Tryp Barcelona Apolo

Worst hotel ever. They have awful customer service. We had a family emergency and they refused to help.

I’ll admit the first time I stayed here it was because my typical hotel in Barcelona was not available. I wasn’t happy! But in the end, I was totally satisfied (and have been there one additional time). Property is well-​maintained, location is great, staff is friendly, wi-​fi is fast & free, breakfast is amazing and rooms are adequately furnished/​stocked. My only two issues: if you want ice, you have to walk to the café next door … then trek back to your room through the lobby & up the elevator with a bucket of ice with no lid (not major, just a little inconvenient). And secondly, there are no wash cloths provided — gel & a sponge are, but that makes for difficult shaving of one’s face, head and whatever else! (don’t judge!). All-​in-​all, I’d recommend the Tryp Apolo and will definitely be back!

This hotel really doesn’t deserve it’s 4 star title. Sure it’s at a competitive price, which is great, but this place really nickels and dimes you. For example, I called room service to see if they could grab me some ice, since the fridge in the room was absolute garbage (No freezer and didn’t even work properly), and they said they would charge me 1 €, so I went and got it myself. Secondly, I wanted to weigh my suitcase before I left for Heathrow, where they really get on your case for being a pound or two over the weight limit. Turns out the hotel charged 1 € per bag for simply weighing it on a scale. This sort of cheap attitude from supposed four star hotels really discourages me from staying there again. Not to mention the old dated look in the rooms and washrooms, and the horrendous wifi reception. Lastly, the room planning in the hotel was just sad. So many rooms so far away from all elevators. Just terrible. Will definitely be choosing another hotel if I’m staying in Barça for more than a day!

Good location but this hotel misses some key facilities to be a 4 star hotel. No pool, no good restaurant, no relaxing bar and no gym. The service is ok. Rooms could be better maintained — our aircon did not work, missed remote to tv, coffee/​the and soap was not refilled at cleaning.
Would I choose another place if I went to Barcelona on a three night stay again? — yes!

Another European four star hotel that seems to be quite generously rated, given the service level and comfort of the rooms…
The hotel was booked and paid for on
, where we opted for a standard double room. However, luckily (?) we were offered an upgrade to a superior corner room on the 6^th floor (additional 78 EUR for three nights), with free minibar and heavenly, wide beds. Or, at least that was in the sell-​in plan.
Firstly, the room was actually quite ok — if it would have been a standard room. From a superior one, you may expect slightly more. The queen size bed (maximum 160 cm wide) was quite hard and not really… quiet. Thus, if, for some reason, you would be moving around in bed, there was a quite loud, squeaking, noise. Furthermore, the room temperature was set at 10 (TEN) degrees centigrade when entering the room. Rather cold… Thirdly, the free mini bar consisted of one can of each of Coke, Coke Light, Fanta and Fanta Lemon, two beers, one small sparkling water and one still water. In addition, there was one Mars bar and one tiny, tiny bag of potato chips.
Now, if one of the key arguments for paying an additional charge of 78 EUR for three days is the mini bar, you’d expect at least a mini bottle of Cava in there. After all, you are in Barcelona.
Also, you’d expect the mini bar to be filled up with what you consume, and if you specifically ask to exchange one of the sodas for another one, you’d think that that’s what would happen. But no. Not even the second morning.
The bathroom was rather large and clean, but slightly dated. And with only one bath robe.
Breakfast (special price, 11,50 EUR, if pre-​ordered upon arrival, with possibility to cancel before midnight) is good by Spanish (sorry, I know Barcelona is in Catalunya…) standards, but quite ordinary for an international business hotel. If not in a hurry, I’d recommend a brief walk to any of the nearby eateries, possibly even to the Boqueria market some 15 minutes walking distance away.
The hotel is well situated, with walking distance to several great tapas bars (e.g. Quimet & Quimet — don’t miss it!), the Ramblas, the beach and the Placa de Colon, where you’ll find two guided bus tours that will take you to every sight worth seeing in the beautiful Catalan capital.
All in all, fully functional and well situated hotel, but where the service level and comfort leaves some room for improvements.

This was my hotel for the stay in Barcelona.
Before anything… make sure you get the upgrade. If you can score a suite on the 5^th floor and above, that’s awesome. The standard rooms are not worth it. Pony up for the upgrade or deal with crummy rooms. Plus the fact that you will have to call every single time the front desk when you need an iron. Avoid the 2^nd floor like the plague.
The location of the hotel cannot be beat:
— right outside is the entrance to the Paralel metro station
— you are right at the beginning of the Montjuic car
— you are a 10 – 15 minute away from the Tablao Cordobes and Las Ramblas
— there are many, many eateries nearby
— plenty of ATMs within 2 minutes walking distance
— 10 – 15 minute walk from Plaza Colon, where the 2 tour bus companies have a stop
— there is a Lidl about 1.5 blocks away so you can stock up on snacks and oh yes…5 liters of water for just 1 euro!!!
The staff is friendly but you need to be specific. Go straight to the point of what you want/​need. Most times you will have to speak to a manager for something to actually happen, but the managers are very accommodating and reasonable.
There is free wifi. Make sure to get your new code every single day. The code expires like clockwork at midnight, so make sure you get it if you plan to use it early in the morning.
The breakfast buffet is just ok. I would recommend to spend some time on Unilocal and look for some nearby alternatives. There are plenty. At 11 euros, the quality of the food is just average. I had breakfast buffets in Valencia and Madrid, and they were far superior. Not that this buffet is bad, it’s only that the other 2 were amazing… and less expensive.
Regarding the noise, it’s only bad if you’re staying on the 2^nd floor. I switched to a suite on the 5^th floor and it was fine. There will be a lot of drunk partiers from the Apolo club around the corner (especially during Nasty Mondays, it’s a pretty cool DJ set) between 4−6am…but hey, it’s Barcelona and if you’re not here to party. You’re in the wrong city! :)
Also, FYI if you’re traveling with kids, you might want to avoid walking down Nou de la Rambla because there is a sex show venue right there. Pretty hard to miss. Might not want little Jimmy start asking questions about the naked ladies.