Axel Hotel Barcelona

The Axel hotel offers a clean and stylish aesthetic throughout, with well-designed rooms that, while compact, are comfortable and thoughtfully arranged. The property is larger than expected and impeccably maintained. What truly elevates the experience is the exceptional staff—consistently pleasant, attentive, and highly accommodating, even with special requests and at any time of day. Their professionalism and genuine hospitality contribute significantly to a welcoming atmosphere. Overall, the service, comfort, and value make this an excellent choice, and I would readily recommend it to others and gladly return for a future stay.

Entrance was grand and very boutique-feeling. Cesar took wonderful care of us, and made us feel warm and welcome. The room was basic in some ways, but comfortable. Exactly all we needed for an overnight. Room service was a bit of a disappointment in execution, but was convenient and quick. The gentleman who delivered was nice eye candy. Breakfast was out of this world for a continental! Coffee and cocktail bar was a delightful surprise, and the spread of food was well beyond what we could fully enjoy in any one sitting. Restaurant crew was handsome and incredibly nice. We'll definitely book again when we return to Barcelona.

This was my first trip to Barcelona and I chose the Axel Hotel for my stay. ||||The Pros||The hotel location was fantastic.||The lobby music was always amazing and told the Receptionist/Dj he was my hero.||The lobby staff was always friendly.||Rooftop pool area was fun. You can meet other guests and chat.||Housekeeping was adequate. More on that later...||My room’s air conditioning was perfect. I read reviews stating otherwise, so I had packed a fan just in case.||||Cons||Housekeeping skipped a couple days after I first arrived, needed towels as trash taken out. Went to lobby and they told me to chase down the cleaning cart.||||I don't think my shower was cleaned properly. There was a faint douche odor whenever I was taking a hot shower and the bathroom steamed up. ||||I sort of attributed it to the air conditioner air handler being located in the shower stall. Sounds smart because the steam escapes into the AC system, but it also lets steamy douche poo escape and build up in the AC system. ||||While visiting the rooftop pool on Friday September 5, 2025 at approximately 7:09pm, the bartender was closing up shop. I asked the bartender when the bar on level 7 would open and he responded “In 20 minutes.” They don’t serve bloody Mary’s on the rooftop pool so I asked the bartender if they serve them at the other bar. He started bobbling his head, and after about 5 or 6 seconds he responded “Obviously”. We decided not to buy any more drinks at Axel hotel during our stay.||||My friend’s room did not have a luggage rack, and he asked the front desk for one, and they never provided it.||||A couple of times housekeeping took old towels and didn’t replace them. And would fold up the shower floor towels instead of replacing them so I would take a shower and have to step on a wet towel again.||||Overall, this is a very good hotel with a couple of service hiccups.

Fabulous hotel in an excellent location! The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and well-appointed. The gym is outstanding—without a doubt the best-equipped hotel gym I’ve ever experienced. While I didn’t consistently find the staff to be especially attentive or warm, I do want to highlight the front desk attendant who helped us at checkout. He provided excellent service, and I wish I had caught his name to give him the recognition he deserves. Overall, despite that one drawback, this hotel made a wonderful impression, and I would definitely choose to stay here again on my next Barcelona adventure.

Absolutely Outstanding Stay – 10/10 Stars! From the moment I arrived, I was impressed by the exceptional service. Every single staff member is incredibly attentive, responsive, and genuinely eager to help with anything I asked for. They truly work together as one perfectly coordinated team, always making sure every request is fulfilled quickly and with a smile. The hotel’s location is just perfect — close to everything, yet peaceful and quiet. My room was spotlessly clean, with all amenities working flawlessly, plenty of hot and cold water, and modern electronic key access. There are multiple elevators, so there’s never a wait. The food? Absolutely delicious — every meal was a pleasure. Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were simply amazing, with an outstanding fusion of flavors. The sushi and Spanish cuisine were exceptional, and the menu offered an enormous variety to choose from. This hotel truly exceeded all my expectations. I have only the warmest and most pleasant memories of my stay here, and I highly, highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for the perfect place to stay.

Joaquin is fantastic, lovely person who was very welcoming and professional. He had fantastic recommendations and even asked how it turned out after trying. Room was lovely, generous size with a gorgeous stained glass balcony that could be opened up. Location is great, not a far walk from anywhere. Air conditioning worked, just takes time to adjust to the temperature you want.

