Kimpton Vividora Barcelona — Hotel in Barcelona

My husband and I planned our honeymoon and (unfortunately) chose Kimpton, Barcelona as our first stop in Spain. To our dismay, our experience was anything but special during our entire stay in Barcelona (before it even began to the moment we left this hotel).

First and foremost, my husband is a diamond elite IHG member. They advertise this as if it should be something to be proud of and some sort of honor of loyalty however, it is so far from that. We had the utmost difficulty even booking the room we desired using the hundreds of thousands of points my husband had accumulated for our honeymoon. After numerous complaints and weeks of trying to book the room we desired for our honeymoon using points, we finally did but felt completely defeated before the trip even started.

Now, a perk of being this diamond elite member is that the buffet as well as the a la carte breakfast is included in your stay. The breakfast situation was a complete disaster. Immediately upon being seated I asked the waitress for 2 coffees with almond milk, she brought 1. My husband waited over 30 minutes for his order of eggs (which still never came), only to watch other guests who arrived after us receive their orders. We spoke up asking about our order, however after 30 minutes we were frustrated and had a timed ticket we had to make it to, so we got up and left (and my husband never had breakfast that day). It was incredibly frustrating and left us feeling neglected. We expected better service at a hotel of this caliber, especially as Diamond Elite members.

To add to our disappointment, just they following day, housekeeping entered our room while the "Do Not Disturb" sign was clearly hanging on the door. This was not only intrusive but also completely unacceptable. We felt our privacy was disregarded, which was the last thing we wanted during our honeymoon. We were not in the room at the moment so we only realized upon our return and noticed all of our things were touched. Decorative pillows we had placed on the floor (knowing they are probably never washed therefore I didn’t want them on the bed) placed BACK on my bed. From the floor. Just a small Example form the laundry list of things.

As if that wasn’t enough, when we raised our concerns with the staff, we were offered hotel points as an apology. Two months later, we are still waiting for those points to be credited to our account. It feels like a hollow gesture, especially when we booked this trip with high expectations.

Overall, our experience at Kimpton Barcelona was a huge disappointment, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable stay. So much so, it gave us such a horrible taste on the overall city of Barcelona. What should have been the start of a romantic getaway turned into a series of frustrating incidents. Thankfully, Barcelona was only our first stop and we had the opportunity to turn the trip around in Ibiza and Mallorca. Oku Ibiza is a hotel that speaks luxury, impeccable customer service & relaxation. I suggest the staff at Kimpton in Barcelona take some notes from the hospitality at Oku. Save your money and choose a hotel that values its guests.

Our loyalty to IHG ended...

Not the 5-Star Experience They Advertise

This property promotes itself as a luxury five-star hotel, but my experience fell far short of that promise. From the moment we arrived, the stay felt like a series of frustrations rather than a relaxing getaway.

After a long day of travel, my fiancé and I arrived well past the listed check-in time, exhausted and eager to settle in. Instead of a seamless process, we were told our room wasn’t ready and advised to wait at the rooftop terrace until staff came to get us. After waiting uncomfortably, I went back down to the front desk myself. Only then were we given our room—what should have been a relief quickly turned into disappointment.

We had booked the King Premium Balcony Room, one of the hotel’s top categories short of a suite, for two reasons: location and the advertised amenities. Unfortunately, both turned out to be misleading.

The Reality vs. What Was Advertised • The Gym: Essentially a closet with a couple of machines. So cramped that only two people could reasonably work out. For a five-star property, this was unacceptable. • The Pool: Marketed online as spacious and serene; in reality, it was tiny, overcrowded, and unusable. I was excited to enjoy it and wear new swimsuits but never did because there was no space to relax.

Rooftop Service

We hoped the rooftop terrace would redeem the stay, but service there was another disappointment. When my fiancé asked to sit in a shaded seat, he was told it was reserved. Minutes later, another couple was seated in the same spot and told it was free for an hour. Service was painfully slow: it took forever to place an order, and nearly 15 minutes for his espresso martini to be brought over—even though it had been sitting at the bar the whole time. By the time it arrived, it was warm, flat, and undrinkable. What should have been a highlight ended with us leaving altogether.

Additional Issues • When we asked about an upgrade, the staff quoted 200 euros per night. We reluctantly agreed, but even the upgraded room didn’t deliver five-star standards. • The concierge, though polite, dismissed our concerns, saying the hotel was “too small” to accommodate everyone for the advertised amenities. But those very amenities—pool, gym, balcony—were the reason we booked this property in the first place.

Bottom Line

Having stayed at genuine five-star hotels in the same city, such as the W and The One, I know what real luxury looks like. Even their standard rooms offered more space, functional amenities, and attentive service that matched the price point. By comparison, this hotel felt like a bait-and-switch.

We paid luxury prices but received cramped rooms, unusable amenities, and poor service. If you only care about location and won’t use the facilities, this hotel might suit you. But if you expect a true five-star experience, look elsewhere.

For the amount I spent, I could have enjoyed a far more authentic luxury stay at another property. Instead, I left feeling robbed—like I paid for a full meal and didn’t even get the...

Stated as 5stars and really a 3 stars at best or a hostel for young posh … We arrived as platinum and Ambassador guests expecting an upgrade if available, trainee Martha at front desk first announce an upgrade to the room we had initially reserved which I did mention to her, overhearing the remark the manager points her nose to it and announce us that she doesnt have a junior suite for us but she appoints us to “the best room in our category” and offers the breakfast. Or we can get a superior suite at an extra cost. We decide for the room and go up: nightmare, we found ourselves in a cupboard size room, no space to unpack our suitcases,the bed almost in the shower nothing worth the 300e plus cost(first lie)We immediatly came down and ask for another room,which Martha very nicely showed us and we decided to have a look at the suite for the extra cost of 50e per night and guess what? We found ourselves in the junior suite that wasnt available for us as a free upgrade untitled to Ambassador members but availablenif we paid( suite 605) (second lie)suite that by the way was much better than the 2 other rooms but still really not worth the price we paid. No Iron table you have to ask, coffee machine broken we had to call to have it change, plugs that get out of the wall… Terrasse roof nice but really nothing special, u can find much better and less expensive and bigger roof terrasse elsewhere and the loud music 24h is tiring. Last but not least, saturday coming back at 7ishPM after anlong day of visit, we arrived to a party going on on the roof with super super loud music DJ unbearable when ur suite is the right under, husband called once to have the music lowered but nothing happened , called again quite annoyed as you can imagine nothing happened then a pseudo manager called not presenting himself and ask quite angrily “what the problem was”, at that point my patience was out and i spoke quite angrily and loud to him, the answer was yet another lie, “madame the dj has stopped 20mn ago” To make it short the music hadnt stopped , they are arroogant with no reason, they have no clue whatsoever at the manager level what customer service is, no experience in customer happyness. The trainee in customer experience that did call me about the extra cost dealt very well with the situation, apologize and took the cost out. That hotel is NOT worth the price they ask for, IHG members go to Intercontinental you will surely recieve the service you deserve. To finish the manager customer experience on the day we left, just avoid us at check out missing the only chance she had to really do her job in trying to make up for everythg by giving an apology! Its just too easy to keep smiling at happy posh youngsters that dont know better than free bad wine...