W Barcelona

This hotel is in a really good location right on the beach. That’s about all it has going for it. From the moment we walked inside the lobby, it’s a chaotic, unorganized mess. There is no rhyme or reason to the check in process and there’s people standing everywhere and cutting in line people they don’t have any signage or direction from staff. The staff that are around stand staring at the crowds doing nothing. A couple of staff were pacing back and forth the entire time we were waiting to check in, never helping one guest or saying anything to the few staff that were trying to check guests in. There were two elite check in desks, one of which had a guest standing there without a staff member for about 10 minutes and the other without anyone at all. Of the other four check in desks, two were being used, despite there being about 5 people in line waiting to check in. We arrived to the hotel around 4pm, well after the check in time of 3pm. Once we finally got to the counter, we were informed we were receiving a complimentary status upgrade. This was really great to hear, as it doesn’t happen often anymore. We were informed that this room wouldn’t be ready for about another hour, so 5pm. We asked if we could just have our original king room as we had been travelling all of that day. He informed us that that wasn’t ready either and we’d have to wait either way. Keep in mind, this was over an hour past check in time. We said we’d wait for the upgraded room and were given two drink credits for the W Lounge. We went there and waited for our room. The service was decent, although it was very warm in there, as if there was no AC at all. It was about 30°C outside. We had a couple drinks and at around 530, my partner went to speak with someone regarding the room. He came back with another drink credit and said the room still wasn’t ready. This is now 2.5 hours past check in time. Shortly after six, so over three hours past due, we got a call saying the room was finally ready. The upgraded room we got was one of the Corner Suites on floor seven. It was an amazing size of about 600sqft, with a living room, walk through washroom, stand alone tub, king bed in front of a very large window overlooking the ocean and a bar. My partner went for a shower right after we got to the room and realized after he was inside that there wasn’t any shampoo or body wash, just conditioner. I called the “whatever, whenever” line and said that we needed these urgently, as he was mid shower. She assured me someone would be up promptly. Fast forward 10-15 minutes, no one had come. I called again and again was assured someone was on their way at that moment. I will give them that someone knocked within 2 minutes after the second call. A gentleman was there was brought one bottle. I took it to my partner and he noticed it was just another bottle of hand lotion, the same thing that was already by the sink. By this point he had come out of the shower and called back himself, for our third call, and explained what had happened. She said someone would come with the correct stuff immediately. About 5 minutes later a manager came with 2 bottles and they were what we needed. Overall this took about 20-30 minutes to get what we needed. He apologized profusely and said he wanted to give us a gift as a sign of apology. The “gift” turned out to be a bar of soap, of which we already had 3 in our room. I took it and thanked him for the “gesture”. We were just happy to have the right shower products. We had dinner reservations at one of the hotel restaurants, Salt. It was a nice atmosphere right beside the beach. The service there was great, the food was flavourful and the drinks were good. 10/10 here. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes before we would’ve left, it started to a downpour of rain. This obviously isn’t anyone’s fault, so we decided to wait it out. After around 20 minutes, my partner had to use the washroom, so we asked the staff where it was. They informed us we could go through to the back of the restaurant and there was a staircase connected to the hotel lobby. This was a great news. We took it and arrived at the elevator. There’s six in total. Two go from the lobby to floor six, and four go from the lobby to the top. Our room was on seven. There was a huge crowd and line waiting for the elevators. Drunk, rowdy people. We don’t like to be around drunk people so when the first elevator came after a few minutes that only went to six, we decided to take it as no one else went for it. We got off at six and looked for a staircase to get to seven. We didn’t see any near the elevator bank, but there were some at the end of the hallway, through a glass door. This hallway was red, with red lighting, red carpet, red doors, red everything. Little did we know, we had gone through a fire escape door and couldn’t get in on seven because there was no handle on the outside. We didn’t know this, because the only indication to this was a small red sign that was about 10cmx10cm. We missed this sign completely. Obviously we were ignorant in that moment. With no way to get back inside, we had to call the hotel to send someone to get us. They couldn’t understand what we were asking and after five minutes we just asked if someone could come to our room number as it was about a metre inside this glass door. They sent someone and he let us in and informed us this was a fire escape and that using it and setting off the alarm and/or triggering a response from the fire department would result in a €500 fine. Obviously, we wouldn’t do this intentionally and no alarm, or fire response was initiated. He said if it happened again they could charge the fine. We apologized many times, thanked him for helping us back inside and wished him a good night. Within two minutes, there was a knock at the door and it was the same gentleman who let us inside. He informed us he had gone to talk to the manager and that his manager told him not to charge us the fine. Okay, you already told us this when you let us in. He then went on about how we should be fined, but his manager told him not to. We already apologized for our mistake and just wanted to go to bed as it was late and we had been awake since 6am. The whole thing gave really weird vibes from this guy and was just another thing this hotel approaches wrong. It might’ve not been a big deal if we weren’t already annoyed at so many other things, I really can’t say. This hotel is just all about money and not so much about the experience the customer has. We had requested a 4pm checkout with our status and were told when we checked in it had been approved. This was great, especially since we didn’t get inside the room until after six. At 345, we got a knock from housekeeping informing us they were waiting to clean the room. We told them we had a checkout at four and they seemed annoyed, but went away. At 350, we got another knock, this time from the manager stating “our check out time is now, sooo, can you leave the room?” We again told her we had a checkout at four and she said “ok” and left. We left the room at 359 out of principle. If we didn’t have status and booked this room fully with cash, then didn’t get access until after six, shouldn’t they have automatically extended the checkout time by at least three hours? This again showed that customer service was a low priority for this hotel. Once we came downstairs, the check in area was chaotic again, with guests everywhere and very minimal staff. We had to wait a bit for our uber and got to further watch how they manage guests and their service standards. There is just a lot of “we’re sorry, here’s two drink credits” I guess in hopes if they hand enough out that you’ll get drunk and forget how annoying the hotel is to deal with in almost every aspect. Now down to the money side of things. We paid around €500 for the king room with ocean view and got the upgrade to a room that has a rate of approximately €2000. This is obviously a great upgrade, however, if we had paid the price for the upgraded room, the room would’ve been a massive disappointment. It’s hard to believe that the JW Grosvenor House in London, which is one of the most expensive cities on earth, has comparable sized rooms for very similar, or slightly higher prices depending on the time of year. These hotels are both in the Marriott luxury categories, granted one is classic luxury and one is distinctive. I but you can guess which is which. This hotel is definitely distinctive, but in a poor way. This was my first and last time here and it was my partners third-ish, but last time as well. It’s a shame because the hotel itself is quite nice and modern with an excellent location.

