AXEL HOTEL

The hotel is well located at the heart of l’Esquerra de Eixample, close to nice restaurants, cafes/brunch, bars and quite connected by metro stations to city center/Barceloneta, Born. The hotel facilities are a bit outdated, they do deserve a renovation. A plus is the drag show on the rooftop with the marvellous hostess Patricia Delicious. Many of the reviews for Axel are very unfair. Funny how, some straight couples do not understand (or pretend not to admit) that the hotel is one of LGBT’s iconic venues worldwide and it is proud to be heterofriendly. Needless to say, if you don’t like it, simply do not book it.

I went back to Axel after years and I have to say this has been the last time. Unfortunately the overall shape of the hotel has declined - it really needs a renovation - and a lingering smell of sewage mixed with bleach welcomes you in the hall. The overall cleanliness is debatable, and having to literally walk through toilets to go to the breakfast room is not the best way to start the morning. But unfortunately the worst part was the service: superficially polite but useless when it comes to problem solving, the staff was oblivious when I complained about having only „one hour free wellness“ for one person included in the booking when I booked a room for 2 people, and having discovered that the turkish bath was broken only after entering the spa area. The surcharge of 15€ an hour for wellness is ridiculous, given that most spas in town charge 15/20€ a day and that the Axel wellness is in a stinky cellar. Also irritating is the fact that if you book a massage you‘re told you will have to pay cash at the moment, but then they try to charge you again with the room bill. Too many incoveniences for an unjustified high price. I ended up not even using the included breakfast buffet because of its quality and having to wait ages for a terrible coffee. The swimming pool on the terrace is literally a small fountain, this has been known, but the fact that the bar on the 8th floor is almost never open makes the whole rooftop useless. One last note: the words „hetero friendly“ welcome you while entering the building, nothing wrong with that, we love inclusivity, but if I choose a gay hotel I wouldn‘t expect to be sorrounded by almost straight couples only. Hard pass.

En el 7° piso del Hotel Axel está el Sky Bar. Un sitio elegante, con vistas espectaculares y shows variados durante la semana. Buena música y variedad de bebidas y ambiente alegre e informal. Muy recomendable!

On the 7th floor of the Axel Hotel is the Sky Bar. An elegant place, with spectacular views and varied shows during the week. Good music and variety of drinks and happy and informal atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Realmente el sitio es más pequeño de lo que se vé en imágenes, ví en una reseña que entraron en el lavabo de mujeres y pensé que sería casual, a mi tb me ha pasado, se nota la falta de higiene en muchos sitios, sobretodo el baño.. los masajistas creo que ni siquiera lo eran..no funcionaba uno de los chorros del spa, en general hace falta más mantenimiento.

El lugar es ideal para ir con amigos y disfrutar unas copas con una vista espectacular.