After a 14-hour flight, I arrived at 11 am and understood my room might not be ready. At check-in,…read moreI was specifically told that because I booked through Amex Travel with my Platinum Card, I was eligible for an upgrade and early check-in if available. I was told neither was available.
I accepted that and remained cheerful and understanding. However, I then watched multiple guests who arrived after me receive rooms while I continued waiting. I was eventually told the previous guests in my room had been granted late checkout. Why would they allow that if the room had been assigned to an upcoming guest? I checked back as instructed, roughly every hour. When I asked for a timeframe, the receptionist became agitated and said he couldn't provide one.
By around 2:30, I was the only person left waiting in the lobby. After watching other guests repeatedly receive rooms, I became so upset I cried quietly. Another guest waiting with her dog actually came over to console me.
At 2:45, the explanation changed: now I was told there were no Classic rooms available. I said I needed either a room by 3 pm or a refund so I could stay elsewhere.
Suddenly, the upgrade I had been told was unavailable at 11 am became available. At exactly 3 pm, while I was on the phone with Amex Concierge complaining, I was upgraded to a Superior room.
As I walked away from the desk with my bags, in tears, the receptionists began speaking Spanish. I heard "Ella es India," followed by the female receptionist saying "Indio" in a manner that sounded derogatory. There were no other guests there. I am American and checked in with an American passport. India had never come up in our conversations, although I look Indian.
Given that I had watched guests arriving after me receive rooms, had been told both my room category and an upgrade were unavailable, and then suddenly received an upgrade only after demanding a room or refund, what I overheard was deeply troubling. I genuinely believe I was being profiled and treated differently. I also observed the front desk being considerably warmer and more accommodating toward British and Australian guests.
Unfortunately, the Superior room's AC did not work. An engineer reset the breaker and later put a thermometer in the vent showing 16°C, but there was no airflow. He nevertheless insisted it was working. Another guest I met in the elevator told me his AC blew continuously and his room was very cold.
After more calls and no promised callback, I went downstairs myself. Duty manager Sharon was kind and eventually moved me to a room with functioning AC. Ironically, it was a Classic room -- the exact category I had previously been told was unavailable.
I want to be specific because other staff were much kinder. My concerns primarily involve the male receptionist wearing glasses and blonde female receptionist working approximately 11 am-3 pm on August 15. They were present when I heard the comments about me being Indian. Sharon ultimately helped me, and Nellie from the restaurant was exceptionally warm and kind. Both deserve recognition.
I lost essentially my entire first day in Barcelona to waiting, tears, maintenance visits and changing rooms, and had to cancel my dinner reservation. The hotel later sent chocolates and a drink voucher, which I appreciated, but they do not undo the experience.
I booked through Amex Travel using my Platinum Card and will also be providing Amex with a full account of what occurred.
