Review: Hotel Indigo Barcelona – Plaza Cataluyna, A Nice City Centre Pick

In a nutshell: The Hotel Indigo Barcelona offers comfortable and stylish accommodations, although you’ll have to come to grips with their small size. A nice bar and small pool round out the amenities. The location in Eixample is ideal, positioning you between La Rambla and La Gracia and within walking distance of famous Gaudí buildings. 

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona wasn’t really on my radar for my brief two-night stay in the capital of Catalonia. However, when I saw the great rate that was being offered and the fact that it would help me hit one of my IHG Accelerate offers for the fall, I decided to jump and book a single with cash.

Booking the Hotel Indigo Barcelona

I would have rather booked hotels on points for my quick trip to Barcelona, but I struggled to find anything of good value. Most award options were either too far from the middle of the city or not a great value on points when compared to the cash rate. I was sitting on a Hilton free night that I am willing to let go for fairly low value, but this still left me needing a second night. Once I realized that an award might not be the way to go, I started browsing for cash rates, both chain and non-chain.

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona was one of the few chain hotels available at a reasonable rate. I reserved a room for ~$105, which I consider well worth helping me earn 14,000+ IHG points. Still, I passed over some decent options in the old city that were going for $80-90.

Awards typically cost 45,000 IHG points, making this a poor use of points. I wouldn’t consider booking the Hotel Indigo Barcelona as an award unless rates climb over $250 per night.

Arrival Into Barcelona

I arrived in Barcelona on the final flight of my Alitalia business class error fare, flying intra-Europe business class. The transit from Barcelona El Prat Airport was smooth. I’d planned to take the metro, but the direct bus to Plaça Catalunya seemed the better option. The Barcelona metro might have the strangest network map of any I’ve ever seen.

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona is only a few blocks from the bus stop Plaça Catalunya. It’s a quick and easy walk. Visiting in November meant it was a bit chilly in the evening, but otherwise the weather was pleasant. Had it been raining, I would have probably hailed a cab.

The lobby of the hotel is quite small. Actually, the whole property is small. With only 77 rooms, it is a boutique property, which makes sense as part of the Hotel Indigo brand. Aside from some of the nicer Intercontinental properties, you’ll probably find the most character in Hotel Indigo properties out of all of the IHG options.

Check in was smooth, and the agents at the front desk welcomed me warmly as a Platinum member. They explained the features of the property before handing me the key to my room: 302.

Hotel Indigo Barcelona Room

I took the stairs up to the third floor, eager to continue stretching my legs after all the flying. Opening the door to room 302, my first impression was how small it is. I know hotels in Europe often offer rooms substantially smaller than what we are used to in the United States, but this was still quite small.

The room had a single queen bed. This is a “deluxe” room, a slight step up from the standard rooms which offer one double bed. Most of the rooms at the Hotel Indigo Barcelona offer these bed types, and no rooms have a capacity of more than 3 persons. It is definitely a hotel I would pass if traveling with kids.

Aside from the size, the room and amenities are quite pleasant. I liked the art and the brighter color scheme. In the area past the bed is the desk, which offers the in-room coffee and minibar. I was happy to see that there is an actual coffee maker. One complaint about hotels overseas is that the in-room coffee is sometimes instant, which just doesn’t cut it.

Opposite the desk is an armchair. This whole area by the window is maybe 50 square feet.

There is also a table to the side with water, mints, and information on the hotel. The front desk mentioned that both the water and juice in the minibar were complimentary.

This was a pleasant surprise, as I’ve never had a hotel offer anything besides the coffee, tea and water without charge. You could also ask for more of the items on the card in the minibar, if you wanted your stocked.

Like the room, the bathroom is small. You have the shower, a small sink, and the toilet.

My room had an interior view, facing the courtyard in the middle of the block. At first I thought I was looking at the hotel’s pool deck, but it turns out that this is for the building next to the Hotel Indigo Barcelona.

Looking down, you can see some of the exterior seating areas accessible through the restaurant.

Overall, the room was pleasant. Traveling solo, the lack of space wasn’t an issue in the slightest. In some ways, I much prefer a tiny room, as my goal is to be out exploring as much as possible when I’m on a solo excursion. Traveling as a family or with one or more kids, additional space is much preferred.

Hotel Features

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona offers a small outdoor area on the interior side with lots of seating.

There is also a very small pool with limited hours. I checked it out briefly in the morning before I headed out for the day, and it still wasn’t open.

The hotel also offers a business center near the rear of the long lobby area. I’m glad to see they have something other than ancient Windows machines that I’ve encountered at some hotels.

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona offers the DOQ Restaurant and Bar if you’re looking to dine on-property. I stopped by in the evening, and it was a pretty quiet place. Given the rates, the hotel occupancy was likely low. But with a good number of restaurants within a 5-minute walk, you could probably find a easily find a great cafe. Earlier, I’d hopped on the metro to El Poble-Sec to enjoy pinxtos at La Tasqueta de Blai. With a limited number of meals to be eaten in Barcelona, the hotel restaurant wasn’t on the list.

The DOQ Restaurant is open from 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM. The continental buffet breakfast at the Hotel Indigo Barcelona costs €15. You can also order an English breakfast for €9, or combine the two for €20. There are also a la carte options starting at around €4. Overall, prices are reasonable for a hotel.

One of the better features of the hotel for me was simply the location. You’re a 5-minute walk from Plaça Catalunya and La Rambla, so the hotel provides reasonably easy access to the old city. You can head the opposite direction and be in La Gracia within 10 minutes. Both Casa Milà and Casa Batlló, prominent Antoni Gaudí-designed structures, are an easy walk.

Conclusion

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona offer a comfortable stay at a great central location in Barcelona. The property is small, but it has a bit of character, and given the rate I paid, it is an excellent value. The rooms are small, but if space isn’t a concern, it’s a fine choice. If I hadn’t planned to eat at a Cataluynan restaurant in La Gracia, I might have opted to enjoy  breakfast at the hotel as well.

Personally, I wouldn’t pay 45,000 IHG points to stay at the Hotel Indigo Barcelona and would look for other nearby option in Barcelona. But a rate of ~$100 for a nice chain hotel in the off-season is a not a bad deal. I hope this is a helpful review!