More about Grand Hotel Central
Fantastic location
by TripAdvisor Member Marcnadal
Fantastic location, easy walking to metro, sites and shops/restaurants. Staff always helpful and eager to answer questions. Not too noisy considering in the centre. Only downside was the size of room and the fact that it was a little dark, but the room was very clean and comfortably furnished.
The rooms are more than adequate, clean, spacious and well resourced. I would strongly recommend the Grand Hotel Central to anyone looking for a centrally located hotel from which to explore the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Exceeded expectations
by TripAdvisor Member JK.YVR
After having just returned from a six night stay, I'm surprised at the relatively low ranking of the Grand Hotel Central by other TripAdvisor members.
Despite some initial minor frustration in communication prior to arrival, the front desk and restaurant staff proved to be consistently friendly, courteous and helpful. The property was well-maintained, the decor contemporary and stylish without any ridiculous compromises unlike many other "design" hotels I've stayed in, and the location couldn't be better - smack dab between El Born and the Barri Gotic. Despite having a corner room fronting Via Laietana, I didn't find it particularly noisy considering the central location. The blackout blinds came in handy, as did the well-considered lighting controls! However, what did prove to be a bit noisy were the footsteps on the laminate "hardwood" flooring coming from the room next door from time to time - perhaps not the best choice of flooring material, at least without sound insulation underpadding.
I've yet to stay in a hotel that some fault could not be found in, but overall I'd say the Grand Hotel Central is worthy of more serious consideration than a ranking of #125 might suggest.
good design
by TripAdvisor Member ccrr77fr
I've stayed at Hotel Central a few years ago and i've had a very bad first experience. Consequently, i had sent a message to Mrs De Blas, the GM, who replied with a complimentary night offer to change my opinion about this well located hotel in Barcelona.
I returned to Grand Hotel Central in the middle of september and my opinion is now much better...
The first time, I complained about no seating area in the room and now, this problem has been solved and the room we had last time was very comfortable and very well designed with a zen atmosphere and an ultra comfortable bathroom with a seperate shower and a bathtub. Molton Brown is a very elegant choice for amenities and the free minibar is quite nice even if there are just a few bottles of soda.
However, even if my opinion is better. I still think the quality of service has to be improved because this hotel is quite expensive and for example, when you go to the pool (cold but impressive with a stunning view of Barcelona), it' s not nice not to have any clean towel available and to see a messy pool area full of glasses and used towels. Somebody has to clean this area at all time to give to the customer the impression to be in a true four stars hotel.
Moreover, the staff at the reception is a bit unefficient and not very smily and it's very unfortunate because it's easy to give a friendly welcome. It would be great if somebody could escort you to your room to help you with the baggage but it's not the case...
About the breakfast, it's very good with some tipically spanish dishes and a good quality and selection of delicious products. The buffet breakfast is well presented and the design of the restaurant very interesting.
Grand Hotel Central is consequently a nice place for modern design and large size rooms ideally located close to Gotico but the service has to be improved due to the price you'll have to pay...
Very mixed feelings…
by TripAdvisor Member mpougeard
I've just spent 3 nights at the Grand hotel central in barcelona and the least i can say is that i have mixed feelings…If you are looking for good service and friendly helpful staff then this hotel is not for you! The building is quite nice though and the" design" interiors quite impressive at first but if you look carefully you ll notice that they ve been using poor quality materials a bit everywhere and particularly in the corridors(extremely dark and gloomy by the way) and in the rooms( black polystyrene ceilings…) The restaurant room is much more pleasant. Breakfast is ok…there is choice, but nothing is particularly good. BUT THERE IS THE SWIMMING POOL AND THE STUNNING VIEW ON BARCELONA…But don 't get too carried away: it is small (10m/4m) and not more than 20 people can bask in the sun around it, the area is small too and overcrowded when the weather is fine. In a nutshell, really poor service, expensive for what it is, but a nice but small swimming pool with a view. Worth trying for one night in summer maybe but it must be bleak in winter. I will not go there again as far as i'm concerned.
Urban oasis
by TripAdvisor Member laspu
I would highly recommend this hotel. It was perfectly positioned for getting around Barcelona. Central and yet quiet. The staff were helpful, and friendly. The facilities were excellent; the room was clean and well furnished. The breakfast was first class. In all this hotel was excellent all round and good value for money. I will certainly be recommending it and revisiting it myself.
Abysmal Service
by TripAdvisor Member MrChalk
While this hotel looks modern and well designed, nothing can make up for the absolutely atrocious service. When I arrived, the internet was not working. I asked what the problem was, I was told..."it has been down all day....this is Spain !!".
The reception desk were decidedly unfriendly and unhelpful. A fax that was sent to me was not delivered until 3 hours after being sent, despite repeated requests from me as to whether it had arrived or not.
When I tried to send a fax, I was told the machine was broken and they did not know when it would be fixed. I responded by saying that the technical shortcomings of this hotel were unacceptable...first the internet didnt work, then the fax machine was broken...i was then told that the internet always worked and that no one else had complained about the internet.
Anyway, I then asked where else I could go to send my fax. I was told, "go to the cathedral. there is a fax place near there." i asked for more detailed instructions, e.g the name of the place, exactly where it was located etc....i was told to just go to the cathedral and I would find it.
I went to the cathedral and of course couldnt find it. I did, however, find the Hotel Colon, who, while having an operational fax machine, advised that it was reserved for guests only. They immediately pulled out a map and gave me specific directions to a 24hr office service, which by the way was nowhere near the cathedral.
I will never stay here again. Absolutely abysmal service.
don't book this hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member morgen
I booked this hotel for a two night stay and had a confirmation email but no reply to a query that I made. Three days before I was due to stay there, I sent another email with the same query only to receive a reply cancelling my booking. I called the hotel and received the most atrocious attitude from the reservation staff. This was further matched by the attitude of the manager. She made no attempt to rectify or apologise for their mistake. She simply blamed it on their computer system. They had cancelled the booking and made no attempt to offer an apology. Fortunately, I have been able to book another hotel and would not recommend anyone booking this hotel. The staff are completely inept with absolutely no manners.
Fabulous central hotel
by TripAdvisor Member SLP57
Stayed here for 5 nights in september 2006 and had a great stay. The hotel is very comfortable, great rooms and public areas. The staff were extremely helpful to us both on arrival and during our stay. The pool was great, yes its small but its a small city centre hotel so I guess it would be.
Breakfast was excellent, great choice and rapid attentive service; we stayed over a bank holiday weekend and they served us early on the monday morning so that we could get to our conference in time.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, I'm staggered by some of the negative comments on here!
Forum Posts
Hotel 1898 vs. Grand Hotel Central
by rsmillner
Hello:
My partner and I are traveling to Barcelona in late May and have bookings at both of these hotels. We booked these two because they both have rooftop pools (is it warm enough to swim outside in late May?) and we wanted to be near the Barri Gotic and El Borne. Any information about these properties would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sign in with Facebook
