Hotel Barcelona Universal - Барселона 41.375, 2.16817

We enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Universal Paralel Barcelona; the hotel & staff plus our prepaid breakfast buffet were exceptional. The front desk clerks spoke English, alway nice, and helpful. Room service was immediate and the maid service was beyond reproach. Our room and bathroom (complete with a bidget) was of bright decor, very clean and comfortable. Free internet access on hotel provided computers was of great help. The neighborhood was safe, clean, and very nice with a lot of foot traffic until late at night; the shops closed about midnight and the restauants much later. Our room overlooked Paralel Street which gave a great view of activity below. We spent 3 night precruise and wished we had stayed longer. The hotel is within walking distance from many of Barcelona's attractions and other tourist frequented districts. Many reasonable retaurants and shop just out the door of the hotel. There was a restaurant a few doors down that advertised a full breakfast for 3.99 Euros plus KFC and Dominos close.by. The restaurants in the Paralel District were much more reasonalbly priced than in the nearby Ramblas and Gothic Districts. There is no tipping in Europe which takes the brute off the difference between the US dollar and the Euro. Our taxi fare from the BCN airport to the hotel was 28 Euros and from the hotel to the cruise port was 18 Euros; cheaper, 13 Euros if you just hail a cab and there is no lack of taxis in front of the hotel.

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The room was more modern than expected. Loved the hardwood floors. Loved the free wi fi in the room and the use of the hotel's laptops in the lobby. Wish we had more time at the hotel in order to make use of the gym and the swimming pool. The hotel staff was very knowledgeable and helpful in regards to getting around Barcelona.

Hotel is ideally situated for using the Metro, walking to Las Ramblas, getting the Hop-on Hop off bus. Restaurants nearby were adequate. Hotel breakfast is a very nice buffet. The only drawback was noise at night. Neighborhood seems to have noise from local theaters, sirens, busy street.

Room was clean and modern, contemporary design. Staff was friendly and helpful. We had seen comments that the beds were hard, the bed was definitely firm but we found it comfortable. A little street noise on the 5th floor but the room darkening shades helped muffle the noise. Neighborhood was OK, not great but it felt relatively safe. Paral.lel is a very busy street. We ate at neighboring restaurants because we had seen reviews that the hotel restaurant wasn't worth the money. There were plenty of good, inexpensive (although not very fancy) places to eat nearby (croissants at the panederia down the street are to die for). I particularly enjoyed "Al Capone's", the waiter was a hoot. Very close to La Rambla and the port if you're on a cruise ship.

Except they skip my wake-up and NO excuse "-B"

The Hotel Barcelona Universal is located about a ten minute walk from La Rambla, one of Barcelona's main tourist hubs. The hotel staff was knowledgeable and friendly and the rooms were new and clean.

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Great rooms, great location, free wireless, cheap American style breakfasts within 100 feet.

I travel a lot. The friendliness and service orientation of the front desk staff (especially Christina and Francisco) was above expectations. They were sunny, helpful, smart, and went out of their way to answer questions and give support. The rooms were very nice and location is great. Definitely

I had read several reviews before choosing this hotel. Several guests had commented on the uncomfortable beds and boy they were not kidding. Other than the very hard beds, everything else was great. We didn't eat at the restaurant, swim in the pool, or drink at the bar so I can't comment on those services however, the free internet was wonderful!

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This was a huge suprise for us. We didnt know what to expect...but the room was beautiful. We had a corner room which was bigger then the standard room. Large room and sitting area. But the bathroom was HUGE. we had a tub...seprate shoer...2 sinks...even music system in the bathroom apart from the living/bed area. The area is not bad at all. A bit edgy...but as long as you mind your own miz...you have no problems. Plenty of places (sidewalk cafe) on the block to eat at and CHEAP. short walk to the ramblas and the subway was directly in front of hotel. SO makes this a perfect location.

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This hotel is located in walking distance from the center and has an excellent restaurant. Staff is very friendly.

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We booked this hotel because of the positive reviews we had read before booking. It lived up to expectations. The only negatives were a cracked mirror and a slightly damaged washbasin but it was still fully serviceable. The room was a good size and the maid service was excellent. Every time we went to the desk for information the staff were extremely helpful and nothing was too much for them. The location is perfect. Yes there are run down streets not far from the hotel but that would apply to most hotels in Barcelona; it's that sort of city.We did not eat in the hotel beacause youy are spoilt for choice at half the price at venues within five minutes walk of the hotel. The facilities on the roof; pool , gym and solarium are nothing special but OK to unwind before the evening expedition to explore the city by night. We would not look anywhere else if we went back to Barcelona.