I’ve been staying at the Axel since it first opened, back when it was mainly targeted toward the gay community. Nowadays it has become more inclusive — you see many straight couples too, which I actually find great. On the other hand, the hotel hasn’t gone through any renovations in the past decade. The mattresses are still the same, although I was told they might be replaced next year. You can definitely feel a bit of the wear and tear over the years. The rooms are very simple, more like an Ibis style — very small. The hotel doesn’t really offer many services. For instance, I once asked the front desk to have my room cleaned, and the receptionist told me he couldn’t call housekeeping because they wouldn’t take his request into account — the only thing I could do was hang the “clean room” sign on my door. I found that a bit strange, since in most hotels you just call the reception and they take care of it for you. That said, I would like to compliment Adrian, the Spanish-Brazilian staff member, who was extremely kind and helpful throughout my stay. It’s a bit expensive for what it offers, but the vibe and atmosphere make up for it. The location is excellent, and the overall energy of the place is pleasant. Still, for the same price you could probably find a higher-end hotel in other areas of the city. The spa, however, remains one of the highlights — it’s truly very good. Pool is small, and the hotel has a bar till 2am in the rooftop.

We had a wonderful time at the hotel, and the staff were absolutely fantastic. However, our breakfast experience on the first morning was a bit of a disaster. The food in the hot boxes was cold 😡, and we were really looking forward to a hearty breakfast. The buffet's display looked amazing, but unfortunately, the food didn't live up to our expectations. I spoke to the reception about it, and they apologized, but unfortunately, we still had to pay for the meal when we checked out. Despite this, we love the hotel and can't wait to come back. We just hope that next time, the chefs will make sure the food is hot, and the restaurant staff will be more attentive to their guests.

Axel Hotel Barcelona is part of the gay chain of Axel hotels in Europe and US. While the target market focus is on the LGBTQ community, their motto is "We are heterofriendly." I've stayed at Axel hotels before and this one is pretty nice. Plus it is right smack in the center of the "Gaixample" gayborhood with many gay stores, restaurants and bars within a few block radius. The exterior is beautifully enhanced in the Barcelona Exiample neighborhood Modernism style with ornate wrought iron finishes. The interior is modern, but rooms probably need a refresh as it looks like it hasn't been changed since it opened in the early 2000s. I loved the see-through walk-in rain shower with hose. The rooftop pool and Sky pool deck lounging area is smaller than expected, but not many have time when there is so much to see and do in Barcelona. It has a cute and relaxing happy hour! Sky Bar one floor below on 7 is inside and outside. The views are incredible, especially around sunset. This bar is open to the public 7:30 pm to 3 am and sometimes has gay and drag entertainment. Basically the Continental Breakfast is good, and probably has my vote as the best of 4 hotels on our trip. Service there is nice. Front desk service staff is hit and miss. Some were very helpful and pleasant; others were less-so with attitude and not helpful. Maybe a separate concierge would be better to ask for assistance. Overall a good hotel which could become a great one to match the gayborhood.

I enjoy coming here every time I'm in Barcelona. It's a nice spot to socialize with a cute view. The wait can be long sometimes to get a drink but that's to be expected. I also wouldn't come here thinking you're going to get "amazing" cocktails or anything of the sort. It's truly just a gay bar inside of a hotel. Definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already

Definitely a gay themed hotel but it welcomes all to come. The front desk service was always very kind and patient. We arrived early so they held our luggage till our room was ready. So many great places to go just walking distance away. You are about two blocks from the university which is nice to walk through after dinner as the streets are so lively. Bed and bedding was comfortable. Bathroom was comfortable in size and had a glass wall if you wanted less privacy . It also had a vent fan which seems rare in Spain. Nice heavy windows to keep exterior noise to a minimum. Toiletries were upscale but tiny so you may want to supplement with your own. Breakfast was plentiful with multiple servers. Gym and spa downstairs. Gym is very big. Equipment is slightly aged and you need your own music. Business office was not quiet so hard to take a business call. I really think that was my only concern is that I couldn't find a quiet place to conduct work, otherwise for vacay this is a great place ! Hall noi

Great location in the gay area of Barcelona. I like our room with a balcony so I can look down on all the people walking on the street. The staff seems very friendly and they speak English. The rooftop bar leaves a lot to be desired. I just wanted a water and they charged 4 Euros for a little teeny bottle. I would have said no but he already opened it and poured it into a cup.

