SLS Barcelona

We recently stayed at SLS Barcelona and the hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, very clean, modern and clearly well maintained. Unfortunately, a few issues really tainted the overall experience for us. Firstly, we were not informed in advance about the €100 per night deposit, which came as quite a shock upon arrival. This is something that should be communicated clearly before check-in. Secondly, the service across almost every restaurant was extremely slow and disappointing. We were repeatedly told to sit and wait, only to spend 30 minutes waiting for someone to take our order and then another 20 minutes for food or drinks to arrive. For a luxury hotel, the service levels simply did not match expectations. The biggest concern for us, however, was the housekeeping. We had placed the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our door while we went to the spa, yet when we returned the room had been fully serviced. Our suitcases and bags had been moved and even our dirty laundry had been folded. It honestly felt very invasive, as personal belongings should never be touched unnecessarily. To make matters worse, later that day we stepped out for a cigarette for around 20 minutes and came back to find a housekeeper alone inside our room with the door closed. As soon as we entered, she immediately left. Although we checked our belongings and nothing had been taken, we were left feeling extremely uncomfortable and puzzled as to why she was in our room alone with the door shut, especially after the earlier incident. It’s a shame because the hotel itself is stunning, but the service and housekeeping experience unfortunately let it down for us. Sadly, we wouldn’t stay here again.

The SPA is beautiful but the service is terrible! I booked a spa package with my mom when I arrived as a Mother’s Day gift for us! It was the Unwind 90 minute massage which includes access to all spa amenities sounds like a great deal right?! Wrong! Upon arrival I was asked to change and went in and got into the saunas and steam room and into the pool with a beautiful background that changes every few minutes and has a shower on top… it’s beautiful, but when I was done and ready for my massage they told me I didn’t book one and that they were closing and had no masseuse available for me.

We stayed for 4 nights and we chose the hotel because it was a little away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, but still easy to access all the main Attractions. The hotel is lovely, its decor funky and modern. It is a popular hotel for conferences and weddings so can get a little noisy in the evenings.. The rooms were clean, compact and functional. The layout of where the rooms are, is a little odd and could do with better signage. We wandered aimlessly looking for our room for a while before we found it! Housekeeping staff were very helpful as were the reception staff although we were a little confused at the casual attire so not sure who was actually a staff member. Restaurant staff were quite brusque and always seemed stressed. Breakfast was a little chaotic as a result with plenty of choice available which was not readily replenished. That said would I stay again..yes definitely!

We stayed at SLS Barcelona for one night. First Impressions of the hotel was average. Check in was quick and staff was friendly and welcoming, However they charge 100 Euros per night deposit if you are using a credit card and 200 Euros per night if paying with a debit card. I have never experienced such a high compulsory daily charge in a hotel before. Once we was given the room key the lady told us which lift to go to, this was the incorrect lift and we could not find our room using that lift and we was walking around trying to find the room until luckily there was a porter on the same floor and we was able to ask for directions. The whole layout of the hotel is bizarre and the signage for directions is poorly done considering this is a fairly new hotel. Once we arrived to our adjoining rooms, the first impressions were not great for a supposedly 5* star hotel, more like a 3* hotel. The room was average looking and a bit run down for a newly built hotel, this is down to how the rooms are kept. The first thing we noticed was a huge crack in one of the balcony doors. We then noticed the shower was dirty around the sides and when it was in use we could tell it was not cleaned because all the dirt from the previous person who used it was coming up around the plug hole. There was also a layer of dust on the surface onto of the mini bar. The touch screen system for the lights and curtains were poorly set up and the curtains did not fully close after pressing the button to close them. The balcony door in the adjoining room would also not open, so the balcony could not be used in that room. The pillows on the bed also had a strong horrible smell which made sleeping very uncomfortable. After settling into our room we went to the pool bar to get some food and drinks. We ordered three smash burgers with fries and some cocktails, for one of the burgers i requested it to have no gherkins, the server came along and gave me my burger with "no gherkins" I started to eat it and it turns out it had gherkins in it, which is poor for a five star hotel and especially if it was an allergen. The smash burgers were not very nice and they were greasy with cheap cheese slices and the portion of fries was minimal for the price. The cocktails were probably the worst cocktails I have had on holiday in a hotel. My daughter had a milkshake which arrived looking like a slushy. This was definitely not 5* hotel quality food. Room service options were very limited with only a few options for food which was a bit of a let down however the club sandwich was nice that we ordered. Overall would I stay at this hotel again? No I think the hotel needs to work on their 5* Service and cleanliness.

My wife and I spent a weekend at the SLS Barcelona and came away with very mixed feelings. The hotel itself is genuinely stunning the design, the location, the facilities are all excellent, and on paper this should have been a perfect break. But the staff let it down badly. There’s a coldness and pretentiousness to the service that I’ve rarely encountered in my travels. Rather than making guests feel welcome, you’re left feeling like an inconvenience. For a hotel at this price point, that’s simply unacceptable. Two moments stood out. When my wife wanted a small amount of milk to top up her coffee, we were charged €15. No warning, no apology — just a bill for what amounted to a splash of milk. It was petty and frankly embarrassing for a property of this calibre. The pool area was equally frustrating. Guests are not permitted to move their loungers to follow the sun — and if you try, an attendant will come over and make their displeasure very clear. In any other hotel, that would be a minor inconvenience. Here, combined with the overall attitude, it just adds to the sense that the rules matter more than the guests. The SLS Barcelona has everything it needs to be one of the best hotels in the city. What it’s missing is warmth. Until the culture changes, the experience will always fall short of the price tag.