The front desk staff was terrific. Very friendly and very helpful. We got there quite early, and although some rooms were ready (and it was about 10:30 am) ours was not. So we left our luggage and spent the day sight seeing. We had a couple of tours scheduled. The person at the front desk told us which metro to take to get to our first tour (Sagrada Familia) and even walked us out to the street to show us how to get to the metro station. And the next morning the person at the front desk told us to cross the street to get a taxi to the cruise terminal rather than get one directly out front to save money on the fare (it was more direct because of the one way street.) I had chosen this hotel because a previous reviewer had said she easily walked to the cruise port, but I am skeptical about that. Again, we asked the front desk staff about that and he told us it was too far. And after taking the cab and seeing the distance and the route it would not have been possible.
A big (and pleasant) surprise was the included breakfast. It was buffet style with a tremendous selection of food, both hot and cold.
Bottom line, this was a great hotel, and there were plenty of places to eat and shop within easy walking distance.