From the outside, the Catalonia Excelsior exudes elegance, especially at night when yellow lights glow against the white exterior. The lobby is elegant and modern, with wooden floors, gray couches, velour armchairs, and white accents picked up in curtains, plant pots, and lampshades. A stunning gold-wrought-and-glass chandelier looks somewhat out of place near the elevator and vending machines. While the lobby emanates elegance, the hallways strike a different note, with glossy faux-marlbe tile floors, green walls, and wooden doors that show wear. The Gourmet Corner Bar breaks the cookie-cutter mold and invites guests to stop by with its chic pendant lighting. Wood-panel-and-gray walls coordinate nicely with the gray-cushioned bar stools. Given its central location and reasonable rates, the hotel is especially popular with tourists, mainly couples and groups of friends traveling together.

Catalonia Excelsior sits on a busy road in the center of Valencia, surrounded by restaurants, bars, and shops. The hotel is a six-minute walk to Llota de la Seda, a 15th-century Gothic mercantile exchange, and five minutes away from the Mercat Central, a market with 1,000 stalls. Valencia Cathedral is about a seven-minute walk from the hotel, while the Plaza de Toros de Valencia is an eight-minute walk. Public transportation links are nearby -- there's a bus stop that’s a minute's walk away and a train stop that's within a 10-minute walk. It’s a 20-minute drive to Valencia Airport, or a 30-minute trip by train. Nearby public parking is available for a fee. 

The 84 rooms at the Catalonia Excelsior follow two decor styles. Most rooms rely on warm tones to convey homeyness. White beds have dark-tan accents, wood floors, and colorful abstract landscape art hanging above the beds. Others are sleeker, with dark-gray accents, accent walls with gray floral patterns, and chic hanging bedside lamps. Flat-screen TVs, kettles, air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and minibars come standard. Higher-priced rooms include such extras as robes and slippers, free bottled water, and chocolates. Some rooms also have terraces, and Superior Rooms include hydromassage tubs. Upscale marble bathrooms include bidets and shower/tub combos with white shower curtains (no glass doors), and toiletries and wall-mounted hairdryers are provided. Guests have complained about thin walls, so expect to hear a bit of noise from neighboring rooms.

The Catalonia Excelsior covers the necessities well: it has a small gym, a meeting room, a cozy bar, room service delivering pizza and sushi, and free Wi-Fi. But there's no pool, and the gym has only three cardio machines and a few yoga mats. The hotel serves a lovely breakfast spread (not included in rates) of potato omelets, bread with tomato, cold cuts, cheeses, cakes, pastries, cereals, yogurt, nuts, and fruit. Nearby public parking is available for a fee.