Let me share this IMPORTANT INFORMATION with those who still hesitate to go to this hotel or no. My friend used to love Axelbeach Miami and was here 4 times herself in the last year but this is it, no time ever. And here is the story. She recommended this place to me and i came there a two weeks ago and got in a big trouble, while staying there. On my last day (right before my flight back) i found out that my jacket, that has been hanging in the closet all the time, was stolen. And what made the situation worse is that the staff of the hotel never helped, never reacted, never supported me, neither even suggested any type of compensation of my moral damage. Instead they accused me of being not attentive, not sincere, etc. Moreover - when i sent a complient to the management i got the response "that i should've started police investigation... and that i probably left it somewhere" and other silly excuses, that I consider absolutely inappropriate in this situation, and now I feel so bad for myself and other clients (because I know that the jacket was extremely expensive, and I bought it in Italy)... but i would never complain for no reason! Shame to the hotel, to the staff, to the management! They don't give a shit about their clients when it comes to solve a real trouble of their costumers. If you want your clothes and money safe - stay away from this hotel. Shame on the General Manager if the Axelbeach Miami Efrain Castro!!!!!

I stayed there and there was a room fire. Flames were shooting out of the bathroom fixture and the room filled up with smoke ALARMINGLY NO FIRE WARNING WENT OFF!!!! My clothes were destroyed by the putrid smoke permeating them and still , this hotel offered nothing to make up for my disastrous stay. Moreover , I don't want anyone harmed by the lack of/ or dysfunction of smoke detection.

No security and robberies happen in their lobby. Our computer bag was stolen and hotel manager said it happens all the time. Spent about 12 hours over two days trying to get a police report and cancelling / closing accounts. The beds are also hard as the floor. Good points. The 7th floor has good music but the drinks are very expensive. Staff are friendly but could have warned us about thieves frequenting the hotel lobby.

The service at this place is one of the reasons why I fell in love with Barcelona. This place is right in the heart of Boys Town. Its walkable to many bars and Drag Shows. They even host drag shows some nights here. I went during Pride and every night was a party. The hotel hung flags and even participated in a mini pride parade. I can't wait to go back.

We just returned from our trip, during our time in Barcelona we stayed at Axel. We are a hetero couple and chose it based on location and recommendations of friends. The afternoon we arrived it was pouring, the staff cane out and helped us with our bags. Was impressed they pulled them behind the counter while we checked in to avoid them being snagged as we filled out paperwork etc. Lobby is clean and welcoming. Though keep in mind you have to walk down a few (6 of so) steps to get to the lobby. Our room was a short distance from the elevator. We had a good sized bathroom, thought the sink was huge there was no actual counter space so that made getting ready with makeup and flat irons challenging. The shower was nice and had adjustable heads, plenty of hot water. Bed was a bit hard, but typical for hotels. Pillows were good. We had a great enclosed balcony with stained glass windows that opened. Was a great place to enjoy the bottle of cava waiting for us in the room. The only problems had with the room was the floors are very slippery and walking down the steps from bathroom to the bedroom was interesting after a shower The rooftop bar was a lot of fun every night. Staff all around was great!! I lived that they dimmed the hallway lights at night so the light didn't shine through under your door! Seriously why does no one else do that!

Axel Hotel is lovely boutique hotel located in the heart of Exaimple gay area in Barcelona. The hotel staff is hetero-friendly and very accommodating with any of the guest's inquiries. The hotel has a chic and modern style, with a fusion of a Peruvian/Asian restaurant in the downstairs area that connects with the lobby. Also, has a gym & Spa with a jacuzzi, two bars and a cozy lounge on the top floors with a small sunroof Pool ideally for a hot summer day!

I was pleased with my experience from their chain hotel in Berlin - so I chose to stay here on my visit to Barcelona. Like my stay in Berlin - I was super pleased. The staff was superb - friendly - accommodating - and best of all spoke perfect English. This hotel is in a very convenient location - close to the gay-scene, as well as tons of shopping. The hotel has good amenities, apart from its choice location. Roof-top sky bar was my favorite - which had a pool and Jacuzzi. Adjoining the hotel is a spa, two bars, and a restaurant. The hotel had a key'ed elevator entry system - for safety of course. Good room amenities (fridge, free wifi) and because I pre-asked - i was able to get a room with a balcony view. I'll definitely will be coming to this hotel again. Notable walking times (keeping this list PG-13) - ;) Universitat Metro - 5 min (this is also the Aerobus stop from BCN) Starbucks (of course :P) - 5 min Metro Disco - 10 min Arena Club - 10 min Ramblas - 10-15 min Plz Catalunya - 10 min Julia Travel Offices (if you ever book a day trip) - 10 min Casa Batlo - 10 min Pasig De Garicia (high end shopping) - 10 min Supermercat (thats the name of the place) - 1 min (across the street)

