May Ramblas Hotel

Very small room but fine had mould all around the vents and on the bathroom ceiling! Stank of fish as you first walked in. Hallways were very loud and echoed On our final night the fire alarm went off so we proceeded to make our way down the fire exit stairs only to find bins pressed up against the door blocking our exit luckily someone was able to push it open enough to squeeze out and move them to let the rest of us out! Thankfully there was no fire otherwise that could have been a disaster

Rooms were dirty and not maintained (mold, not repaired holes) and simple. Unless the price is low, you will be disappointed. Location is fine but the lower floors are very loud with all the drunk noise people at night yelling until late

I stayed in Barcelona in this hotel. Location was central. Room AC was broken that we notified the first night of arriving. Stayed there 3 nights and they didn’t fix it neither showed any flexibility on changing rooms saying they are full. It was very hot in the room. Very uncomfortable stay. Wouldn’t recommend at least this location. I hot it booked on Expedia and would definitely talk to them.

This is the only negative review I have ever left, but the staff were so rude, I really needed to share.

I arrived in Barcelona during off-season and was excited to return after spending some time in the city over a decade before, with this visit being a mix of holiday and work. As my company is based in the US, my work day starts in the late afternoon and runs late into the night. There were some big deadlines coming up, so there were a lot of important meetings that I had to be a part of that were critical to my job. I don't have a lot of vacation time, so I couldn't take the time off but really wanted to spend some time abroad as a treat after a very tough and emotional year.

I got to May Ramblas just before check-in and I could tell the man at reception was on edge. The system wasn't working, so the phones, internet, and key card system were all down. I wanted to give the man space to handle the issue so I left and returned every hour for a few hours, but was growing concerned as my work day was swiftly approaching and I was running out time. I asked if he thought it might start working soon and he essentially responded "How would I know that?". I shared that I had to start working soon and I have meetings that run back-to-back until 1am, so it's really important to me that I have somewhere to work for all that time. He told me to go to another hotel and use the lobby Wi-Fi. I said I wasn't comfortable with that as it would be strange to loiter for 9 hours at a hotel where I am not a guest, awkwardly packing and unpacking every time I had to use the restroom between meetings, and constantly hunting for a quiet spot near a plug. For context, I am a 5'3" woman of color traveling alone and have been attacked before, so I felt uncomfortable walking around downtown at 1am with a lap top. That fear has spurred me to be more organized and conscientious when traveling alone, so having that safety measure taken away made me really anxious.

I tried to stay amicable sensing that he was agitated and hoping responding with kindness would help put him at ease and, in turn, result in some sort of compromise. I asked if I could get a refund for one nights stay so I could book elsewhere, as the current option made me really uncomfortable. He got frustrated stating that he is the one suffering here so I should feel bad for him. He completely unraveled and started talking to himself, complaining loudly about how he has offered me a really great option and I am ungrateful. After a minute or so of him monologuing to himself, I interjected asking if I should return later and, if the system is still down, would he consider issuing a refund at that point. He said it wouldn't matter and I can take it or leave it, as I'm not getting a refund for anything.

I left having paid for two nights, with Booking.com unable to negotiate with the hotel as the system was down and the hotel didn't respond to the complaint email for weeks. I had the added loss of a last-minute alternate accommodation and the many hours wasted walking laps to this lobby during all this chaos.

Having worked in hospitality for 15+ years of my life and as a receptionist at several hostels in the past, I have witnessed some pretty ridiculous guest-reception interactions. This was by far the most unhinged interaction I have had with someone working in hospitality and I strongly recommend no one stay here.