The W Barcelonais certainly one of the most emblematic hotels in the city. First by its architecture by Ricardo Bofill. Then by its location: the sail-shaped building stands alone, isolated, at the end of Barceloneta beach. Far from everything, far from the bustle of the city.
Maybe that’s why we like it. Then always because it is considered – and probably rightly so – as the most successful of the W brand, its flagship, its emblematic property.
The W Barcelona: a hotel UFO
And since we are not far from a paradox, perhaps because its concept does not resemble anything existing allows it to proclaim itself “boutique hotel”, a daring claim for a hotel built on 7 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea, with 473 rooms and 67 suites employing 400 employees. And since we are not far from a paradox, the W Barcelona is a hotel that enjoys a real reputation and is often full while charging exorbitant rates for a city like Barcelona, reputed to be inexpensive, to a clientele that does not exist.
Because the worst thing, to finish with the historical reminders, is that W is the result of a dreadful marketing failure. The brand was initially designed for a clientele of millennials who found the Westin brand too old-fashioned. Once we took into account the supposed expectations of this clientele, all wrapped up in a very trendy packaging, the result was a product targeting people under 30 years old and a cost structure reserving the product for a clientele of executives/senior managers. Since people under 30 with executive salaries are not common, the chain for young hipsters has become a channel for forty-somethings who still want to have a little fun. As for the young people, they finally found what they were looking for with Aloft (even if the forty-somethings really like the brand too…)
This is what makes W and W Barcelona a kind of hotel UFO. A hotel that doesn’t follow any code, a must for all fans of luxury or trendy hotels, a monument that intrigues the tourist or the architecture lover even if he doesn’t know it’s a hotel.
Anyway, that’s enough of an introduction. We have already briefly presented a video of the W Barcelona in a previous post but without going further. So, since chance led us there again during an improvised weekend where the Travel Guys had not initially planned to meet in Barcelona, we might as well present the hotel in more detail.
Check-In: Welcome to the factory
We arrived at W Barcelona with a 24 hour delay but it was the same story each time. Arriving before room availability time, the line of those waiting to check in or those who have checked in and are waiting for their room starts to create a traffic jam in the large lobby. And it’s only the beginning.
They tell me that my room should be ready in half an hour and that they will call me. To make me wait I am offered a drink voucher for the bar. 45 minutes later I go back to the reception. New drink voucher. Then 45 minutes later…New drink voucher.
In short, I had to wait almost 3 hours to get my room. If they hadn’t told me it would take half an hour I would have gone for a walk in the city. In short, the afternoon is already well underway when I take possession of my room. An annoying setback but largely compensated by a good news. I was informed at check-in that I was upgraded to a suite (nothing to do with the delay and thanks to the loyalty program status). In short, it makes it easier to wait.
Same story the next day when Olivier arrived. Check-in, upgrade and 3 hours waiting time. And another half day lost.
There is clearly something wrong with the preparation of the rooms in this hotel and the coordination of the housekeeping / front desk. I just hope it was an accident and not a recurring problem.
Short visit of the Lobby and the bars while waiting.
Let’s mention in passing that the W Barcelona is “keyless”: you can open your door with your iPhone or your Apple Watch. Even if the vagaries of the system mean that we are not about to do without the good old key, it is amusing to see how the W markets the future disappearance of the key…on the key itself.
Moreover, W being a marketing concept before being a hotel concept, we are often positively surprised, even impressed, to see how everything is “branded” in a coherent way in the hotel, outside the codes of the profession.
This is the name of the concierge team in charge of the customer experience. Good point, isn’t it?
The Studio Suite at W Barcelona
It is with curiosity that I take possession of my Studio Suite (the lowest level of suites of the hotel which counts 6 levels of suites. It is 60m2.
The door opens onto a very airy living room.
Which stay includes – something that is getting rare – an abundantly stocked mini bar.
Then the room .
