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About
4.5
#169 of 510 hotels in Barcelona
Location
4.5
Cleanliness
4.7
Service
4.5
Value
4.3
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Hotel Barcelona Universal known for its theaters and cabarets, very close to La Rambla, puts within reach such representative areas of Barcelona as the Rambla del Mar, the Barri Gòtic, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Catedral, Montjuïc, the Poble Espanyol, and the Estadi Olímpic. An endless number of tourist attractions, without forgetting the World Trade Center, the Fira de Barcelona and the Palau de Congressos as key points of Barcelona's business activity. The Hotel Barcelona Universal is equipped down to the smallest detail with a wide range of services in each of the rooms. The Jacuzzi Suite Skyline, exclusive rooms distributed in three environments and equipped with Jacuzzi, stand out. Located on the highest floor of the building, with a private terrace where you can enjoy panoramic views of Barcelona. It also offers a wide range of services and amenities, such as online check-in, 24-hour reception, room service, laundry service, adapted access and spaces, fitness room, business center, luggage room and private parking. The hotel's leisure areas are particularly noteworthy. The firts floor of the hotel is transformed in the evenings into The Wolf Tavern, the hotel's most social space. On the 10th floor is the TUniversal, the lounge & pool terrace. Guests can enjoy a swim in the outdoor pool, get a tan in the solarium, keep fit in the fitness room, enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the city and enjoy a selection of tapas and cocktails. Enjoy your stay in Barcelona!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Catalan and 1 more
Location
Av. del Paral·lel, 76-80, 08001 Barcelona Spain
Name/address in local language
Hotel Barcelona Universal
5,753 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
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Hotel Barcelona Universal often receives compliments for its clean and modern rooms, which are part of the comfortable and inviting atmosphere guests enjoy. The staff is frequently lauded for their helpfulness, although instances of inconsistent service have been noted. While the hotel's central location earns praise for convenience, some guests are bothered by street noise and poor soundproofing.
Opinions on value are mixed, with some unexpected charges dampening the experience. The amenities, including a rooftop pool and bar, are popular, despite comments about limited availability and size.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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The room was great, good design and comfort. We were in quite a large room overlooking the road on floor 1. The location next to Paral-lel metro and the Montjuic funicular is superb and we got everywhere around the City very easily. The staff here are brilliant, and we listened to the recommendations given by Vanessa at check in and they were spot on. A special shout out about the standard of room cleaning - it was absolutely immaculately polished and cleaned every day, the best cleaning I've ever seen in a hotel anywhere in the world. The pool isn't heated, so it was hard to stay in for more than a min, but they provide big warm towels if you go up to the swim deck. The views from up here were stunning, particularly at night
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Date of stay: February 2020
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hotel is in great location right by metro station and also easy walking distance to La Rambla. All staff I encountered were very friendly, rooms are relatively basic but well set out. If possible ask for a room with an outside view as my window opened to a sheltered courtyard with a view of a wall. Restaurant ‘The Wolf Tavern’ on the first floor was excellent with a simple menu but very good quality at reasonable prices with excellent staff.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This hotel was very clean and centrally located. It was close enough to the beach and some attractions to walk. You will have to take a taxi or bus to some of Gaudi attractions. Breakfast is not included, but it is well worth the price. There are plenty of options for people who are gluten free and vegetarian. The room is a standard European size and they had shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Bring your own wash cloth, you can find some at the dollar store before you go.
The only reason that I did not give this hotel a five was due to the noise and lack of temperature control. We could hear everyone take a shower and flush the toilet. Most of hotels in Europe that I’ve been to don’t have a thermostat, but the windows open to outside. Our window opened to a closed in courtyard. I think that all this was due to where our room was located.
