Also see: 

• Booking Barcelona: $747 Round-trip in AA Business Class
• Booking Barcelona: A Hilton Points Dilemma
• I’m Prestigious! Getting Citi Prestige and First Impressions of the Card

The hotel stay for Barcy is all set. And, I booked it – again – with Citi Prestige. I wrote about my first experience booking a hotel room it for Martinique.

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I settled on the Alexandra Barcelona, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

I’d originally booked the Hilton Barcelona as a Points & Money reward.

Why the switch?

Location, location, location.

Out and Out readers commented Plaza de Catalunya is the place to be in Barcy. And even though there isn’t an Executive Lounge like the other Hilton hotels in town, I’ll look forward to free breakfast with my new Hilton Diamond elite status.

I also found a good deal for 104 Euros per night. That’s ~$686 for a 6-night stay. But, I booked through Citi Prestige and got the 4th night free, and will be credited back $116.

So it comes out to ~$570, or $285 per person after I split it with Jay. To keep breaking it down, that’s ~$48 a day – and breakfast is included, which I value for at least $20.

I’ve updated my Citi Prestige by the Numbers page where I’m tracking the value I get from this card for a year.

I also wanted to be near plenty of gay bars, the Gothic Quarter, and lots of art museums. The location of the Alexandra DoubleTree was pretty perfect in that regard. It’s also near cafes, shopping, Las Ramblas, and metro stops, so I feel pretty good with the whole deal. I just want to see as much as possible while I’m there.

Plus, I get to keep all my Hilton points for another award stay, or Points & Money stay. I wrote about several Hilton Category 2 hotels that offer a lot of value with points.

(Sorry if I sound like I’m gushing about Hilton. I’m really just excited to be in Barcy is all.)

Booking with Citi Prestige Concierge

I found a “Winter Sale” room rate on the Hilton website for 20% off rooms.

Then, I think I found the Alexandra DoubleTree on the Carlson Wagonlit website. It was mysteriously referred to as simply, “Alexandra.” Clicking “More Hotel Details” or “View Map” turned up error messages.

I called Citi Prestige Concierge, spit out the dates, told them the room type, that I wanted the Winter Sale rate, and confirmed the 4th night free (they found the hotel in their system with no problem).

Even though I was ready to book, they said I could only book right then if my travel was within 5 days. But the agent assured me they’d be fast, as rooms were selling out quickly.

Early the next morning, my coffee fixation was interrupted by an unknown number. Citi Prestige Concierge!

I confirmed all the deets again, and added my HHonors number to the reso.

About 30 minutes later, I got the confirmation via email, and the room showed up in my Hilton account.

The only perplexing thing is it was supposed to be a prepaid, nonrefundable rate. But it’s been a few days, and still no charge on my account…

Peeps on TripAdvisor advise the higher the floor, the better at this particular hotel.

So I set my room preferences to “High Floor.” I also like the natural light, and the views (if there are any).

Looking forward to seeing how it all plays out during my first Diamond check-in.

Bottom line

All booked at the Alexandra DoubleTree in Barcelona, with the 4th night free thanks to Citi Prestige.

I feel like I got a good deal on the room, and am looking forward to the “Diamond experience” although TBH, I’m really not expecting much.

The main draw for this hotel was the location near Plaza de Catalunya, the 20% Winter Sale room rate, free breakfast, and getting the 4th night free (which was kinda like another discount).

Not only that, but I’ll earn a boatload of Hilton points and a stash of Citi ThankYou points. So, lots of little perks adding up to a be quite a lot.

Finally, this deepens my interest in Citi Prestige… what a terrific card. It’s really become a staple in my wallet. So far, so good. And I’ll keep tracking it. (Thanks for applying through my links if you decide to pick it up, too! Here’s my experience getting the card.)

So now the trip to Barcy is finally set. Flying there in a few weeks in American Airlines business class, then staying at this hotel.

I’d like to plan a day trip to Sitges. That’s pretty much all I have so far.

Let me know if you’ve stayed at this hotel, know anything about the location, or have any tips on what not to miss in Barcelona (I’ll add it all to the Todoist app)!

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