W Barcelona

We booked this stay through Amex Fine Hotels, expecting a luxury experience — but sadly, it fell far short. While the design and beach access are excellent, the service was consistently poor and security issues made us feel genuinely unsafe. Check-in was cold and impersonal. At dinner, we waited 30+ minutes for cocktails unless we complained. Strangers were found loitering on the fire escape right outside our room, with zero urgency or follow-up from hotel staff. We ended up using furniture as extra protection for our room door — not what you expect at a five-star property. Service across the beach and restaurants was slow, inconsistent, and dismissive. Errors on our bill (including missing Amex benefits) had to be flagged by us — twice. The worst was being asked to prove that I actually prepaid using Amex Fine Hotels after they charged me another full rate for the stay. Staff seemed more focused on the public pool party than the actual hotel guests. The only bright spot was the excellent breakfast team — friendly, proactive, and professional. We’ve stayed at Marriott properties globally for over 17 years, more than 1,300 nights, and never had an experience this chaotic. We’ll be staying at the Ritz down the beach next time.

Came here for a few drinks and i was so very impressed by how nicely we were treated. The staff are brilliant and hotel is beautiful! Wife wants to stay here next time we come to Barcelona, so it was definitely a hit! Thanks for a lovely evening guys 😀

We arrived at W Barcelona at 4:00 PM, even though the official check-in time is from 3:00 PM. First, we had to wait in line at the reception for 15 minutes. Then, once it was our turn, we were informed that our room was still not ready - an hour and a half after the official check-in time. The check-in process itself took another 30 minutes. We were exhausted after a long journey and just wanted to take a shower and go to the pool - children are only allowed in the pool until 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, because of the delay, we completely missed that opportunity. The front desk staff treated the delay as if it were no big deal and offered no real solutions. We were given wristbands for free drinks and food while waiting, but nothing was done to actually solve the problem or make us feel like valued guests. At 5:00 PM, I asked again when our room would be ready, and the young man at the front desk told me he couldn't say, as he had no contact with housekeeping and didn’t want to “lie” to us. This level of disorganization and lack of professionalism was shocking, so I asked to speak with the manager. The manager also offered no meaningful compensation. She mentioned the complimentary wristbands and then offered extended access to hotel facilities after our checkout - but we were staying only one night with a child, so this wasn’t relevant or helpful. I asked for a partial refund due to the late check-in, but she claimed there was nothing she could do because the booking was made through Booking.com. Later I found out that this was a lie - hotels can easily issue refunds through Booking.com if they choose to. W Barcelona simply chose not to. We were finally given our room at 6:00 PM. They had taken our phone number but never called us. We had to go to the desk again and ask - and were told with a big smile that our room was finally ready. After three hours of waiting, we felt more like beggars than paying guests. IN SUMMARY: * Paid €800 for one night in a 5-star hotel * Check-in supposed to be at 3:00 PM, we got our room at 6:00 PM * Missed the pool because it's only open to kids until 6:00 PM * Staff and manager were entirely unhelpful and indifferent * Told a lie about refunding through Booking.com * No apology, no respect, no service I absolutely do not recommend W Barcelona. This is not a five-star experience - it’s a disaster.

W Osaka ... yes W Costa Navarino ... yes W Rome ... yes W Barcelona ... No. Arrival: bell boy 'you ok with your luggage?' (while busy chatting to colleague)!. Yes, I got the message you don't want to help. Check in then is a completely and utterly disorganised disaster. never seen anything like it in a 5* Marriott. What about creating two lines for Elite and non-Elite? And getting people on a first come first service basis served?!? Not here. I inform the staff there, not interested to listen! As a Life Time Platinum, who has spent over USD 300K, with a third of my own money vs. company, who used an AUP, I get an upgrade to a first floor room? are you serious!?! Wanted to speak with GM Peter, not there. Anna the FoM then got it sorted. Honestly, what is room control doing? No forward planning or prioritising LFTs. Pools service hard working, but completely and totally understaffed. really slow service - food is cold by the time it comes! No sun beds available on arrival, but yes I can have a reserved on if I PAY EXTRA. Are you serious?! How desperate is that? You don't have enough beds, but I can get one if I pay? LOL Room was clean, but hallway had food and dirty dishes out all day. Great smell when its hot in the hallway and creates a very professional appearance when you go to your room. Breakfast, average. Not great. I stayed at the Renaissance Fira for the previous two nights and the breakfast there was amazing. What a contrast - when in a 4* Marriott the breakfast is much better and professional than in a 5* W. In nearly 700 nights with Marriott, perhaps one of the biggest disappointments.

TERRIBLE management, they were not truthful to their guest. We stayed in a luxury room with a view of the Mediterranean. We checked in and there was no air conditioning and you cannot open windows. We reported this to management 3 times. We had to physically go down to front desk because the phone did not work in our room. With no results, we contacted our Marriott Ambassador concierge. They responded immediately and sent us a letter stating they would credited for our nights stay and move us to another room. When we went to front desk for a room change they said they did not have a room for us and the ac was a hotel problem. The hotel had ac is all the restaurants and common areas. We asked the manager why the did not inform us and the said we just learned about the ac problem. We asked other guest and they did not have ac and the hotel staff did NOT inform them. My advise, DO NOT STAY HERE! For the money you can find better accommodations. Not informing guest about the ac when it is 90+ degrees is not good business. So the hotel was not transparent about their problems. Hopefully thus review will help you find a better hotel in Bareclona