Noise in hotels in Spain (outside party locations)

If you are going to Spain in the summer you need to bear in mind that during the day it can get very hot so people tend to limit their activities during the middle of the day. The converse of this is that they come out later at night than people in more northern countries. Eating in a restaurant before 2100 hours is unusual and later in Madrid. So you can expect quieter days and noisier nights even if averaged out across the 24 hours the noise output is the same. If you are staying in a town the solution is to sleep the siesta after lunch and then eat late and then have a shorter sleep.

Just to help with your selection of places to got the Spanish National Meteorology Service provides a map of average maximum temperatures by month.

Visit http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos

Select temperatura maxima media in the left hand panel and select the month you intend to visit below the map. You can zoom in to focus on a particular region. The dots represent measuring stations, hover over them to locate yourself on the map.

(disclaimer, experience in major cities only)

I've not experienced this, except for loud drunk tourists in Barcelona in the most touristic areas

If you're in a Hotel and guests (especially) or someone in the street causes too much noise whatever the time of day, complain to the hotel staff.

It's true that in some area in Spain people will stay out late, but it's mostly good people that respect the neighbourhoods.

I would assume that in less touristic areas, you will sleep normally.

I lived three months in Burgos on the second floor of a street full of restaurants and bars. Noisy in the evening, but quiet from midnight till the following evening.  Two weeks in Santiago, two nights in Pamplona, several in Barcelona, and various other places. No complaints about noise.  I've heard the same rumor, but I don't believe it.

It's typically noisy in the evenings, both due to locals and tourists. However this varies a lot, even from night to night, as well as depending on time of year. It should be possible to find a quiet hotel if you try a few things.

1. Look on Google Street View and Google Maps to see if a street has any bars or restaurants nearby. You can probably even find the opening hours of many places online to see if they're open late at night and get a sense of how late people will be out. Many hotels will promote themselves as being in a quiet location, but always check.

2. Read hotel reviews on TripAdvisor etc (also look at nearby hotels). Noise is one of the biggest concerns of many people, so they will comment on it in many reviews.

3. The Spanish really like football (soccer) and that can include making a lot of noise in the street afterwards, so try to avoid big games. Likewise, look out for festivals and other big events that may involve late-night noise (unless you're planning to attend them, of course).

4. Avoid weekends if you can, as that's when people go out, especially locals.

5. Look at hotel construction and facilities (reviews and hotel websites will help). There is a lot of variation in buildings, but good-quality modern purpose-built hotels are more likely to have considered sound insulation; on the other hand some old stone buildings will be fine. Also consider things like whether you will have AC or will have to leave a window open.

6. If possible get a courtyard room, garden room, or a room away from the street. Some hotels will give the option, some won't.