Four Seasons Hotel Madrid enjoys an unbeatable location in the very heart of the Spanish capital between Puerta del Sol and Barrio de las Letras, just steps from Kilómetro Cero (the central point of the entire country). Sitting on the crossroads of the three iconic streets – Canalejas, Sevilla, and Alcalá – the hotel is within easy walking distance to most of the city’s key attractions. The chic boutique shops and dining venues at the recently opened La Galería de Canalejas can be accessed directly from the hotel. From here, it’s only a short stroll to the 125-hectare Retiro Park and three of the world’s most important museums: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The hotel is also just 25 minutes by car from Madrid-Barajas International Airport.
The hotel is housed in a collection of seven historic buildings. The meticulous restoration of these buildings took eight years and was undertaken simultaneously, ensuring a common identity while preserving their independent styles dating back to the late 1800s. The most prominent building is La Equitativa, a former American insurance house located in the “bow” of this triangle-shaped block. Later, in 1920 this building became one of Spain’s most important banks, Banco Español de Crédito. Its rotunda, topped by a copper cupola, has become a city landmark. During the renovation, more than 16,000 pieces were extracted, cataloged, and painstakingly restored, with around 3,700 being brought back into the building. Many can now be found in the suites and public areas of the hotel.
Four Seasons Madrid features a stunning interior created by an international team of designers including BAMO, BG Architecture, Martin Brudnizki, AvroKO, and Luis Bustamante. Incorporating a mix of contemporary and historical elements, a sophisticated color palette of copper shades, graphite blue, and pearly whites brings tranquility and old-world luxury to the public areas. A nod to Spanish high fashion comes via saturated olive green, saffron, and gold hues. The hotel interior is at its most impressive in the soaring grand lobby that was once the main bank’s hall. Supported by impressive green marble pillars with gilded, the lobby is covered by a dramatic stained glass ceiling by Spanish artist house Maumejean. The lobby’s grand staircase features repurposed brass banisters and contrasts angular aspects in the space with a sensuous, flowing design.
The hotel’s artwork deserves a special mention too. Much of the hotel’s contemporary art collection is the result of a competition held among the students of the fine arts universities in Madrid, Malaga, and Seville, and has been curated by Paloma Fernández Iriondo, formerly of Sotheby’s. The spectacular art collection around the hotel features more than 2,000 pieces of art all by Spanish artists, including paintings, photography, engravings, sculptures, and replicas of original art pieces that can be found in the Thyssen-Bornemisza located within walking distance from the hotel. One of the highlights of the art collection is the Starry Night installation by Eduardo Pérez-Cabrero in the lobby’s staircase formed by star constellations representing human virtues of intelligence, creativity, joy, love, talent, generosity, and hope.
The hotel has a grand lobby, which spans two floors, and has maintained most of the elements of the space from back when it was a bank headquarters. There’s plenty of seating in the lobby area, which belongs to the El Patio bar, serving drinks all day, plus afternoon tea and snacks. In particular, you’ve gotta love the decorative skylight above the entire lobby. In addition to thousands of original artifacts being restored, the hotel also has hundreds of pieces of art throughout, including two big KAWS figures in the lobby. There are also fresh flowers that are constantly refreshed.
Due to the enormous complexity of gracefully joining together seven different buildings, the Four Seasons Madrid’s 161 rooms, 39 suites and 22 private residences come in 118 different layouts. Some rooms overlook greenery in the courtyard, while others have views of over Madrid urban landscape. Even the smallest rooms are unusually spacious for a premium capital city hotel. During my visit, I was upgraded to a Premier Terrace Room the gorgeous room featured a kingsize and gave way to a furnished balcony with city views. The ensuite, marble-clad bathroom was equipped with a walk-in rain shower, a deep-soaking bathtub, and two sinks. Hermés toiletries were provided. The soundproofing of the room was excellent, a serious plus in an up-and-coming neighborhood still rife with construction sites.
The Four Seasons Madrid is one of the most stunning city hotels I’ve ever stayed at. I love the fact that this is a hotel that is in a 130-year-old building, and it has been restored in a way that pays tribute to its history while still offering all the amenities you’d hope for in a modern luxury hotel. The hotel has exceptional food & beverage outlets, great rooms, a beautiful spa complex, and top-notch service. If you visit Madrid and can swing the Four Seasons, you won’t be disappointed.
Things to know
* Some of the entry-level room & suite categories do not come with an open city view as they overlook the hotel’s inner courtyard. On the plus side, these rooms are very quiet and the courtyard is lush with greenery, so it’s not a bad sight at all.
Restaurants
One of Spain’s most celebrated chefs and a champion of the country’s culinary heritage, Michelin-starred Dani Garcia leads the main restaurant at Four Seasons Madrid, a dining concept so close to his heart that it bears his name. Casually elegant, Dani is a dynamic brasserie combining Michelin-starred specialties with traditional Andalusian cuisine. Signature dishes include nitro tomato & green gazpacho, roasted monkish, and sliced scallops. Located atop the hotel, the restaurant and bar offer panoramic views across the city and beyond to its surrounding hills, with both indoor and outdoor seating year round. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and extending to leisurely evenings over tasty tapas and Spain’s incredible wines, it’s the newest must-visit destination in a city known for its culinary leadership.
El Patio (drinks)
In our effort to check out all the hotel has to offer, I checked out El Patio on my second afternoon, which is essentially the hotel’s lobby bar. It has everything from coffee, to cocktails, to afternoon tea, to snacks.
Isa Asian Tapas Bar (drinks)
In terms of food & beverage outlets, last but not least there’s Isa, which is an Asian tapas bar that’s located on the first floor. It’s open in the evenings from 7PM. You might not expect a historic Four Seasons property to have a hip bar with a DJ and a ridiculously cool vibe, but that’s exactly what this is. The bar has at least six distinct rooms, each with a different design. The drinks were mostly Asian-inspired, and were top notch, in terms of taste and presentation.
