First impressions are everything in vacation rentals. A well-located, spacious, comfortable, well-equipped accommodation means nothing if you can't get in the front door. We are a family of eleven: six adults and five teenagers. For nearly 90 minutes we sat, tired and hot in a stifling stairwell while multiple adults and tech-savvy teenagers attempted to open the front door of Carrer del Bruc 136. We engaged the hosts multiple times by text and voice, begging for someone to come to the apartment and let us inside. All we got back were assurances that the access system ("Chekin" which uses a cumbersome, rotating combination lock) was in working order. Finally, one of the host staff admitted that the calibration for the "final integer" might be a "little more at 11 o'clock rather than 12 o'clock." With that admission, we were able to get it. One other time in our four days we had to work at the combination for twenty minutes before success, but throughout our stay, we closed the door each time fearful that we wouldn't be able to get back in. This was on top of five separate communications from the host before our arrival that we would need either "physical keys", virtual access by our phones only if standing directly in front of the access door, or a digital keypad. None of those were the reality. One of our family said, "I open combination locks for a living and this is the worst I have ever seen." Now, for the apartment itself. The first night, the air-conditioning in four of the five bedrooms did not work properly; three kicked on during the night. The electrical load for the A/C proved too much for the apartment system causing the circuit breakers to trip constantly. One small bedroom had no A/C and its window was painted shut. Despite a fan, it proved unusable for two teenage girls. The apartment is charming, in a good neighborhood with multiple good restaurants and walking proximity to the principal Barcelona attractions. The host is apparently a big company with no, one, responsible person, but they provided good, prompt communications throughout the booking process, right to the point of failing the welcome by getting these eleven, tired and hot clients through the front door.