The hotel itself was very good; the room was spacious and modern looking, bed was very comfortable. I was totally surprised by the free internet - that was a treat. I had interaction with 3 of the hotel's front desk people - they were all competent, however, two were not friendly - the third was friendly and helpful. The door man did not help us with our bags - no one did - no one asked us if they can help us. I wasn't too impressed with the surrounding neighborhood.

In general the Hotel was fine in terms of location and service but no hot water in the shower was not our idea of fun. Service was very helpful.

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Easy 8-15 min walk to Las Ramblas, Barrio Gotico, Plaza Cataluna; Metro station right in front and on main taxi and bus lines. Clean comfortable rooms. Our few interactions with staff were very helpful/courteous; did not eat at their restaurant. Free WiFi and newspaper. Definitely would go back. 9/9/09

Only english speaking tv station was CNBC which is all business / stock market. Very boring after about a minute. We could only listen to the instrumental music station. They didn't even have BBCA which could be an alternative.

This hotel is in an excellent location but the staff were quite abrupt and not very welcoming (though we did stay there towards the end of the tourist season - perhaps they were just fed up!). We thought it was good value for money; but not QUITE a four-star experience.

If you want Water,soda,wine or beer you can buy it for much less at the small supermarkets three to four blocks away from the hotel ie. four 1.5 liter bottles of water for two euros,as opposed to 1.5 euros for 12oz bottle. There is no english speaking TV in the hotel. Bring a DVD player with movies Especially if you have children!!!! Be carefull at the restaurants. They charge for everything including bread. They also Tend too be dishonest reveiw your bill before paying. Also, I did not know this, but you dont tip in europe like in the states. I was told you do not leave a tip especially not 20%. I did not find out until the end of my stay. Hope this helps with your vacation.

Every thing which has been written about his hotel is true. The beds are hard, but I slept great. Stay on the top floors and you will not have a noise problem. The front desk staff is a little rude, but the rest of the staff was very pleasant. you will not get in your room before 3:00 pm so bring a swim suit in your carry on. you can use the pool or go to the beach. The beach is ten minutes away and is very nice and safe. Take a taxi its about seven euros and is worth it. The front desk staff worried us needlessly, by telling us the beach was full of pick-pockets. We found a beach full of tourists.

Large clean hotel with very professional and friendly service. Subway entrance just outside, 2 stops to get to Las Ramblas, the main harbor, and elsewhere, so no need to walk through dark streets at night. Good cheap restaurants with booze and many other hotels next door on surprisingly lively Parallel Ave. The 4th restaurant down has great veal milanese. Avoid eating on Las Ramblas as all the restaurants are mediocre and expensive. The wifi did not work in the room, but they have free wifi for laptops in the lobby, and 2 free computers available with internet. In-room safe and minibar. Comfy beds and tv with many channels, including several business and in English. Clean bathroom with toiletries. We stayed here last year, and this year a quick browse through the hotel sites made my choice easy. We like this hotel alot, especially for the price. As for the area being sketchy, Las Ramblas has hookers after 11:00pm, this area does NOT. Don't believe the bad reviews.

Great room and excellent service

We stayed at Hotel Barcelona for our honeymoon and enjoyed the quick access to the metro (right outside the hotels front door) and the short walk (under 5 minutes) to La Ramblas. There are some nice dinning options right around the hotel. The pool is nice, though it was often crowded, hard to find chairs on a few afternoons. I would stay here again.

The hotel is on top of a metro station...that's very convenient, but also VERY ugly. You have to either walk up a dirty outdoor stairway or try to find a poorly lit dirty elevator....the hotel looks like it was designed in the 50os and never updated and the furniture is chipped and not so clean...it's also not sound proofed and you hear EVERYTHING from the hallway....didn't seem like there were alot of people there so it didn't get too noisy.

The hotel is superbly located just outside paral.lel metro station. The staff were friendly and very helpful when we had a problem with some property lost at the airport. The pool, although small, was a welcome amenity and the solarium on the roof had a great view of the city. The only problem we had was that our room (615) was inward facing so the window faced a 'courtyard'. This meant that there was very little day light in the room which made it difficult to tell if it was night or day. They had compensated for this with lots of lights which were effective but not the same as sunshine!!!

The hotel was fab- very clean, the service was great. Ideal location for the Rambas and other areas. we will definately stay in this hotel agian.

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We were on a pre-cruise overnight stay. Convenient access to city’s underground metro for exploring. The hotel is walking distance to tourist destination such as La Ramba and short taxi ride to the cruise terminals. Although our room faced the busy street, but the noise level was tolerable. Front desk staff was excellent and were very helpful.

Hotel is next to a very sketchy neighborhood. Quick walk to La Rambla but through sketchy, narrow streets. Not the best neighborhood at night, especially for youth and families. Hotel does have a rooftop pool but it is poorly maintained. The front desk is knowledgeable but not accommodating. No wifi access in the hotel even though it's advertised. Not close to major bus or metro stops. The official Barcelona tour buses are almost a mile walk from the hotel. Awful restaurants near the hotel.

