Because I had absolutely no knowledge of Madrid, I trusted the Leading Hotels of the World website to find a good hotel in this spanish capital. What a mess, I should find something else… This Madrid institution already spent its glorious days and is now an old lady, used, tainted and completely outdated. Fortunately location is convenient, at walking distance of mostly all interesting museums and monuments.
We booked a room at the Royal Level – called now the RedLevel – with access to a lounge with complimentary snacks and drinks. The lounge’s selection of food and beverages were very poor, so not so useful, while the room was faded and a bit dirty ; actually the wallpaper was peeling… A shame ! Even the terrace with jacuzzi was not clean and not attractive at all.
If you still want to book there, be VERY careful with the kind of room you book. Most of them have a direct view on the close building behind the hotel and if you prefer to see Plaza de Colon or Paseo de la Castellana when you wake up in the morning you should take a high-category room.
The Gran Melia Fenix opened in 1953 and is composed of 215 guest rooms and suites. We booked a Grand Premium Room with Whirpool – 30 sqm with terrace – with views over Paseo de la Castellana with a package at 450 EUR/night including breakfast and dinner for the first night in the LHW website.
PUBLIC AREAS
The building itself is probably the worst it could be, it seems like a basic Ibis hotel from outside… The lobby is the most impressive part of the hotel, in a colonial style with a blue shining dome ; when you check-in you think you are in a palace. Unfortunately no.
Corridors and lifts are so used and even look dirty although the chosen style is not bad. Same for restaurant that doesn’t look at all a finest place to enjoy a lunch or dinner. My disappointments didn’t stop there, because we had to enter our room…
ACCOMODATION
We booked a Gran Premium Room with Whirpool at the last floor with a terrace and jacuzzi inside and whirpool outside. Well, when you read this you think that everything is gathered to spend good time… But no !
First, wallpapers were faded and even peeling while the bathroom’s jacuzzi was spotted with cracked varnish. Shocking !
Then the view was supposed to be over Paseo de la Castellana but we were straight front to the opposed business building with direct views on each other from each side. We liked so much to be observed when we were in the whirpool…
RESTAURANT
The good suprise in this hotel ! The place itself is not attractive but service and food were top notch, letting us to be consoled during our first dinner by the hotel experience.
We were only 2 couples that evening – a tuesday evening – enjoying dinner but they looked also delighted to eat there. But would I go in that hotel only to enjoy a dinner ? I don’t think so.
SERVICE QUALITY
Not good, not bad service. We were greeted by name and accompanied to introduce our room upon check-in but then during the stay staff were completely absent. I had several time to wait 10-15 minutes before speaking with someone at the Royal Level lounge desk. Twice the clean-up service were not done in the morning and we had to call reception to take care of it.
Stay from October 5th to 7th 2010