The axel hotel bar manager for 10/01/19...really didn't get his name...oh wait...Daniel, could care less about customer service. He seemed to be an elitist and did not care about about us as patrons. I hope his job here is short lived because he really doesn't know how to treat people (even his own staff) with any respect. If you stay here, please ask anyone else for help...I'm sure if you were short of dying he would not lend a hand to revive you...I think if you're spending money at this hotel, make sure nothing goes in his direction...AXEL HOTEL you can do better than Daniel...sorry I'm disappointed...I will return to my home country with no love for the rooftop bar at Axel Barcelona

I had a reservation for this hotel after my cruise. The cruise was cancelled. Thanks COVID, of course I couldn't travel and the hotel refused to give my money back. I'm just glad I was able to cancel the reservation 2 days prior to the cut off date and I was able to get my half of my money back. I guess they are unaware of the global pandemic. Thanks AXEL for taking half of My money. On the other hand, the hotel reservation before the cruise in Amsterdam gave a full refund because of world events. Axel, I'm very disappointed. Bill. South Florida

We had a blast at Axel, as we always do. The hotel has improved a lot recently. "ground bar"area is remodelled, new restaurant (Asian/Peruvian fusion), "sky bar" tent, nice cozy atmosphere on the of. Plus, a lot of rooms are being renovated now. ( Please, put some new mattresses in the 7th floor suites too, my old back says thank you.) I think the new general manager takes his job serious. A big thank you to the front desk staff, namely André, John, Bartosz, Aleix and the newest addition to the team, Juanma. You are always really helpful and supernice, guys. You make us always feel at home! Keep it up! See you soon again!

I'm staying at the Axel Hotel in Barcelona now, and I am extremely dissatisfied. My room has stains on the sheets, holes in the curtains, low water pressure in the shower, and no hot water. I've reported this to the front desk, and I was told to wait twenty minutes for hot water. I did not receive my complimentary water upon check in. When I asked about it, I was told to wait until tomorrow. I can't believe that this is the type of service I am receiving. I was extremely excited to stay at a hotel that caters to the LGBT community, but these accommodations are disappointing to say the least. Please advise.

The drinks were delicious but expensive. The mojito was a good sized beverage but the Manhattan was abnormal size and for 13 euro each, id want a bit more. The sky bar on the roof was a nice place to hang out especially since it was warm. I think this place was a big LGBT spot, as pointed out by my girlfriend

Everything here is about 30% more expensive than similar options nearby, from rooms to drinks; However, the staff is friendly, the rooms are tasteful, and the shower is A++. The Jacuzzi never worked while I was here and the rooftop bar staff can be a little inattentive - but I think that is more a cultural difference between US and Spain than a failing on the hotel's part. As someone who was only visiting for a weekend and wanted to jump right into the Barcelona gay scene, this was an excellent choice. I had a really great time and would come here again on my next visit.

I stay at this hotel form October 4to October 9 I travel quite often and sofar this hotel its been one of the worse I've ever stay at firs they never service my room I went to front desk and complain about it and the guy seemed like he didn't care he was to busy talking to one of his friends to help me with the issues . Second im a type of person that is always warm so I never use bed blanket so I never even took the comforter didn't even touch until the last night that I stay it was a little chill so I decide to use the comforter to my surprise when I unfold it under the comforter was filthy it look like blood stains and feces it was so disgusting that till now when I think about I get chills all over my body thankfully it was my last night so when I check out I complain to front desk guy and he you need to email the hotel manager which I did and till now I have receive no response from this person at all no one has contact me then I forgot a$300 Salvatore ferragamo belt I call and they told me to email the hotel I got a response that they have my belt so I went back to get my belt they had this cheap $10 belt that I had no idea who that was so my belt was stole from hotel personal so sad and disappointed; by the way be carful if you ever stay there so many drugs in that place have so many people offering me some chems and powder and I was like I'm sorry I'm not an addict I don't do drugs everywhere around the hotel will I recommend this place absolutely not please stay away from it the only nice area about this place was sky bar other than that please find somewhere else to stay . This are the comforter stain photos

A group of friends had booked a cruise leaving Barcelona in July 2020. At the suggestion of a friend, I booked this hotel for the night before the cruise. Unfortunately, this little thing called the COVID19 Pandemic occurred. My cruise is cancelled and I will not be travelling to Barcelona any time in the near future. The hotel has informed me that I booked a non-refundable room and they refuse to refund the charge. Given the extenuating circumstances of this cancellation, it seems the hotel is being unreasonable and is refusing to do the right thing in the face of this pandemic. I am very disappointed.

