Holiday Inn Express Barcelona City 22@, an IHG Hotel

My stay at this hotel was a bit of a letdown. The room was barely bigger than the double bed it had - it would have been worse if I hadn't got lucky and got the room with one bed instead of two. The air felt stuffy or freezing, no in between. The pillows were of good quality, but the bed was hard and uncomfortable. I had stayed in Rome for 80 Euro and paid around 200 with local and sales tax here, which seemed a bit out of proportion. To top it off, I was woken up when a hotel staff member entered the room with a master key. I've read a few not-so-favorable reviews accusing staff of stealing, and I wish I'd seen those before making my reservation. Looking back, I've definitely learnt my lesson and will be checking reviews in the future. Let's hope my stay will improve.

This particular hotel was extremely unsafe. It was common to see muggers, pickpockets, and thieves wandering around the lobby, so visitors had to remain vigilant and never take their eyes off their bags or kids. Even when inside the lobby, they would not be safe. This hotel had very poor service and offered no assistance to the guests in case of an incident. Even though it was not a budget hotel, it was very pricey for what it provided. Therefore, it is strongly advised that visitors who care about their security and that of their kids to avoid this place.

After our disappointing stay last year (August 2022), we decided to give the Holiday Inn Express Barcelona City 22@, an IHG Hotel, another chance. We arrived at 8am from our overnight flight and informed the receptionist that we had let them know in advance that we would be arriving early. As Gold members we were offered a cup of coffee, which we declined, and were told our room would be ready in an hour. However, when we checked at 9am, we were told that the housekeeping staff only started at 8am and our room would be ready by noon. If we had known that our room wouldn't be ready for hours, we would have checked our bags and come back later. We finally got our room at 10:23am, although the internet didn't work and we had to wait for it to be fixed. The breakfast was more continental, with no hot food available like other Holiday Inn Express hotels. The hotel is close to the beach but quite far from the main attractions and therefore quite costly by taxi to get to the city sights.

Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Barcelona City 22@, an IHG Hotel for a week while visiting the sights in Barcelona. Despite being in a quieter part of the city, it was only a 10-minute walk from the nearest Metro station and within 5-10 minutes of plenty of good quality bars and restaurants. Check in/ check out was quick and easy. The room was a good size and the breakfast buffet had a great selection. At certain times, however, we found ourselves waiting for a table due to the number of guests, although the staff had a note on the door explaining when it's busiest. Since Covid we asked for our room only to be serviced every other day, but despite that and us displaying a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, it was still serviced. We would definitely recommend this hotel for those wanting to visit the sights of Barcelona.

A l8te checkin cen be scarry. Sktechy neigbourhood at night and hotle is loked up woth no way to communite with check in desk one floor up. Luckly antoher gues was entering and let us in. Staf is soper friendly and helpfull. Smal sparten comon aera. Brakfast has no eggs and mostley breads and cereal and some cold cuts. Room is tyny. Shwer is grate. OK for a shot stay..