I stayed here twice, both in June 2011 and 2010, first time for 2 nights, second time just for one.
I have purely chosen it because of the location, it is right in the middle of everything, so close to Placa Catalunya, 5 minute walk to La Rambla, and Aerobus to the airport, El Corte Ingles department store is nearby, short stroll to Barceloneta and Mare Magnum. Location, location...
Staff is friendly, especially the old men during the night tho he hardly speaks any English.
There is a small balcony at the back, where you can have a smoke/drink.
I noticed that one shared bathroom was renovated since my previous visit in 2010, but overall the rooms are so tiny, in desperate need for painting, with nothing except beds and a wardrobe.
But location at that price can hardly be beaten, so I would recommend it for 2-3 nights, if you just need a place to sleep and stay right in the center of Barcelona.

Hostel is located near la Rambla, Barri Gotic and the metro wich was perfect, but the hostel really needs an update. Furniture was broken, the towels had stains in them, broken beds on the balkony. The staff did not speak english and there were only 2 friendly staff members the others were uninterested and moody. If you only want a bed to sleep in for the night and you want to be near to some great sites this is the hostel for you, if you expect more you really shouldn't go here.
Only positive thing in the hotel itself were the bathrooms, they were updated and had a good shower in them.

I spent 4 nights in Barcelona for sightseeing, the hostel was literally 1 minute walking distance fron Placa Catalunya. We didn't need to take the public metro except for 3 or 4 times to visit the Barca FC museum, Sagrada familia and parc Guell, we explored Barcelona walking. The hostel was less than averae regarding the style, furniture and comfort, but we didn't need any of that as we started the day at 9 am and return back to the hostel at 11 30 pm straight to bed. The street where the hostel lies is so lively and has many shopping centres; El Cort Inglès, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Mango, Esprit as well as many retaurants. Hostel staff were cheerful and helpful.

We've travelled to Barcelona in September 2010 for a quick 3 nights break. After reading the reviews of this Hostel, we decided to book.

The Hostal Lausanne might be easy to miss if you don't have the house number at hand. We arrived quite late (around midnight) and were welcomed by a delightful older gentleman, one of the nicest persons you could meet. The room was very basic, but clean and spacious. We had booked a room with bathroom, and were surprised that we had no toilet in the room, only a shower and a sink. This was not a problem, as there were two clean toilets just outside.

The hostal was quiet and open all hours, so if you plan to party the night away, you'll have no problems as they have 24 hour staff on hand to open the door for you when you get back. It also seems to be very safe. In the last day, you can also leave you baggage in the hotel and pick it up later if you're not travelling till the afternoon

But, above all else, the best thing about the hostal is its location, only a few metres from the very central Plaza de la Catalunya, La Rambla and the Barcelona Cathedral. Overall, very good value for money, and we would definitely go back.