We were conned into an upgrade to a city room ( more street noise apparently ) for only 20 euros more. After unpacking and showering we found the shower sink not draining properly and worse the AC inoperable. Despite repeated assurances 4hours later the AC still was not fixed. We made the front desk clerk come up, who did the same exact thing we did. We get a dismissive "oh yes it's not working but there's nothing we can do, the hotel is full." We then went back and spoke to someone else who promptly moved us to a different room with perfect AC. Definitely pays to persist!

Great location and excellent place to connect and meet people. Rooftop bar is tons of fun. The beds are basic and not very comfortable with low quality sheets. The wifi is horrible w slow speeds and spotty service.

Expensive drinks with mediocre view of Barcelona skyline. 11€ for an aperol spritz? At least the drink was strong.

Definitely a gay hotel but unquestionably "straight friendly." Excellent service, clean and modern rooms, rooftop pool (a bit cruisy), perfect location for enjoying Barcelona (especially gay bars, if that's your scene). Mostly European clientele but we met many guests that spoke English and had a great time.

Really bad service, customer service is severely lacking! Hotel refuses to honour discounts posted on their sites! Booking department is vague in their responses and ignores questions from customers! Stayed there once before but never again! Poor hotel, not worth the money they are requesting!

Would not stay here again. Front desk is a circus. Very unprofessional. Had to wait hours before a room was ready. All around bad service. Funky room, very dated. Shower was the worst of all.

It's ok. They were very nice by allowing us to check in very early, as in 9am on a Saturday. But it was really loud on a Saturday night due to the bar at the top of the hotel, which we didn't really bargain for. The location is very good, close to Metro and great restaurants, and the staff was very helpful (they all spoke English perfectly) but my wife was put off by the atmosphere, and I didn't enjoy the constant disco music in the reception. Breakfast buffet was pretty good. Bottom line, I probably wouldn't stay here again, but it's not terrible. Best for people into the gay scene, staying up late partying, and being close to the action in Eixample.

Amazing hotel. Clean, good service (for the exception of the rooftop guys attitude that was always nasty). Javy in reception was incredible. Always available and the best attitude. Lovely experience

I've stayed at this hotel several times and I liked it...until today. We arrived at 0800 and the hotel stored our bags until our check in time at 1400. We explored the city and returned to the hotel at 1545. We were told we'd have to wait for a room! What? It should have been ready nearly 2 hours ago! Then he asked me if I wanted to pay for an upgrade to get in right away. The 2 people at the counter were not very nice about it either. This is unusual...I will say in the past I've had great service here but after this and their attitude, I don't think I'll stay here again.

I really wanted to like this hotel but was disappointed by the service. The room is nice but was really let down by the service and was inconvenienced a number of times. When I mentioned it to the staff at reception I couldn't help think that they were thinking 'that's the level of service like it or lump it' they could not get the easy things right. I couldn't even get a coffee!!!

Wonderful location in the center of many things. Beautiful architecture all around. A friend and I stayed in a double. There were 2 twin size beds. I'm 6'5" so it wasnt the best fit but the location made it bearable. The hotel has free WIFI. We could not get a good connection from our room. It was spotty at best. We had to go to the business center or the lobby to get a clear connection. The rooftop poolside bar was quite pricey. There is a small grocery store around the corner if you want to purchase your own libation wine started at less than 2 euros! What a deal and you can bring it to the pool too. The hot tub was luke warm at best but the hotels location made it nice. Great restaurants and shopping all around. BTW..this is primarily a gay hotel.

WAY over rated. Rooms are dated, staff is not helpful and our room won't go below 29 degrees Celsius which is unbearable. Good location but I'm pretty sure one can do much better for the money and have staff that are customer centric.

This is amazing hotel with super friendly staff. Prices are great and it most important it's clean!!! Also location is really wonderful!!! Thanks very much!!!

In the hotel we spent with her boyfriend 10 days. The hotel is beautiful and clean. At the bar we were every day, we found great friends here with whom we went for trips in Barcelona. Last year we were in a hotel in Barcelona, but the Hotel Axel is much better and prettier. If you've certainly come to himself, because it's easy to get to know someone, and especially in hotel accommodation by decent people. Already, we have decided that next year we will go into the same hotel.