Grand Hyatt Barcelona

“A modern hotel”

The staff was accommodating upon our arrival. The elevators are unusual: you select the floor of your room, and the display tells you which of the 4 elevators to take; they is no need to touch anything inside the elevator. There is a club lounge on the top floor, although the offerings are limit… more

The staff was accommodating upon our arrival. The elevators are unusual: you select the floor of your room, and the display tells you which of the 4 elevators to take; they is no need to touch anything inside the elevator. There is a club lounge on the top floor, although the offerings are limited. The hotel has a decent breakfast. For Hyatt Club members, in the evening the hotel offers wine and beer as well as a variety of food, enough to make a meal if you so choose. The concierge was helpful. Our suite was spacious and modern, with automatic drape opening and closing. The suite lacked some common sense touches such as racks for hand towels, however. The hotel is located near the university and is not near La Sagrada Familia or Las Ramblas. It is near restaurants and shopping, however.

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“Hotel tries to get you to give them a 4% surcharge at check-in”

Lots of plusses but unfortunately some deal-breaking minuses. The hotel is generally well-maintained, but an odd mix of technologies. For example, they have super-modern technology for their elevators, but no streaming available on their in-room TV despite the majority of their guests clearly being… more

Lots of plusses but unfortunately some deal-breaking minuses. The hotel is generally well-maintained, but an odd mix of technologies. For example, they have super-modern technology for their elevators, but no streaming available on their in-room TV despite the majority of their guests clearly being international, and a telephone that did not function properly when we received our wake-up call (though a staffer came and knocked on our door when they could not hear our answer of the phone). Also, housekeeping missed one thing or another too often (e.g. one day we had all decaf coffee pods, another day only one was left despite there being slots for four). But by far the "deal-breaker" on ever be willing to stay at this hotel again is that they "welcome" their guests with Europe's "dynamic currency conversion," a widely- known deceptive practice. At check-in, you are presented with a hand-held credit card machine which gives the "option" of paying in your local currency. The glossed-over fine print? This costs you roughly 4% extra in fees. This is so far the only hotel in the world where I have been given this customer-unfriendly "option" and I was shocked to see a Hyatt property participating. I complained to the hotel but they said they intend to continue this practice, so be forewarned. So yes, nice hotel facilities in general, good location if you want to be away from the central tourist zone but still close enough to get there in around 30 minutes (bus and light rail right in front of hotel, subway a couple of blocks away). Nice assortment of non-touristy restaurants nearby. Terrific market and food stalls at El Corte Inglés (department store by the Maria Cristina metro station). Nearby, Bar Lucas is a solid tapas bar with very friendly service. Also enjoyed La Botiga Pedralbes for dinner one night. Both are easy walking distance from the Hyatt (though closer to the Hilton).

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