Barcelo Tenerife Royal level

We have always stayed with the Barcelo chain, usually at the Margaritas Royale level, but as this was my partners 40th birthday we planned aomething special by staying at their 5 star Barcelo Tenerife so we expected it to be superior to its sister hotel which is only 4 star and have always had high praise for the chain.

Unfortunately this was not the case, we are used to 24hr check in service for Royale guests, but that is not the case with this hotel. Royale check in only exists from 11am until 7pm which doesn't feel very premium. The hotel when we arrived was all in darkness so no one to greet us. We had to go hunting for someone to check us in and even though he was polite he didn't seem to know a lot about the Royale, features which luckily we already did and raised with our rep the next morning.

the level of service was very poor, at times bar staff were stood around talking to each other rather than serving guests that were queuing for drinks. The construction to the Royale restaurant meant we had no exclusive access to the Royale Restaurant like we were told my our travel operator we would have. We were sold a Sea view room with a whirl pool bath with a living room. The room was fantastic and big, but there was no whirlpool bath and the safe in the bedroom room 330, didn't work, even after it was reported.

My partner found an hair in their food underneath the chicken breast, which we made the restaurant manager aware of and although they were polite and offered to replace the dish, we had both lost our appetite after that.

We tried our best to enjoy the Royale pool but there was a lot of screaming children and toddlers crawling along the floor. I felt it made it lose the luxury feel and felt worse than the breeze bar which is not good by not making it adult only as some of the hotels in the chain have already implemented.

Having spoken to other Royale guests who had said the same to me and had experienced other Barcelo's they too were disappointed with the level of service. That is why upon checkout I asked to speak to Francesca Bianco and I have to say the level of service we recieved from her was the level of service we expect from the Barcelo, she was attentive and addressed all of our concerns and couldn't apologise enough.

It wasn't all negative, there was some positives, the hotel has amazing views, the entertainment is okay and most of the staff are polite. The rooms are lovely, I just think the bars could and restaurants could benefit from a self service for Royale guests, so at busy times, they're not forced to queue and the Royale pool should be adult only. I loved the hotel and I hope the service does improve in the future so it atleast matches the Margaritas Royale.

Warm regards.

Fantastic service from all at Barcelona Royal Level in Tenerife..

Suleman deserves particular praise…

We travelled as a family group and stayed for a week at the hotel on the Royal Level package. Overall, we had an enjoyable holiday. The hotel has many positive aspects, including friendly staff, spacious accommodation, and a good range of facilities and activities. However, our group's experience was mixed in several areas. As Royal Level guests, we expected a more premium experience from arrival, but the separate check-in area felt more like a corridor and lacked the luxury feel we were anticipating. When we arrived, there was no porter available to assist with our luggage until after we had checked in. Our room was clean, spacious, and featured a lovely large balcony. The shower was excellent, and housekeeping generally maintained the room well throughout our stay. However, one of the other rooms in our group had a bathroom with an unpleasant smell and signs of unfinished maintenance work. The standard of room servicing also varied from day to day. Beds were not always properly secured after cleaning, causing them to move when someone sat on them. While the room itself was very good, some basic amenities commonly associated with hotel accommodation were missing, such as a tissue box and shower caps. Requests for these items had to be made multiple times, and when tissues were eventually provided, it was only a small pocket-sized box containing three tissues. Reception staff were always polite and keen to help, but there appeared to be communication issues between departments, resulting in delays and missed requests. As a family-friendly hotel, there were no bed guards for available for children. Instead, we were directed to an external hire company. Alternative solutions were suggested by staff, but these also required repeated follow-up before they were provided. Dining was another area where expectations did not always match the Royal Level marketing. The advertised "exclusive dining area with unbeatable views" was only available for a short time before being relocated to a section within the main buffet restaurant. Breakfast from the à la carte menu was excellent, but the quality and availability of dinner were inconsistent. Some dishes were unavailable despite appearing on the menu, and while some meals were very good, others lacked consistency. Service in the restaurant was also variable, with drinks, starters, and other requests frequently forgotten. The buffet offered a wide selection, but food labels were not always displayed, making it difficult for guests with dietary requirements. Our biggest concern was the management of food allergies. One member of our group has a severe egg allergy, and this was a significant factor when choosing the hotel. While some staff made genuine efforts to help, the information provided was not always consistent. The kitchen agreed to prepare separate meals to accommodate the allergy, but during the first two days these meals were frequently not ready on time, and staff often seemed unaware that the request had been made until reminded. On one occasion, the egg allergy was mistakenly treated as a gluten allergy, and staff had to be reminded that the meal needed to be completely egg-free. There were also difficulties when arrangements had been made for a baby to be fed before the restaurant officially opened. The hotel had agreed to this in advance, but access was initially refused, and it took persistent discussions and complaints before the family was eventually accommodated. While these issues were ultimately resolved, the process created unnecessary stress and reduced our confidence in the hotel's allergy procedures. The Royal Level pool area was a lovely benefit during most of our stay, but on our final day it was closed for a private event. Guests were relocated to another pool area, which did not have sufficient sun loungers to accommodate everyone comfortably. Overall, we had a pleasant holiday, and there are many things the hotel does well. The facilities, friendly staff, spacious rooms, and dedicated Royal Level areas are definite strengths. However, compared with other five-star properties we have visited, the service, attention to detail, and dining experience fell short of what we would normally expect from a luxury five-star or premium-level hotel.