Hotel Ritz Madrid

If there is a hotel with history and renown in Madrid, it is the Hotel Ritz. Located in the so-called Art Triangle, a stone's throw from all the major museums in the capital, this emblem of luxury, comfort and service has reopened after three years of renovation and refurbishment.

It opened in 1910, four years after King Alfonso XIII and his wife Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg realized that there was no world-class hotel in the city on a par with those in Paris, Vienna or London. It was thus that the Ritz became the preferred lodging for European royalty and the great illustrious. Since then and up to the present day, presidents, sheikhs, magnates, celebrities and even spies have passed through its doors. But its imposing halls have also been at the service of the citizens. During the Civil War, for example, the hotel was used as a blood hospital. "There were beds where the restaurant is today and an operating room in the Royal Academy Room," says one of the former concierges, José Castex.

If at the time the building was built by the French Charles Mewes and Luis de Landecho, with the participation of the hotelier César Ritz and the Ritz Development Company, on this occasion the renovation has been carried out by the Spanish architect Rafael de La-Hoz, with the collaboration of the Parisian designers Gilles & Boissier.

The new Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, after its renovation, maintains its original elegance and classicism and, while preserving the unique character of a Belle Époque building, has been rejuvenated with some more contemporary touches. But the changes are not only aesthetic, but also functional. After the renovation, the hotel will have 53 more suites, including the so-called Royal Suite, which, at 190 square meters, offers views of the garden and the Prado Museum. In addition, the Ritz has five restaurants supervised by the prestigious chef Quique Dacosta; complete sports, health and wellness facilities; as well as impressive lounges and event spaces.

The hotel's management states that "it has always been an icon for the city and that is why the renovation has been approached with meticulous care to ensure that it continues to be recognized as one of the best in Europe". It is clear to us that this will be the case.