Hotel Gaudí — Hotel in Barcelona

My wife and I stayed here for 4 nights. I chose this hotel mostly because of its location, which is pretty much right on La Rambla and close to most of the sights we wanted to see. There are a TON of things to do nearby so you can walk to most everything or do a quick Uber to anything else. The other reason I booked Hotel Gaudi is because of all the good reviews I found. Here are the pros and cons I found during our 4 night stay:

PROS - Location!, clean hotel, free buffet breakfast, friendly and responsive staff (and yes, they speak English,) cleaning staff is on point, free WiFi, double pane windows block most street noise, AC works great, excellent rooftop patio area and views of the city, laundromat down the street

CONS - Cramped bathroom, narrow shower, very small elevators, NO iron available, can be noisy especially at night, gym needs more equipment

The hotel is about a 30 minute walk to the beach and guests were always bringing in sand. Special kudos has to go to the cleaning crew as the floors were always spotless. Also, the maid was very flexible and came back several times to our room to clean it daily. We were in and out at odd times and the room wasn't available the same time every day. When we arrived back at the end of every day the room was vacuumed and everything was sparkling clean. We loved it! Also, the daily free buffet breakfast was excellent and didn't disappoint. Lots of food and drink options allow even the pickiest eater to have their fill. Free WiFi was important for me because it allowed my wife and I to save our limited International data plan for when we really needed it while exploring the city. Lastly, there is a laundromat down the street. My wife and I had been traveling for almost 2 weeks at this point and we needed to do laundry. Having the ability to do our own laundry just a few steps away was an added perk and made us feel as good as new again!

Now for the cons. The bathroom included a bidet which I thought was an unnecessary waste of space and should instead be used for a towel rack or some shelving. The bathroom was small already so I felt having the bidet was useless - we never used it. Also, the shower was very narrow and the shower curtain kept flowing inward and wrapping around our body. I think the curtain should be changed out to a heavier one or one with magnets at the bottom or secured some other way to prevent it from intruding into the bathing area. There are 2 elevators in the hotel and they are very small. If you have a large physique or lots of luggage, you will have to make multiple trips. I used the gym once and was disappointed that the hotel has only 1 lat machine and no free weights. I didn't get much of a workout as a result but they do have a stereo you can turn on and blast while you attempt to work up a sweat. My biggest complaint, though, was that the hotel DOES NOT provide an iron to its guests. Needless to say we didn't pack one and I expected the ability to iron my clothes - they had been packed away for almost 2 weeks by this point and needed major attention.

All in all, it's an older building that's been renovated so I understand about the smaller spaces like the bathroom and the elevators. However, I think the hotel is in the perfect location, is very well maintained, is staffed by a caring and flexible staff and is...

This hotel is in a good location. Our room was rather dated but clean. We recently stayed for 4 nights. Unfortunately, on our first night, the mains water pipe in to the toilet cistern burst resulting in a flooded room. Happening at 10.00 at night, there were no maintenance staff on site and the emergency was responded to by the cafeteria worker and a car park attendant, neither of whom knew what to do. My partner eventually managed to redirect the water jet in to the toilet bowl preventing further flooding in the room or damage to the wider hotel whose corridor was now soaking wet and dangerously slippy. Eventually my partner and the car park attendant managed to bend the pipe and tie it closed with a piece of string. But for these actions, there would undoubtedly have been substantial flooding and damage to the fabric of the hotel. The hotel maintenance manager eventually appeared and advised that the pipe would be replaced first thing next morning. In the meantime as the hotel was full, he arranged for us to stay at a nearby hotel for the night as having paid for our stay in advance, the hotel was obliged to provide us with a bed. We checked in to the other hotel about midnight and had to be back at our own hotel before the maintenance team appeared at 9.00 the following morning. Having been travelling since 4.30 that morning, we had found the events of that evening very traumatic and not the ideal way to start our holiday. Throughout the remainder of our stay, no one contacted us to speak about the incident, to offer an explanation, an apology or to ask how we were doing. Through the reception desk, we tried to speak with a manager but were told that no one was available. On returning home, I wrote an email to the hotel complaining about the poor customer service and the lack of any contact after the night of the flood. The manager responded very defensively and rather aggressively accusing me of blackmailing and threatening the hotel unless they paid me money. Unbelievable. It's as if by shipping us out to another hotel that night their contractual obligation and duty of care had been fulfilled – no need for any follow up. Their practice and commitment to the welfare of their guests is shoddy at best. I would suggest that if you want to feel that you are a valued customer when staying in a hotel then avoid the Hotel Gaudi...

Firstly, the hotel and room were very good, and the cleanliness of areas excellent. The shower was not good, I did complain about the temperature, being either too hot or too cold and I noticed the shower head had been changed for us , but no one ever bothered to come back to me and ask if the problem had been rectified, which it wasn't, I heard others talking about the same problem, so clearly it is an issue at your hotel, this really isn't acceptable to pay this price and have such an uncomfortable shower experience. Where you also fall short is the staff. At check in I was made to feel a nuisance rather than a valued customer. I also asked about a late check out on departure and was told it was not possible, but I could use the gym to shower and change and that towels and soap were provided. I checked this again the day before departure and spoke to the same gentleman who confirmed we could do this (brushed me aside though), however on the day when I asked different people on the front desk, I was met with a very negative attitude , asking me who told me that I could use, it, it wasn't possible, and did I have my own towels etc !!!a discussion then went on between them in Spanish that was clearly so that I couldn't understand, and then the key was thrust at me and I was reluctantly allowed to use it. Why that was a problem I have no idea, the gym was empty and so this did not impact on anyone. There was also very little in the way of smiles from any staff except the cleaners, I was not asked if I enjoyed my stay on check out, I was not asked if I needed help when leaving the hotel. I am very sorry to say that this is the worst customer service at a hotel I have had for many years, I was not ever made to feel welcome at any time, you should really improve on this, and not rely on the fact that the location puts your hotel high up on trip advisor . It is very unlikely I would recommend staying here, as a woman travelling alone with her son, I like to feel that a hotel and its staff cares about my experience , this is clearly not a priority at...