I can’t say that I had a good night’s sleep at Hotel 1898. The check-in experience was disappointing. It was very slow, and the check-in assistant seemed to be in a bad mood—more like an immigration officer than hotel reception staff.
I was charged a €150 deposit, and when I asked why, I was told it was due to some American tourists overstaying their free spa time and not reporting it to the hotel. To avoid financial loss, the hotel decided to charge every guest a deposit at check-in. I felt this was unfair, as it was not my fault, yet I was still required to pay the deposit. Although the money will be returned at check-out, I was unhappy about being charged in the first place.
The hotel is in an excellent location and looks beautiful, but the building feels old. The windows do not appear to be double-glazed, and the city centre of Barcelona is extremely noisy throughout the night. I could hear everything from outside, which made it impossible to sleep properly. I had to wear my AirPods all night to block out the noise just to get some sleep.
Overall, it was not a pleasant experience. The least enjoyable part was the slow and unpleasant check-in, and based on my stay, I would not recommend this hotel.