Madrid's Hotel Scene: Grand Dames, Art Havens and Quiet Boutique Gems

Madrid's hotel scene keeps expanding, with recent luxury arrivals including the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental joining a roster of historic palaces, gallery-style stays and understated addresses.

The Palace returned to grande-dame form in 2025 after a full renovation by Ruiz Larrea Arquitectura, with Lázaro Rosa-Violán handling interiors. Its 470 rooms and suites make it Madrid's largest luxury hotel. Chef Nuno Matos now leads La Cúpula, and the legendary bar lives on as 27 Club.

The Gran Hotel Inglés, a city pioneer when it opened in 1886, was the first hotel in Madrid with a restaurant, electric lighting, telephones and running water on every floor. Its 48 Art Deco rooms have custom bathtubs flown in from Canada.

The Ritz, inaugurated with pomp by King Alfonso XIII in 1910, hosted Grace Kelly and Rainier of Monaco on their honeymoon; Salvador Dalí and Mata Hari were among its guests. Reopened in 2021 under Mandarin Oriental, it recovered the Palm Court's glass vault, hidden for 80 years, and chef Quique Dacosta's Deessa earned two Michelin stars in two years.

Other notable addresses include Brach Madrid on Gran Vía, designed by Philippe Starck; Club Metrópolis, a 19-room boutique hotel inside the Edificio Metrópolis; Hôtel du Temps Madrid in Malasaña; Hotel Orfila, a 19th-century palace in Chamberí; and Casa de las Artes, the Meliá Collection's first Madrid hotel, decorated with original Dalí lithographs.