Mercer Hotel Barcelona — Hotel in Barcelona

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The Mercer in Barcelona is in a wonderful location in the Gothic section of the city - the hotel is gorgeous, with incredibly high ceilings, a stunning central courtyard that serves as a common space with plenty of tables and chairs. A large number of rooms in the hotel are interior facing, with large windows/doors leading to terraces onto this courtyard. Staff are very charming and helpful, and the rooms were extremely comfortable. Also the food is good.

Here's the issue, and the unfortunate reason for a 1 star review: Staff are completely unwilling to manage the central courtyard space, which acts as an echo chamber that amplifies sound into every room that fronts onto it, and in fact, we received conflicting information from different staff members about how that space is treated. Some staff members indicated that the courtyard closes at midnight. Others seems to believe that there were no restrictions. On our first night at the hotel, we found ourselves in the unfortunate position of being privy to a loud, drunken argument being held by a couple in the courtyard at 1:30 AM. While the louder female was apologetic, the male was belligerent and aggressive.

The next day, hotel staff seemed bewildered by our objections, but also eager to find a solution. Unfortunately, the only other room available had air-conditioning that was malfunctioning, and wifi that didn't seem to have ever been functional, though we were left to find that out for ourselves. We ended up staying in our original room, secure in the reassurance that the courtyard should have been closed at midnight, that the hotel shouldn't have continued to serve the guests alcohol in the courtyard after midnight, and that this was an aberration. And sure enough, we had a quiet and restful night's sleep.

The third night, we were awakened at 3:30 am by another couple having an extremely loud conversation in the courtyard. Calls to the front desk went unanswered, and unfortunately, I was put in the position of confronting this couple on my own. And in their defense, there was no oversight from the hotel, no signage for the courtyard doors, and the doors are left open. So while this couple is most definitely stupid and inconsiderate, they also aren't getting anything in the way of guidance from a hotel that most definitely should be providing it.

The primary purpose of a hotel, especially a hotel of this caliber and at this price point, is to give you a good night's sleep. The Mercer failed in this regard, failed repeatedly, and there is zero...

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at the Mercer Hotel and we both agree that the hotel could not possibly have been any more perfect. The Mercer Hotel is ideally located in the middle of the Gothic Quarter yet set back on a quiet side street away from the throngs of tourists. We were easily able to come back to our room everyday to rest our feet in the air conditioning and rehydrate at our free (non-alcoholic) minibar that is replenished daily. We opted to include breakfast in our stay at the Mercer and it was the without a doubt the right decision. You sit either in a stunning indoor dining area that includes a section of an ancient Roman wall or outside in a charming, quiet courtyard. The breakfast includes a different mixed freshly squeezed juice daily (amazing!), coffee and tea, a top notch bread basket with homemade jams, an exotic bowl of fresh cut fruit, a hot meal of choice such as egg dishes and pancakes and a buffet that included quiche, fruits, cheeses, sandwiches, desserts, granola and yogurts. We really looked forward to it every morning to energize us for our busy days. The rooms are very clean, the bathrooms nice and functional and filled with Molton Brown products, the beds large and extremely comfortable and with the wooden shutters and blinds on the windows, my wife and I had the quietest, darkest, most comfortable sleep we have ever had in a hotel room anywhere, ever. We had a small balcony looking onto the courtyard and a TV. The service is truly second to none from the moment you step in the door. The Mercer is a small boutique hotel and you get very personal, world-class service. Every single person at the Mercer helped to make our stay special beginning at the front desk, to the breakfast, to the pool area on the roof (Sam) and especially the concierge (Marcus). Marcus was crucial in helping us to plan our daily excursions including attractions and restaurants. You can contact him in advance of your stay and I would recommend doing so. If going to Sagrada Família, purchase...

The hotel’s most distinctive feature is its unique location — built over ancient Roman ruins, it offers a rare sense of history and character. The central location is excellent, with easy access to key attractions, and the overall privacy of the property is a definite plus.

That said, the experience doesn’t quite meet the standard expected of a true 5-star property, especially given the high price point. Service was inconsistent — they provide earlier check-in which we requested ahead of time. Upon check-in, staff maintained a professional front, the initial interaction lacked warmth until we saw the manager. Next day, we waited over an hour for breakfast one morning because they forgot to put in our main order. Later that evening, we received a fantastic dinner recommendation from the manager who call ahead to reserve a nice space for us, highlighting the variability of the service.

Room quality left much to be desired. There is no sound proof. In our superior room, the king-size bed had a noticeable dent from wear, and the closet door was chipped and dented near the handle. The extra shower hooks were oddly placed in a dry area above the trash can. The ceiling in our friend’s room had visible water stains from the pool above . All the rooms we saw had a shower slab that shifted underfoot — possibly a drainage feature, but should have something that explains it in the room. Additionally, our door didn’t close properly, you have to slam it shut, which seemed to also be the case with the room next door — a basic issue that impacts both security and comfort given the poor sound proof at the hotel.

Overall, while the historical significance and location of the hotel are impressive, greater attention to detail in room upkeep and more consistent service are needed to truly deliver on its...