Barcelona hostals: room key policy

This is quite common in hotels throughout Europe, especially those that don't use electronic cards and do have reception open late or 24 hours. They're usually quite large, heavy key fobs that you wouldn't want to carry, anyway. Each hotel will tell you their policy and I don't recommend refusing.

In aggregate, I have spent over 750 nights in Europe. Many of the places I've stayed have wanted the room key left at the front desk, though I have the impression that the practice is a bit less common than it used to be.

I have never had anything stolen from a European hotel room, nor have I worried about the possibility. I travel with a tiny TSA padlock and keep my suitcase locked when I'm not I my room. That's a low-effort way to make it a bit more difficult for a random passerby to walk into the room while it's being cleaned and quickly grab something out of my bag. I also don't travel with any valuable items that aren't truly necessary.

I found the same practice at some (if not most) of the Paradors and hotels I stayed at last year in northern Spain, so it isn’t just hostels. I had no problem with it since I knew I didn’t need to worry losing a key. I’m certain some guests took the key with them. Nobody was at the door ensuring you turned the key in.

Thank you all for this information and advice!

Unless I was staying at a hotel chain run by an American company, it has always been the request of the hotels I have stayed at in Europe to leave the room key when leaving the hotel except for electronic key cards or if the hotel doesn't have round the clock front desk staff and they also provide you a hotel front door key to allow yourself back in late night. Someone told me it helps the hotel know when to send housekeeping so they don't bother you. And yes, the huge and heavy key fobs used by many of those hotels are nearly impossible to carry in your pocket.

That's common practice throughout Europe - at least the bits i have visited....