The best part of this hotel by far is the people. They are kind, helpful and understanding. I miss this kind of customer service in the US. Most of the employees spoke English, which was great because my Catalan and Spanish are atrocious. I would definitely go back to this hotel if returning to Barcelona! I would just request a different room.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So I booked this hotel based upon all of the reviews and positive comments. It was reasonably priced and photos looked great too. The positives: The location was great as not too far from the airport (20 mins), by a metro stop and near to La Rambla (5-10 min walk). The breakfast is plentiful and lots to eat and drink. From fresh fruit and cakes to scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, breads, cereal, fruit juices and of course Cava! The room was clean and fine for 2 people sharing, shower was great and toiletries were provided. Minibar was there but I think a bottle of complementary water is expected now in hotels. Staff : friendly. The negatives: I have tried to be constructive here and help other travellers. I had booked this hotel for my brother's 40th as a surprise for him. I emailed the hotel in advance and they kindly offered a bottle of champagne to celebrate. I had originally also bought a bottle of cava for our on our arrival and paid for this through the hotel booking. Arriving at the hotel : our flight was delayed by an hour which meant we arrived an hour late to the hotel just before midnight. Check in was easy and staff friendly. The bar had shut but what we were disappointed was on this basis the person on the front desk as the bar was shut we couldn't have our cava for the room until the next day. Breakfast : this is plentiful as I say but the hot food is luke warm at best. Unless you get it as it come out the food isn't hot. Everything is quite spread out too but that didn't really bother me. Location : the hotel cannot do anything about this but this is just something to know, we were on the 8th floor and the traffic from the street is loud and it is a busy road. Housekeeping : be warned they are hard working and start early. We were woken up before 8am both days of the weekend with the noise in the corridor. We were by the service store but think they could be more mindful for guests, Cava/Champagne : I asked the front desk if we could have the cava on our 2nd day and they were very kind and bought it to our room. This was the bottle I paid for. Never got any acknowledgement from the staff about my brothers birthday or the free bottle of fizz (which wasn't expected but after being told we would be treated to a bottle of champagne we were then disappointed not to get it.) Overall - ok stay but underwhelmed considering all the reviews. The staff were friendly (especially in The Wolf at breakfast) but certainly not the service we expected. Check out was quick and easy but maybe a little attention to detail like asking how our stay was or did we need help getting to the airport would have been nice. Hope this helps, tried to be fair but for a birthday treat we didn't leave feeling special. Plenty of other hotels to choose from.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Xavier G, Director General at Hotel Barcelona Universal
Responded Jan 30, 2020
Dear Lola76, Thank you very much for sharing your hotel experience you had with Barcelona Universal Hotel with others here on TripAdvisor. We love to read that you enjoyed our great location, our rooms equipment's and our breakfast bufet, sure we colud find a way to keep the food hot in there. I do feel very disappointed about the incident with the lack off the ordered cava at arrival. that throws away your experience at your Barcelona visit. I researched the facts and explanations of our staff, and I agree with you that this service management was unacceptable. You could be sure I have talked to them to ensure that this will not happen again and this was an isolated incident . I will watch over to make sure it does not happen again, taking the appropriate measures in this case. I truly appreciate your comments, and if your future travel plans include Barcelona, it would be my pleasure to personally handle your reservation and I’ll try to sweeten your next stay. Kind regards,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed here for 4 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Breakfast offered a great choice from hot and cold dishes and a wide selection of drinks both hot and cold, including Cava, should one be inclined at that hour. Privilege room on 8th floor with king bed, good sized bathroom with bath and shower over had fabulous views over the city centre and surrounding hills. A varied selection of hotel activities from beer tasting to cocktail making and afternoon tea allow the hotel to stand out from its competitors. Location 5-10 mins walk from La Rambla and right next to Paral-lel metro station (lines 2 & 3) with its access to the Montjuic funicular mean it is easy to reach and to travel across the city. A definite recommend from us
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed for 3 nights on a mini break on January. Location is very convenient, not aesthetic but felt safe. Very convenient for local food shop, metro, bus and to walk anywhere. Our room had internal view, but I knew that as I chose cheaper option. We were only there to sleep. Room & bathroom was spotless, it's fairly small but we didn't need space as spent very little time there. Had a couple of queries with Aircon and clean mugs and front desk dealt with it very quickly and were very friendly and helpful. We didn't eat in as not included. Excellent location to walk to centre and to some lovely places to eat. Avoid the tourist hotspots and find places off the beaten track. We walked home late at night felt very safe, as in any big city always be careful. We chose environmental choice to not have clean towels daily, but they changed them anyway! Highly recommend if you are looking for a budget place that is clean and located in a good spot. Many thanks
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just returned from a 3 night stay and would definitely recommend the hotel to others for lots of reasons. Location is safe and great for getting around Barcelona.The hotel itself treat their customers particularly well with lovely rooms and facilities, free beer tasting sessions, free tea and biscuits everyday and free cocktail making sessions with Toni who was knowledgeable and amusing (thank you Tony). Breakfast was plentiful and well presented. The local Blai street is fantastic for cheap and plentiful "Pinchos". Best of all are the staff who are so friendly and helpful. We would love to return, thank you all.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:If you have particular requirements just ask and they will, I am sure do there best.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fabulous hotel. Amazing breakfast, friendly and helpful staff and great facilities.
Room was exactly as pictured, although we did get a double which was two singles pushed together which was a little annoying. It may have been down to our room choice.
Breakfast was amazing. Plentiful variety of high quality foods and there was always plenty of each item. Some items changed each day also. Breakfast staff were lovely.
Sun terrace was lovely for a day in the sun with a nice bar staffed by a very friendly member of staff (28th April). Pool is not heated but was nice after being in the sun.
Staff were very accomodating helping us store our luggage and allowing us to shower at the end of the day after check out using the pool shower changing rooms.
