Stayed at the Silken Diagonal for one night before embarking on a cruise. Taxi from the airport to the hotel was 26 euros and took about 15 minutes. The hotel is very modern-the lobby bar and reception area is lovely- 70 style chairs and furnishings, fab! Check in was fine- the staff spoke enough english to check us in smoothly. Our room was on the highest floor and although the view wasnt exactly picturesque, it was lovely having a huge floor to ceiling window. The room itself was modern and clean, with enough room to move around despite our two big suitcases. The only strange thing was that the bathroom 'wall' is a kind of frosted glass which means that anyone in the room can see you in the shower- fine if your staying with your partner but not so great if you were sharing with a friend or your mum!!We went up to the rooftop bar for a drink but as there was a private party going on we couldnt stay long. The view at night over the city was lovely.
The hotel is located just outside Barcelona city centre- there is a subway station a 2 minute walk from the hotel and the tube only takes 3 or 4 minutes to get to Las Ramblas. There is a large mall opposite the hotel that has quite a few shops and several places to grab something to eat.
All in all, a good hotel and I would return went next in Barcelona.

Agree with most of the reviewers - the staff's command of English was spotty.... some were great and others not so much.

Perhaps after a two-week cruise, we were spoiled, but assistance seemed reluctant.
1 - The lights don't turn on unless you put your room key in a special slot - Were not informed - had to get the front desk to help.
2 - Directions to the Metro was vague, but there were signs on the way
3 - Requesting best way to get to airport via Metro was met with much confusion

The Metro works well, but it takes about 3 transfers to get to the airport from this hotel. Additionally, the route to the underground was through a deteriorating neighborhood - lots of trash and grafitti. We decided that with luggage, it would be better to take a cab. The hotel arranged the cab and like a previous reviewer noted - about 30 Euros and 30 minutes to the airport.

The rooms were futuristic. We really loved the double curtains that completely darkened the room. When we rolled them up in the morning, we were surprised how bright it was outside. They were very effective.

The toilet has a door, but the shower is visible from the bed - just a skimpy curtain and glass. Not an issue for a couple, but a family with kids might have concerns.

The breakfast was outstanding - well prepared, plentiful, and varied. Definitely not your typical continental breakfast.

From the airport, our taxi driver knew the hotel and 25 minutes (and 30 Euros) later we were there.

The staff don't have a great understanding of English (I suspect this Hotel attracts more Germans) but they were all helpful and there were no problems with check in.

Our corner room was on the 6th Floor and was as described by the other reviews. It was clean, well stocked with bathroom supplies and everything worked as it should - including the mechanical blinds which have 2 independent layers, a translucent layer for daytime and an opaque layer which did a good job of keeping out the light at night.

There is a tram that runs in front of the hotel and the Glories Metro is about 5 minutes walk going left out of the hotel. Metro prices are really cheap so dont be afraid of going 4 stops to the centre of Barcelona.

The Glories Shopping Centre is across the road - Dont expect loads of well known shops - there are 2 big shops though (Carrefour and PC World). Loads of coffee shops and places to eat. OK for a couple of hours looking around but thats about it.

Moans - Well no major ones. The noise of the traffic may disturb some people perhaps, especially if on a lower floor. The design of the bath makes water splash widely. The TV has 70+ channels - but only a couple are English. I got round this by connecting my ipod to the TV (unclip the panel on the back of the TV) and watched my own programmes - you could buy an adaptor at PCWorld.

The Silken Diagonal is a design hotel in a city that values designer style. However, although the lobby and rooms look beautiful at first sight, all you need to do is look closely to see the poor quality of most fittings. The first room that we checked into had a broken AC - the control unit was just hanging off the wall and all the electronic bits were missing. Although it took over half an hour, we were moved to a room that had functioning AC. Here however, the side lamps were dangling off the headboard! We decided to just live with that and not waste any more time...
The Silken is located just next door to the Torre Agbar, a modern landmark which is certainly worth seeing. However, anything else that you might want to see it quite far off. Furthermore, this is a part of the city that is yet to see a lot of regeneration and the view from the panoramic windows is all but beautiful.
The reception staff were a bit snotty and seemed annoyed at having to deal with the large number of people checking in. There was a large group there for an event and they seemed to be a room short. All in all, checking in was a rather unpleasant experience.
If you are traveling to Barcelona as a tourist, this is probably not your best choice. You'll end up spending a fair amount of money on taxi rides in order to get to the more exciting destinations and you probably won't be able to get any advice from the hotel staff.