An empress arrives

In January, the flagship Barcelo Emperatiz opened as a 146-room hotel, with a reworking of an existing hotel. A rooftop bar area will follow in time for warmer months; until then the Eugenie Lounge is an enticing space and the chic Salamanca district is close by.

Using the advice of a panel of “Empresses” – modern-day female leaders and frequent travellers – on what guests look for, the hotel claims to have made its design and services uniquely more appealing to female guests, including privacy at check-in with a welcome drink and a raft of beauty amenities available for guests who forget essentials or choose to travel lighter without them, such as hair straighteners.

Meanwhile, Melia Hotels International, which has 23 hotels in the city, is launching a hotel at the top end of the spectrum this spring, investing €19 million in the recovery and transformation of the old Ambassador Hotel.

The group is creating the 180-room Gran Melia Palacio De Los Duques, which has been accepted by Leading Hotels of the World even before opening and will also feature Gran Melia’s signature Red Level Service, pitched as providing a boutique experience within the hotel.

Referencing one of Spain’s most-loved artists, the hotel will feature reproductions of fragments of Velazquez’s most famous paintings, while restoring some of the finest original features, such as the spectacular central staircase.

"Madrid’s enormous potential as an urban destination comes not only from its importance for business, but also from its outstanding cultural heritage and art, which enrich the traveller’s experience," said Gabriel Escarrer, vice chairman and chief executive at MHI. "We are committed to helping Madrid become the destination of choice that it deserves to be."

Mandarin Oriental has also spotted the potential and confirms that the 167-room Hotel Ritz Madrid will undergo a massive “all-encompassing restoration” in 2017 under its management. It was built in 1910 by French architect Charles Mewes and Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz at the request of King Alfonso XIII and purchased by Mandarin Oriental and Olayan Group, a Saudi multinational, in a 50-50 venture for £92 million last year.

A further £64 million is due to be spent on a top-to-toe renovation, including ripping up its current garden to install a spa and pool. With the completion of the renovation, the aim will be to position the hotel as the "city’s leading luxury property".

Madrid's designer appeal

Within the boutique sector, Pau Guardans, founder of the Unico Hotel Group, has been bringing a designer crowd to the city.

He established the group in 2005 with the launch of the Grand Hotel Central Barcelona and is often credited for bringing 21st-century design hotels to Spain.

He has since opened the Hotel Unico Madrid - which boasts a two Michelin-star restaurant under head chef Ramon Freixa - and unveiled The Principal in February 2015, on the city’s famed Gran Via.

Quickly gaining favour with a fashion and art crowd, the hotel thrives off its Atico – a freeflow space that encapsulates a penthouse-style bar with cozy nooks and fireplaces, while a rooftop bar is loved by guests and Madrilenos alike. The hotel even has its own app – Guia Punto, created by Guardans to highlight his favourite local places. 

A new totem in town

Pablo Carrington, the man behind Marugal Distinctive Hotel Management, which includes Majorca’s Cap Rocat hotel, is planning a second hotel in the city. In June, Carrington will open the doors to Totem – named as such because he says the Salamanca district, needs a totemic new icon when it comes to hotels.

Work is in progress transforming an old NH property into a new 67-room hotel, where Carrington also wants to establish a restaurant as “the key place to eat in the area”; a “bar that becomes a destination in its own right”; and rooms and suites that will be “the most coveted in the capital”.

“It’s a great building, with a courtyard and we’re creating great deluxe attic and corner suites," he said.

He established his other Madrid hotel, Urso, as a must-visit on the culinary scene thanks to TableBy, his series of restaurant pop-ups that will end in in June but will have seen key chefs relocate all their staff on-site and the restaurant redecorated for each chef’s six-week stay.

“It had never been done before – it was a huge challenge, so I think the staff are ready for a rest,” he said of Urso, “but we will continue to innovate and surprise.”

Totem will replicate the concept but with his bar – with different mixologists in residence every three months.

“The whole city is picking up – it’s how Barcelona used to be 15 years ago in terms of creativity and buzz,” he said. “But Madrid does still have a lot to do on the hotel side; prices are climbing up - and they needed to. It is retaining its charm though, without being overly hip – we always say that trends may come here later, but they stick around and are not overnight fads. There are also incentives for production companies and media to come and make TV and adverts here, so you are seeing it as a backdrop a lot more.”

Carrington also highlighted how he would like to see Madrid positioned as a hub for jumping off to other Spanish highlights using high-speed trains to places like Cordoba (1.5 hours) and Seville (two hours).

He added that he was considering two hotels in France and other projects in Spain, but with nothing firm to announce. “I don’t want us to be seen as ‘a chain’ – you stay at the relevant hotel, not under the name of the management company. Although obviously having a few hotels gives us the credibility we need when talking to developers about projects.”

Meanwhile a sister property to Only You will open in June - Only You Atocha, in the district of the same name, is pitched as an “industrial-chic styled” property designed by Lazaro Rosa-Violan, responsible for many fantastic restaurants, bars and hotels across Europe; spot their style on home turf at the Iberica restaurants across London and in Manchester.

The hotel will bring 206 rooms into the picture in Madrid, including 14 suites and has already become a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.