The whole gives a very pleasant impression of space.
The W bedding: like in a cloud
Special mention for the bedding. Until now, the Sofitel MyBed bedding was at the top of my hotel bedding ranking, but the one at the W dethroned it hands down. If you want to know what it feels like to sleep wrapped in a cloud, try a W. It’s reason enough to spend a night there, you won’t believe it.
The room opens directly onto the open bathroom with a bathtub in the middle. At the very end, a walk-in shower with rain effect with impressive dimensions.
It is a concept. I know that not everyone likes it.
And of course the traditional visit in video…
Hifi sound and adjustable lighting
You can play the music from your iPhone on the powerful speakers in the room via a dock. Having tested it, I can confirm that the hotel is very well soundproofed. Olivier’s room will be better equipped than mine since he will even have the bluetooth speaker connection.
The W Barcelona is a trendy design hotel where you can also choose the lighting in your room at night. Intimate atmosphere, electro lounge bar…the choice is yours. All intensity and color mixes are possible, manual setting or use of pre-supplied room programs.
The Cool Corner Suite
For lack of time we will go much faster on the presentation of the second room: the Cool Corner suite, in my opinion even more successful than the studio suite. Provided you like to take your bath in your living room.
The W Barcelona has one of the most beautiful fitness rooms
Let’s move on to the services that the hotel provides. No test of the spa this time, it will be for another time.
The fitness room is the largest and best equipped I have ever seen in a hotel. With the added joy of exercising in front of a bay window overlooking the outdoor pool and a panoramic view of Barcelona.
The W Barcelona also has a large but more modest pool than one might have expected and an impressive solarium.
A solid offer of bars and restaurants
The hotel has several bars and restaurants.
A bar on the ground floor serves as a “normal” bar during the day and a little electro in the evening. Variation of successful atmospheres and whether you want to sit at a table, at the bar, on a bench or even lie down on a pseudo bench-bed (yes, you can) everyone will find something to suit the tone they want to give to their evening.
At the top is a panoramic bar, the Eclipse. Its capacity being limited, the queue is long and the selection drastic, especially since it is apparently one of the trendiest places in town, the place to be and where to be seen.
As customers we had tickets for direct access…which we did not use because it was not at all in the mood for our weekend.
As far as catering is concerned, the hotel has two restaurants. Both offer a breakfast buffet in the morning.
Let’s start with the one run by a well-known chef whose name I can’t remember. I had dinner and breakfast there.
On the dinner nothing to say about the quality of the dishes. But not surprisingly, the bill is a bit steep considering the quantities served.
On the other hand very good mark for the breakfast on the next morning (and you know that at Travel Guys we are uncompromising on the breakfast buffets)
As for the second one tested the next day (as a breakfast, not in a restaurant) it was close to obtaining the perfect mark.
Conclusion: we love UFOs but not at any price
Regardless of the level of the room, going at least once to w Barcelona is an experience…as long as you are in the target and like the style and atmosphere. At worst, as one of my acquaintances said to me, “I don’t know if I’ll like it, but I have to try it at least once”.
So we like it because it is away from the crowd. We like it because of the fitness room and the spa. Because of the breakfasts. Because of its pool and its private beach. Because of this “Hip UFO” side that amuses us a bit as long as it doesn’t last too long. We like it because it is beautiful. We like it because of its rooms with a strong personality.
But in (and sometimes out of) season the experience comes at a high price and at a price that we don’t always find reasonable or justified. You can have quality experiences for less. Sometimes you can get better for the same price because, as we saw at check-in, the “boutique” side can be expressed in the wrong way. So wait for the low season, use (if you are allowed) your company code which can give you good surprises because given the prices in Barcelona there are excesses that are not always necessary.
As far as we are concerned we will return there of course. But not at any cost. On this trip the experience/price ratio would surely have seemed different without the upgrades to our respective status on the loyalty program.
The photo album is available in its entirety here.