I hesitated to book the W because the reviews were so split between brief raving reviews and detailed poor reviews. I have to say, my experience was exceptional and I’m a bit suspicious of the negative reviews and what’s behind them. I ultimately decided to book the hotel because positive or negative no one complained about the amazing view from the rooms - negative comments seemed more focussed on the customer service. Here’s my experience - we rolled up in a cab and were immediately greeted and helped with luggage, escorted to the check in line, offered welcome champagne while we waited to be check in. Wait was short and the lovely attendant checking us in called to make sure our room was ready and welcoming. We booked a superior sky room with skyline room and it was jaw dropping. I knew we would have a view of the sea and beach but I didn’t realize we would have a panoramic view of the entire city too - including the Sagrada Família. There are two different restaurants you can choose from when you have breakfast included and the quality and variety are worth it. We ordered room service one night which was delightful. This is an exceptional hotel - the very best experience.

This is simply the best hotel in Spain if not Europe. The service was exceptional. The staff went out of their way to make the trip one of the most memorable we have ever had. We travel a lot. We love the Arts Hotel and have stayed there several times, but now we have a new favourite! Special shout out to the reservations and guest experience teams, especially Ana. You made our holiday exceptional - thank you

Excellent experience all round. We've been twice before (the last time in 2014!) and this time it was a truly 5* experience. The prime location and room views are amazing. On this visit, the room quality and quality of service was excellent (much better than 2014). The staff were so welcoming and genuine. Check in was great. The room was beautiful. We stayed in a superior sky suite (above floor 10 on the beach side) and it was fantastic. Room always cleaned and turned down in the evening (this didn't happen in 2014). Food in Fire was great. And breakfast in Fire was superb. It's a lively hotel, so expect loud music by the pool at the weekend from lunchtime (we had to leave the pool by midday on Friday and Sunday because of the boring and loud EDM music), but this vibe is what the hotel is known to cater to at the weekend. The Sunday Sessions dance party by the pool was great, and open to the public, and I think a bar dedicated to only serving hotel guests would have helped at that event. The bar areas were open to everyone that evening, and it was the only time the service level fell below standard (the bar staff seemed to be in a rush and visibly sighed when we asked to charge drinks to our room). The Sunday party finishes at midnight, so no impact on sleep really - enjoy it! It's an expensive hotel but worth it for the luxury. Overall, this was a great stay and an amazing welcoming hotel. Thank you to all the staff.

If you are planning a trip to Barcelona, do yourself a huge favor and learn from my mistake - book your entire stay at the W! We had originally booked a hotel right in the city centre, but we were wanting a relaxing day by the beach. We decided to treat ourselves to a day pass at the W Barcelona, and honestly…I am absolutely gutted we didn't just stay here the whole time. It was an absolute dream from start to finish. From the second we walked in, the vibes were immaculate. Every single member of the team we met was outstanding, but a massive, heartfelt shoutout goes to Michaela and Nicholas. They truly went above and beyond to make sure our day was absolutely perfect. We ended up booking one of their Balinese beds for €300 for the day. That amount is credited right back to you to spend on food and drinks while you lounge. We honestly thought we’d blow through that budget easily, but the menu prices were actually so reasonable that we didn't get anywhere near it! It definitely makes for a pricier beach day, but for the luxury, the service, and the experience, worth every single cent. And compared to other options nearby, the price is reasonable. We had the most brilliant, relaxing day. Next time we are in Barcelona, there is zero doubt in my mind—we are checking into the W for the whole trip! 🌊🍹🥂