NH Sants Barcelona

NH Sants Barcelona is a large, modern hotel with a sleek finish throughout. Its striking blue glass front stands out between the more traditional residential blocks beside it, and inside the lobby is spacious and bright. White leather chairs, standard lamps, and stylish ornaments are scattered across a gleaming marble floor, creating the feel of a huge, sophisticated living room. Despite a constant stream of guests, the lobby is fairly quiet and lacks atmosphere -- there's no bar or cafe, a miss that previous guests have found odd. The hotel is frequented mostly by business travelers, though the quiet location away from Barcelona's center also appeals to mature couples and tour groups.

The hotel is near the Les Corts financial district and within a five-minute walk of Sants, one of the city's main transport hubs. It's outside of the main tourist areas like the Eixample and the Gothic Quarter, but there's still a fair bit to do within walking distance. There are shops and restaurants all around, and it's a 10-minute walk to L'illa Diagonal shopping mall, or the stores on Avenida Diagonal. Camp Nou, the stadium that's home to FC Barcelona, is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Connections throughout the city are pretty straightforward from Sants. There are routes to Las Ramblas in 15 minutes, and to Sagrada Familia in 25. Attractions in Montjuic -- including the National Museum of Art, spectacular Magic Fountain displays, and the conference center -- can be reached in about 20 minutes via metro or bus. Budget 20 minutes by car or 40 minutes by train to reach the airport.

Rooms at the NH Sants have a classic style across almost all configurations, with dark wood furniture, pale walls, and handsome gray tones in the blocky curtains and mottled accent walls. Some Superior Rooms are more modern, and feature padded headboards and lightly striped wallpaper that creates a chicer finish. The turquoise furniture and backlit headboards are also a nice touch. In the other categories, we did spot some worn furniture that could also use an overhaul. Standard features include air-conditioning, safes, minibars, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs. Superior Rooms add Nespresso coffeemakers. Junior Suites and Suites add furnished terraces and a little more space, plus sofa beds. Bathrooms are bright and modern, with glass counter-tops and shower/tub combos, plus toiletries and hairdryers. The more modern Superior Rooms replace shower/tub combos with large rainfall showers and stylish wall murals. Higher category rooms come with bathrobes as well. Some past guests have complained that noise has a tendency to carry within the hotel.

NH Sants Barcelona doesn't quite have the number of features one might expect of its size and chain status. The restaurant serves a continental buffet breakfast, with hot items available on request, plus a la carte dishes for lunch and dinner. Past guests have found the lack of a bar disappointing, as the hotel often hosts tour groups looking for places to socialize after a day out exploring. A tiny fitness room has a few cardio machines and a universal machine, plus towels and water. It's fine for a basic workout, but not much else. There are four meeting rooms with a capacity of up to 200, and high-tech audio-visual equipment. A business lounge has one PC computer. The hotel operate a Lazy Sunday policy, which includes late check-out and extended breakfast hours. Other useful services include on-site parking, laundry and dry cleaning, bike rentals, and free Wi-Fi throughout.