Le Petit Palü-Ópera

The room was functional, though there were some hairs on the pillows. That's the only reason I'm not asking for a refund. At 34, this was the worst lodging experience I've ever had. Stay away. I don't know how a place this shady stays in business. We got there at noon and wanted to leave our bags before the 14:00 check-in. The day before, they'd sent us a building code, but it didn't work until 14:01. No one answered the hotel doorbell or my call. Messages with the business on WhatsApp took 30 minutes to get a reply, and they didn't directly answer my questions. I wondered if I was talking to a chatbot. We eventually followed someone into the building, but reception was empty. A maid said the receptionist was sick and hadn't come in, and apparently there was no replacement. We left our bags in a storage area anyone on that floor could access, so we took out our valuables and passports and hoped nothing would be stolen. When we asked on WhatsApp about leaving bags after checkout, they said we could leave them until 16:00 and ring reception to let us in after handing over the keys. The next day reception was still empty, so we paid to store our bags elsewhere. Otherwise, we would have been locked out with our things inside. It's possible nobody is ever at reception. The WhatsApp contact also gave me the code and room number for a different room, so security clearly wasn't a priority. Since they apparently hand out room codes to anyone, and the deadbolt inside our room didn't work, we wedged a suitcase against the door overnight.

Our room code worked in the daytime, but not when we returned at night, leaving our belongings locked inside. No hostel staff were around, and nobody answered the phone. We had a child with us, but the staff didn't care. We called the police and, as a last resort, paid 125 euros for another hotel so we wouldn't have to sleep on the street. We lost 70 euros on this hostel and another 125 euros on the replacement stay. Other people have had similar experiences here, too. Look at the other negative reviews.

We stayed for two nights at the end of July 2023, and as seasoned travelers around Europe, we were really disappointed. The location is good, but paying 90 something a night is too much for this place. The room had no soundproofing. There was a visible gap between the door and the wall, and people coming and going late meant constant passcode beeps while we tried to sleep. The room itself was noisy too, with the AC vent making a five-second sound about every 20 minutes, like a door opening in a horror movie. The fridge barely kept things below room temperature. Service was very bad. The people managing the property were rude, uninterested in questions or normal requests, and often unresponsive. Reception is open from 10 am to 4 pm, so storing luggage outside those hours was impossible. I've never known a hotel or hostel that wouldn't accommodate that. Unless you're absolutely sure you won't need to deal with staff in person or over WhatsApp, don't choose this place.

The room was spotless, and the reception staff were friendly and helpful. It's centrally located and a great price. I honestly couldn't fault it. This will be our first choice next time we're in Madrid.