Excellent hotel and highly recommended. The hotel, itself is situated about a €23 taxi ride from the airport and this is the only drawback. It is located a 10 min walk from the gorgeous Port Vell and the beginning of Las Ramblas, the main tourist thoroughfare in Barcelona. The area around the hotel is quite run-down and there are many stree-side restaurants, serving 'tourist food' i.e. arroz negro and paella....avoid!!!!

The rate for the centre of Barcelona was excellent and was booked through www.booking.com, and on arrival, we were up-graded to a junior suite at no extra charge. This gave us a sitting room and loads of wardrobe space (not that we needed it for 3 days!)The room was spotless and the bathroom was extremely clean with surround sound music, if you wanted it.

We didn't use the pool or gym facilities so I can't comment on them and we didn't eat or drink in the hotel. There are plenty little cafes serving whatever you want, on and off Las Ramblas so when a breakfast is €17, I'd rather go out to eat than stay in and be disappointed.

On the day we were leaving, we could leave our luggage in a secure room in the hotel, safe in the knowledge that it wasn't going to be stolen. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Barcelona would not be a city that I would be quick to return to, but if I was, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel.

Just returned from Barcelona Universal having had a fantastic 5 days.
Reception staff were very friendly and helpful. The room was small but clean and quiet with a safe, mini bar etc. On the down side it didn't have any external windows but on the plus side it meant it was a very quiet room which I had requested.
The pool as already noted by others is small but so refreshing after a day's sightseeing and the views from the terrace are wonderful. It did get a bit crowded at the end of the day but I managed to get a deckchair each day without a problem.
The hotel is literally 5 mins from Las Ramblas and has a metro station immediately outside making it easy to get to the tourist sights. However the city is compact and generally it is easy to walk everywhere. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll to the beach and the Gaudi houses.
I really loved Barcelona and would definately recommend this hotel.
Like any city take care with your belongings and use the safe which is free. We did meet others who had bags stolen as they got out of a taxi and there were always a few tourists in the police station around the corner. We didn't experience any problems although we noted a few shady characters on the metro but we didn't take any chances.
We found the restaurants on La Ramblas are very expensive as they add a surcharge for eating outside but we managed to eat well just off La Ramblas.
It is however worth paying the extra for a drink on La Ramblas just to experience the street entertainment which is very funny.

Nice enough hotel, clean and fairly well located.

The only problem was that my partner had her necklace stollen from our room, they claimed that it was our fault because we had not put it in the safe provided! We even put the "do not disturb" sign on the door and they still went into the room to clean. Apparently they have to go into every room at least once a day as previously somebody died i a room and went un-noticed for 3 days.

Breakfast was a dissapointment and would NOT recommend paying the £15 for it. The swimming pool on the roof is nice enough although very small (a lot smaller than it appears from the photos) and can get very busy as the roof terrace is quite small.

Overall not a bad hotel, smart, clean and helpful staff, if you do stay here be sure to lock everything in the safe! They also have security deposit boxes which are in reception, these require 2 keys, one for you and the hotel keep the other and these are big enough for a laptop - I would recommend using them and not leaving anything lying around. Oh and there is free Wi Fi connection which is good.

Have just returned from a wonderful 3 night stay in The Barcelona Universal. The hotel is clean, modern and the hotel staff very helpful, friendly and attentive. Well placed for sightseeing. An added bonus is the roof top pool and surrounding sunbathing area with chairs and sun lounges (towels provided). A great way to relax after a day of sightseeing. If you are at the front of the hotel it can be noisy of a night but thats to be expected its a busy place. The city is easily accessable by metro at 7.20 euros for a ticket of 10 rides which you can share out it's not by person, this includes to and from the airport. The service is fast and efficient. We did the open top bus for a day (20 euros) we did see the major sights but from a distance. Best to do your homework before you go and do your own thing.
A word of warning on the first night we went local for a meal in a well lit and populated road, we were walking back when out of a side road a boy/man ran out and attempted to grab my bag. Before I went out I had shortened the strap and it was across my shoulder held tight under my arm. A struggle took place and my husband was knocked to the ground. I managed to hit the boy several times in the face while trying to hold the bag. My husband got up and came towards him with clenched fists. At this point he decided to run empty handed. The frightening thing is there were lots of people around and no one came to our assistance, it's as though it's an every day occurance, which it is, that they have become used to as part of everyday life. I went into a hotel next to were it happened and asked them to call the police. They asked if anything had been stolen when I said no they said why call the police, did I want t o spend time in the police station filling in forms. It didn't ruin our experience of the city but I wonder how much longer it can go on or to what extent before people stop going to barcelona due to the crime. People we spoke to viewed it as though you haven't experienced Barcelona unless you had been pickpocketed or mugged.