Paseo de Gracia Hotel, Sonder — Hotel in Barcelona

I sent extended feedback to Sonder but didn’t get an answer for a month. So I’m publishing feedback here for people considering Sonder Paseo de Gracia.

To make long story short it's not a 5* hotel. This was a major disappointment on this trip, which was very important to me and which we wanted to spend as comfortably as possible.

Details below.

There are a number of systemic problems which, unfortunately, will be difficult to solve: The doors to the hallway are not soundproofed - constant noise. Unacceptable for 5*. The windows to the street are very poorly soundproofed. The hotel is on a busy central street. Not acceptable for 5*. We lived in a basic room, which for some reason has two sinks and lots of space in the bathroom, but no bathtub:( The interior design of the room is just missing. The pictures on the walls can not be considered a design. The room, not counting the bathroom, from the inside makes the impression of a maximum of 3* (IBIS-like) No lights or outlets on the rooftop terrace. The receptionist offered to work there. But how do you do it in these conditions? The reception does not even have water.

The food ordering service is very convenient. Tasty and quickly delivered to the room.

From what just killed my impression. I was offered to pay 25 euros to extend my checkout for 1 hour from 11 AM to 12 AM. This is typical of airline low-cost carriers, and I could probably expect this from a hotel 2* or less or a hotel for an hour. Certainly not a 5*.

You can't call a hotel a 5-star just because it's on the main street for luxury shopping.

I chose the hotel based on price, location, and a number of stars. In this case, with the initial seemingly reasonable price, I can say that the price/quality ratio is low.

Fortunately the second part of the vacation, I booked another hotel, also 5* - very old, without renovation, and cheaper. I was afraid that it would not be very good. Everything was great there compared to the Sonder, apart from some wear and tear in the room (but at this age, without renovation, it is nothing). And the staff and the kitchen and the spaciousness/comfortability of the room, the staff - all great. And even the old design is better than the Sonder.

Unfortunately, the key complications can't be fixed, but maybe something small will help you improve. Or remove at least one star from the hotel to avoid managing the guests' expectations.

And I am not talking about the fact that, for example, the hotel has no restaurant and other shortcomings due to the fact that the hotel is new.

Unfortunately or fortunately, I have many colleagues and acquaintances from the hotel business, including Accor, RHG, PKF, and others, so I am quite careful about the hotels where I...

I wish I could give this location more than 5*s, I would! A hotel is just a place to sleep without good staff. You can go anywhere for that BUT when you have excellent customer service, people return and tell everyone about it. Here is our experience.

The hotel is located in a central area which is easily reachable from the airport. Safe and in the middle of well known tourist areas with plenty of restaurants and shops. Walking distance to many however tons of taxi service, bus service and the train station is available in this prime area. Lots of foot traffic so we always felt safe, even late at night. (The hotel has a key card for late night entry into the hotel as well.)

We checked into Sonder, only for 1 night. (We were going on a cruise from the port the next day). We arrived early from the U.S., hot and tired. While our room wasn't ready, the staff did offer to hold our luggage in their storage room while we explored the area. (The hotel has an organized system for tagging and holding luggage).

Upon return to the hotel in the afternoon, we checked into a large, spotless room. The overhead showers are extremely relaxing. Robes in the bathrooms are an added bonus for comfort if staying a while. Excellent quality toiletries were provided. Luxury lotion was the best! I forgot to ask for an additional tube!!! : ) The mini bar in the room was quite reasonable, which we found to be rare! They have items from Red Bull to soft drinks, pistachios to American Kit Kats!

Staff offered suggestions on where we could get transportation, get to specific sites, best restaurants for paella and more. They even called to arrange us a taxi. The visit would not have been as smooth and successful, for a short visit, without the staff to make it easier! Thank you to Victor, Marc, Ghiwa and Beatrice. You guys are ROCKSTARS! We travel a lot and have seen good service but you were always friendly, helpful and available for hellos, help or suggestions! We have already booked our transatlantic cruise from Barcelona again so we will be back in a few months - because of you! Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Overall, wonderful...

My husband and I recently visited Barcelona and stayed at Sonder and from the moment that we entered the building, everything was smooth sailing. We arrived mid morning after an exhausting long night of travel from the US and while I paid to have the room ready a couple of hours earlier than the normal check in time, I was pleasantly surprised when our room was ready upon arrival.

We selected the room with a terrace and we loved everything about it! The terrace was perfect for lounging and reading after a long day of sight seeing. The rooms themselves are bright and airy and ours had plenty of space for us and our belongings. For any curly hair girlies, I was also pleasantly surprised that our bathroom came with a hair diffuser (I couldn't find mine before we left home), so that was extra bonus points for me.

The location was absolutely perfect for us since the subway and bus access were only about a block or two away from the hotel, so it made it easy to visit other neighborhoods and areas of Barcelona. We only ate breakfast on the last day of our stay and I wish we would have eaten there more often! Upon arrival, they provide you with a shot of kombucha, and then present to you a make-it-yourself smoothie station. The buffet spread itself consisted of fresh food and typical Spanish ingredients to make your own breakfast and they also take orders for freshly made eggs and other breakfast orders. They also make your coffee fresh and have a variety of drinks and teas that I opted for. It was truly a delight!

When we checked out, the person helping us also asked if we wanted a cab and proceeded to reserve one for us to take us to the bullet train. I would absolutely stay here again if we ever visit Barcelona in the future! I...