Hostalin Barcelona Gran Via

Cleanliness: The hotel maintains high standards of cleanliness, with regular room tidying and clean bathrooms. Guests appreciated the provision of toiletries and the absence of strong odors, though a few mentioned minor issues like a sewage-like smell in one instance.

I stayed for one night in what was described as a 'single room.' I was shocked when I opened the door — it was absolutely horrid. The space was extremely small, more like a closet than a room, with a very low ceiling. It should not be considered a proper room at all

This was my first experience of travelling solo. I arrived from the airport via taxi and my first indication that this was not what I expected was that the taxi driver did not know of this 'hotel' and we could not find any indication of it at the address given. There was construction outside and we circled the block twice to try and find the entrance. I convinced the driver that I would be OK since this is what was on my confirmation and I got out of the taxi. I could not find the entrance and a young man asked me if I was looking for the Hostalin Barcelona. He showed me a very small plaque on the side of the doorway with a buzzer that one could never see from the road. He kindly carried my bag into this dark and dingy entrance and up the stairs to the tiny elevator. He had obviously helped people before to find this place but I was really nervous about doing this and I am not new to travelling. On arrival it was bright and white and very clean but I quickly realized that this was a hostel and not a hotel. I was shown to my room, again very clean. The sitting area and balcony did not look out onto green, lush trees as shown on the booking site but onto a dingy, graffitied alleyway. The walls of the rooms were particle board and I could clearly hear talking from the room beside me and refreshments were offered in a common room. This was more like a youth hostel than a hotel and I feel it is totally mis-represented on the booking site. This place is charging hotel prices for a hostel experience. I was extremely disappointed, upset and uncomfortable and of course I could not get any refund but I left after half an hour and found a hotel that was exactly what I had wanted in the first place having now already paid for three nights at this place. If you are backpacking or looking for a hostel experience, this would fit the bill but that is not what I signed up for and potential guests should be aware.