Staff could have been a lot more helpful and friendly

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My husband and I stayed in this hotel for a short break without the children it was ideal for a couple, although not sure I'd take young children! The hotel is ideally located to the rambles, new town and old port all of which are in walking distance it's also very easy to get to from the airport as the metro station is right outside the hotel door as is the funicular railway which takes you up to Mount Juic for fantastic views of Barcelona. The pool is small but we only had time to go in it once and it was very clean with plenty of free towels, it's also a perfect sun trap for if you want a few hours sunbathing. The staff were very pleasant and helpful, the room was huge!!! and spotless while the bed had to be the biggest I'd ever slept in!! I wouldn't have the breakfast as its expensive and there are plenty of little cafe's selling delicious pasteries nearby especially 'Dino' which is about a 5min walk towards the old port.

I picked this hotel mostly because of its good average rating on this site, however when we tried to check in at about 14.30 on our day of arrival they still did not have our room ready and were not even slightly apologetic about it. The lady at the desk was quite rude and less than helpful, as were the bell boys who just watched us carry our own bags to the luggage storage! When we did eventually get our room later, it was clean and there were no problems. The location of the hotel is just ok. It is close to Las Ramblas, but in a seedy end of town with sex shops and strip clubs close by.

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Value for money hotel on the periphery of a slightly edgy area at the endof Nou Ramblas. Felt safe enough at night in a group but would not want to walk alone but that probably goes for most parts of Barcelona. Reception staff friendly, good sized room, small bar in lobby but no service, small pool and some deckchairs available on 10th floor roof terrace - very pleasant. Our request for extra pillows was met quickly. Would I stay again - yes.

Nice hotel with a good location close to major attractions. The staff was very helpful and most spoke English. Overall, it was a pleasant place to stay and a good value. The rooftop pool was a plus.

The hotel staff is professional. The room we received was extra roomy for European standard. The only thing I wish they would include with the prices is breakfast, as this is a standard, customary expectation with most European hotels. For breakfast the price is too steep for what you receive. Also, for those who do not have cell phones, be careful of making calls to mobile numbers in Europe or to the States. The rates aren't published by the hotel. We were in for a shock when it came time for check out. The charges were astronomical!

This hotel was rated as as a four star hotel. I would say 3 1/2. It looks nice, but everything is very cheap inside and the beds where not comfortable. I also had trouble sleeping because of something irritating my skin. Not sure if it was the soap for the sheets, but I had to move onto the couch due to excessive itching! The sheets smelled awful also. Kinda like bleach. The staff was great and the location was great. It just needed some good beds and fresh sheets and it would be a 4 star.

Could not sleep all night was too noisy windows were not insulated enough.

We were upgraded to a suite so maybe this tainted my view but an amazing hotel in a great location for a budget price highly recommended

Helpful and friendly English-speaking staff, happy to point out directions and points of interest on the map. Excellent price, clean, attention to detail. The neighborhood is alright, nothing fancy, but it's a quick 10 min walk to La Rambla or down to the seafront. But I wouldn't walk by myself at night too far down south - it gets kinda scummy.

This is a great little property in Barcelona that is located only 1 1/2 blocks off of Las Ramblas - a must see. This street has a little of everything from arts & crafts to food and shopping. It is easy to get to the Barcelona Universal and easy to get around while you are there. An extremely good value for the price - one of the best values we have found! Our stay was highlighted by being in Barcelona the night of the victory of Barcelona's "football" (soccer) team over Manchester United - what a night of celebration all over Barcelona!! A great city with great people.

Stayed here from May28-June11 2009, hotel staff was friendly and very efficient. Room was a great size and came with everything needed. Awesome little pool/sundeck with 360 views of the city. Only complaint would be the comfort of the bed, rough top throw and hard lumpy mattress. Now that I know more about the city, I would probably stay at a hotel or rent an apartment for cheaper in a more hip neighborhood where I would feel comfortable wandering at night. El Born has some great spots. Hotel Barcelona Universal is RIGHT in front of the Paral-lel metro, so it was extremely convenient and easy to get around. Oh yeah, free wi-fi!

We wanted a clean safe, hotel in a good location for a good price, and that is exactly what we got. The hotel was a brief walk to Las Ramblas and was right on top of the Metro. The rooftop pool and sundeck with incredible views of the city was a cherry on top, although the pool was really just a soaking pool. The room was pretty small, but the bathroom was big by European standards. If you don't plan on spending all day in your room, this is a great place to stay.

The room we was given was very clean and met our standards. The only down side was that there was construction work going on across the road which was very noisy. The hotel has a pool on the tenth floor which was really good. Although we were told the hotel was near the Las Rambles, this was not the case. However Las Rambles was only three stop away on the train.