. A cab ride to the city is about 30 euros each way, not cheap. There are no other restaurants on top of that mountain, very peaceful and quiet, but if you are looking for restaurants and different foods up there, you are out of luck, the only food is what they have at the hotel. Its a good place to go and get away from it all, but not if you wanna be close to shopping, restaurant hopping or enjoying the city, simply too far and isolated up the mountain hotel. They call this place “the mountain hotel” in Barcelona. Overall, we enjoyed it , I will go there again. Views from the top of the mountain are breathtaking, but you pay a...

People saying this is not a 5 star hotel need to lookup what a 5 star hotel is. GHLF checked all the boxes.

The hotel overall is remarkable. Our bed was fresh and comfortable. Bathrooms had great amount of high quality towels and products. Our bedroom view of the city from the 5th floor was breathtaking. The restaurant food was top notch, the staff attention and service were incredible. The pool and hot tub were great (especially since we had them all for ourselves at the time).

Although this hotel is a 5 star gem with so many pros and it is 100 year old with their last renovation having been made back in 2003, (If it wasn’t for the great staff and service) I would give it a 4 star review due to the fact that it seems it might benefit from some preventive maintenance.

Things like:

Tightening the toilet lid screws would have been great.

One of the elevators made some strange noises and hard stops. Not sure what it was but it needed to get checked.

The a/c was not working or was turned off and it would get hot in the room. Opening the windows would allow mosquitoes to get in (We woke up at 2am to fight mosquitoes for 2.5 hours because we left the windows open at night). Perhaps some mosquito net on the windows (or even over the bed to keep that old charm going) would have made a great difference until their next renovation.

They definitely need a technological transformation. Keycards, app, motion sensor lightings, elevator access with keycard, among other things.

We can’t wait for our next visit after their scheduled big renovation happens. Hopefully we’ll see the same classical masterpiece with a modernised infrastructure for better accessibility and guest experience.

Also, although every single staff member was awesome, the hotel needs more people like Alix working there. She made our stay feel very welcomed and made sure we knew everything they had to offer what we could do...