The Golden Age of the Best Luxury Hotel Suites in Madrid
Throughout its long history, the Spanish capital has never experienced a period of luxury quite like this. This ever-welcoming city, known for its vibrant street-life, its tapas and its extraordinary museums, is enjoying a particularly happy period in terms of luxury hotels. The recent arrival of big brand names such as Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood, Edition and Luxury Collection has changed Madrid's hospitality scene like never before. In aiming to become the preferred choice of both celebrities and clients with very high purchasing power, these hotels are competing between themselves to see who can inaugurate the most fabulous suite. The options range from the more classic formulas of the newly-renovated Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid and The Palace, to hotels with a more residential atmosphere, such as the Houses of the Rosewood Villa Magna, already booked by Taylor Swift and The Rolling Stones among others.
From Villa Magna’s Royal Anglada House suite, Madrid is laid out at your feet. Overlooking the Paseo de la Castellana – Madrid’s principal avenue – the garden terrace alone covers 150 square metres. The two suites – the Royal Anglada House and the Marquis of Salamanca House – occupy the entire top floor of the building, the icing on the cake of the successful renovation of this celebrated Madrid hotel. These suites have been specifically designed for the type of client who, along with space, seeks utmost privacy and security along with room for PAs, road managers, nannies and so on. They have been designed as private residences, with numerous references to the small palaces of the Avenida de la Castellana but with a contemporary twist.
The magnificent Royal Suite at the Four Seasons has a rather more classical look along with a feel of Old Madrid. Housed in the former Palacio de la Equitativa, inaugurated in 1891, the suite offers a sensational view of the historic centre and of the iconic Calle Alcalá. This memorable room, grandiose and brimming with personality, was converted from the office of the president of one of the most important historic banks in Spain. Exhuding good taste, its is filled with fine works of art and has what is without a doubt, one of the most impressive hotel bathrooms in Europe.
The Royal Suite of the Hotel Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid has a curious history being one of the very few rooms in the world designed by Cesar Ritz himself when the Hotel Ritz was inaugurated in 1910. Completely renovated by Mandarin Oriental in classic style, this round room has fabulous views of the Prado Museum and the Royal Botanical Gardens. A short distance away and now part of the Luxury Collection, the century-old Palace, Madrid’s other grand dame, has just re-opened after two years of refurbishment; its best suites occupy the towers.
The Santo Mauro, the sophisticated former Parisian retreat of the Dukes of Santo Mauro, is also a Luxury Collection member. Suite 103 is undoubtedly one of Madrid’s best-kept secrets and is well worth a visit. The latest hotel craze, the five-star boutique Brach, bears the stamp of Philippe Stark and is located in the heart of the city. Its three best suites have very Spanish names – Armando, Ernesto and Antonio – and sport an interesting mix of contemporary design and traditional folklore. In Madrid everything has its place.
Article - Vicky Vilches has a PhD in Communications, she is also a professor at Madrid University. Vicky lives in Madrid and has dedicated the last twenty years of her professional life to writing about luxury hotels in leading Spanish and foreign publications.
