I usually love every Kimpton Hotel I meet, but I finally met one that was underwhelming. Welcome to my Kimpton Vividora Barcelona review, a.k.a. staying in a dorm room. Quirky, cute, but still a dorm room.

It is located on a small, pedestrian side street near La Rambla, and the lobby seemed promising and charming. When we got up to our rooms, the dorm room vibes began. No storage. Shower and toilet out in the open (well, the toilet did have a door), and white walls. Where is the charm that I love in Kimpton hotels? Okay, there was a cute yellow telephone, but….

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Redemption

We were upgraded to King Balcony rooms as we have Diamond status with IHG. The room cost us 70k IHG points/night, although there are rooms that cost even more points, depending on the date.  Considering that this is the same points cost of the Kimpton Grand Roatán and the Kimpton Seafire, this felt like a lot less of a value. Maximum occupancy is also two people, so we had to get two rooms. Our rooms had a cash price of a little over $500 when we were there. Not nearly the same value as some other Kimpton hotels!

 

 

 

 

Amenities and Service

The hotel presented a nice note, a cheesecake, and some alcohol in our room as a gesture of gratitude for being Diamond members. (I really need to let them know that I don’t drink alcohol in the hopes they will give me Diet Coke!)

 

 

The robes were not fluffy, soft ones, but rather cotton, rust-colored ones. It just didn’t feel the same. However, there were plenty of nice towels, vanity amenities, and turn-down service with chocolate. Kimpton is also known for their hospitality hour, although we never attended it. The service was great; nothing to complain about in that department.

 

 

Breakfast at the Kimpton Vividora

Because of our Diamond status, breakfast was complimentary. It was a buffet, but we were also permitted to order a hot à la carte dish. The Nutella pancakes were good, as were the crepes and eggs. The breakfast is served at their restaurant, Fauna.

 

 

 

Cinco de Mayo Tacos = Room Service

We were there on May 5th, and the hotel had a taco event planned for the rooftop bar. Unfortunately, it rained, so that was cancelled. We ended up doing room service, but checked out the spectacular rooftop views the next day.

 

 

Bottom Line 

This was the first time a Kimpton left me underwhelmed—but to be fair, that’s likely because I’ve stayed at some truly amazing ones in the past. The location was excellent, but the points redemption didn’t quite measure up to the value I’ve come to expect from other Kimpton stays.

On a return trip, I’d probably opt for the Grand Hyatt Barcelona instead. (Alex and Jess stayed there a night and had good things to say.) My Kimpton Vividora Barcelona review isn’t the usual glowing praise I heap on Kimpton properties, but it wasn’t a total miss either. Let’s call it a “meh” in a great location.

 

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