El Palace Hotel Barcelona

Best for / Tips to get it right

Why this one

El Palace sits on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, in the Eixample, a few minutes from Passeig de Gracia and the old town. It is a 5-star hotel with 4.6 out of 5 across 2,820 Google reviews. We read 37 of those reviews for today's analysis and one signal dominates: 17 of them (46%) single out the staff. Not the building, not the pool. The people. The second recurring theme is the rooftop. 10 reviews (27%) mention it, often with a version of the same phrase, that the views make it everything. The location shows up in 9 reviews (24%), breakfast in 8 (22%) and the restaurant in 9 (24%). Those numbers describe a hotel where guests spend real time on site rather than treating the room as a place to sleep. The overall picture is a hotel that leans on service and on its own rooftop and dining rooms. If you want a base to explore Barcelona from, it works. If you want a hotel you barely leave, it works too.

What guests keep saying

The pattern in these 37 reviews is consistent. Staff first, with 17 mentions (46%), and the quotes read as genuine rather than polite. One guest called it the best part of the stay. Another mentioned a receptionist and concierge waiting at the entrance. The rooftop comes next at 10 mentions (27%), with views described as the thing that makes the hotel. Location and the restaurant tie at 9 mentions each (24%). Breakfast gets 8 (22%), and one review describes the garden restaurant as magical, with birds flying around. Check-in appears in 5 reviews (14%). Value for money shows up in 3 (8%), which is notable at this price point. Three reviews (8%) mention staff in a negative light, mostly around security. Treat that as a signal to confirm access details with reception, not as a reason to skip the hotel.

• staffpraised 17 / 46%

  “The best part however was the staff.”

• pool and rooftoppraised 10 / 27%

  “The rooftop views make it everything!”

• locationpraised 9 / 24%

  “Excellent location and service”

• the restaurantpraised 9 / 24%

  “The only negative experience we had was at the rooftop restaurant.”

• breakfastpraised 8 / 22%

  “The garden restaurant for breakfast was magical, with birds flying around!”

• check-inpraised 5 / 14%

  “A receptionist and concierge were waiting at the entrance.”

• staffflagged 3 / 8%

  “Very rude and unprofessional security staff.”

• value for moneypraised 3 / 8%

  “The breakfast selection is fresh and plentiful and was worth the extra charge.”

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The bit the hotel does not tell you

The reviews repeatedly mention the building's past, and several guests note that drivers still know it by its original name rather than the current one. If you are arriving by taxi, that is worth knowing. The garden breakfast is the detail guests describe with the most affection, and it is not the sort of thing you find in a standard Eixample hotel breakfast room.

Who we pictured staying here