Ask anyone about El Raval and they will tell you it's dangerous but it's also cool. As someone from NYC, I would call it perfectly safe, but a friend told me women do not feel comfortable walking alone here and people are often robbed. IDK...cause I loved it. The perfect area to stay if you want to be in a real neighborhood. Lots of great places to eat and drink around here and definitely lots of creative people and regular locals. I can't praise it enough.
As for the room, it is small but gets the job done. I do wish there were some hooks on the walls or door for my towel and other things like my jacket. Note, it's on the 3rd floor w no elevator. Claudia was very nice, but know that she does not speak any English (Google translate will suffice). Also FYI, she is very strict about the "no guests" policy. I brought a friend up with me just while I was dropping off my bag and jacket and it seemed to really freak her out. That said she was very accommodating and I would stay here again.