Hotel in Barcelona???

Hotel Colon is very nice and well run, and certainly less than $300 for a standard room. The front desk staff was very friendly and helpful yet professional, the rooms were very clean, the bathrooms included plush robes and slippers and travel size toiletries. There is a bar, dining room and terrace dining, we did not eat there so I cannot vouch for the quality of the food. The location is great, across from the cathedral. However it is not a boutique hotel like the Neri and is much larger with ~140 rooms. It is a 4 star hotel. We stayed in a few places recommended in the RS book. It seemed like he listed more economical lodgings rather than elegant or luxurious places. Perhaps a book like Fodor's would have more upscale lodgings which seems to be what you are looking for. Booking.com also has a range of hotels.

There are many lovely hotels in Barcelona that are not included in Rick's book. Take a look at the reviews on Tripadvisor. We stayed at 3 star Hotel Jazz, a small, modern and very well-located hotel for 135 euros a night. We liked everything about it, from the cool design to the rooftop terrace and pool. Two places that are very nice and a bit more upscale than Hotel Jazz are HOtel 1898 and U232. They might be above your price point but it is worth checking on the website for your actual dates, as there may be special offers. Another very pretty hotel, with a great location right on Passeig de Gracia, is Hotel Sixty Two.

We really liked the Hotel Portal l'Angel in Barcelona.

Hotel La Cathedral, near the catheral square...spent several days there...very nice, great locationi, well maintained.

Try" The 5 Rooms". Great location, very clean, modern, includes brkfst, and under €150 for a queen sized double and the rooms are pretty good size by European standards. The staff speaks excellent English.

We were on the same tour as Grier and the Hotel Portal l'Angel was the RS tour hotel. We thought the room was great and the breakfast was outstanding. We arrived a day early and our double room that night was 140 euros.

I second the Hotel Colon. It's one of the best $ vs. Location in Barcelona. It's on the 'floral' side but it didn't offend my minimalist style. Splurge for a room with a balcony view of the cathedral if you can as the square below has live street performances going all day. Great staff too.