One thing to be aware of however, was that what I am told was a newly trained member of staff accidentally messed up our card transaction when I tried to pay upon arrival. I clearly asked to pay in Euros, and selected this on the card machine, she then took it off me to complete the transaction, navigating the rest of the menus herself and the result was charging me in GBP with a 4-5% surcharge in addition to the price of my stay - an additional ~£40. When I pointed this out on the receipt she denied she had done this and said I had pressed the wrong button however she had appeared confused by the whole process throughout. Upon checking into my room and checking my bank statements, I confirmed the error had been made and went back to reception to have this rectified. The member of staff who I dealt with was faultless in his approach, so apologetic and helpful and organised a refund for a mistake that he understood, explaining the initial member of staff was 3 days in the job. I would advise that perhaps new members of staff are not authorized to take card payments until management can be sure that they are competent with the use of card machines.
Location of hotel is brilliant too for trips to la rambla for dinner or to the beaches/port/marina. Transport links to the metro are superb as well as it is just outside. Tea and coffee machine in lobby also appreciated.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Be careful when paying on card machine at check in.
Book breakfast as it is fantastic.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here 13th - 17th Feb 2020, weekend visit for the Barcelona Half Marathon. Needed a base near the city centre for the race, which actually passed the hotel ! This is a smart modern hotel right outside the metro station Parallel on the Green line. Plenty of buses pass here too. Stayed in a Priviledge Room on the eighth floor (816). Smart & clean room with plenty of natural light ( not all rooms have windows in this hotel so check first). Modern bathroom with shower over bath. Very large comfy bed, plenty of wardrobe space, free safety deposit box & free Wif Fi that worked well. The room had good views over the rooftops towards the cathedrals across the Gothic quarter. We stayed B&B, breakfast was good, usual mix of cereals, meats, fruit & some hot dishes. As with most hotels the toaster was a nightmare but plenty of choice of other pastries etc. Food quality was generally good. This is one of the few hotels we have been in that doesn't have a proper bar area, if you want a night cap or somewhere to chill out after touring the city you have to use the Restaurant which doubles as the breakfast room & afternoon tea venue ( free !). The staff were terrific, especially receptionist who went out of her way to locate some veggie restaurants nearby. You will struggle as a Veggie in Spain surprisingly, given the huge amount of lovely fresh stuff for sale in local shops. Of the three places on offer, one was closed & for sale, the other two were no more than glorified cafes. The cafe Antich next to the hotel was OK for Pizza & pasta, great atmosphere but very busy. The hotel has a choice of a fixed price 20 Euro three course menu or an A la carte menu which is pricier. We tried the fixed price menu first night, Salad buffet starter & fruit for afters. Nothing veggie on the mains so doubled up on the buffet ! Transport links are great, Metro right outside the door, plenty of buses and the sea is only a short walk down Avd Parallel to the Columbus statue & harbour. We pre booked the Barcelona Tour Bus - well worth the money & cheaper pre booked by 10%. Wrap up warm, it gets very windy up top. Each route ( Blue & Red) takes two hours but gets you well orientated. Also pre booked a 5 day Barcelona travel card ( again 10% off) and this saved us heaps on fares. Can be used on Metro, RENFE trains and red buses ( but not yellow !) & crucially gets you in from the airport on the Metro. Not valid on the Airporter Bus though. Certainly recommend this hotel as a good base for a weekend break.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Go for a Privilege Room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great central location . 5 min walk for Las Rambla. so easy to find your way back. Hotel clean and tidy , and staff are very polite and welcoming. They did ask us to pay €100 upon arrival , but this is for room service etc. We just simply said we didn’t want to pay it and then just took city taxi from us. This was €1.21pp per night so was just under €8 for both of us for 3 nights. We had a superior room on the 7th floor, very spacious and clean. Shower was good, keep door closed though, we had a hot shower and then got a call from reception asking us if we were ok, as the fire alarm came off.
Fresh towels given everyday and room cleaned to a high standard. We didn’t spend much time here , why would you? When you have a fab city to explore . I would rate this a 9/10. Great location , and caterer to all our needs. We didn’t have breakfast so can’t comment , we just grabbed from the many bakeries and cafes around for probably cheaper. Walls are quite thin, so can be noisy. And can hear traffic outside , but I think that is expected. Metro station also right outside which is so easy to use. Would definitely stay here again...
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Los Angeles, California201 contributions60 helpful votes
I stayed in this hotel numerous times and every time my room was extra clean, extra decent and very well equiped. You will NOT spend too much time in the room if you’re visiting Bacelona to spend enough energy on analyzing all the details
This is the hotel with METRO STATION right outsise hotel lobby! and this is the hotel with AMAZING BREAKFAST that’s all you need while visiting.
CLEAN ROOMS, COMFY BEDS….the rest is up to you. Also, rooftop for chilling and relaxing.
There are more places to choose from in the Barcelona area.
PRICE RANGE
$164 - $249 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
universal barcelona, hotel barcelona universal, barcelona universal hotel
LOCATION
SpainCataloniaProvince of BarcelonaBarcelonaCiutat Vella (Old Town) / El Raval
NUMBER OF ROOMS
167
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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