Barceló Torre de Madrid

BACKGROUND Barceló Hotels & Resorts plans to expand rapidly in the UAE in the next two years (see Upfront, October), and this weekend stay in one of its flagship fivestar hotels in the heart of the Spanish capital served as a useful familiarisation exercise.

W H AT ’ S IT LIKE? Designer Jaime Hayon has created a striking hotel which blends retro and modern designs. The use of mirrors, art and natural light, particularly in the second floor reception, ensures a constantly changeable perspective; when I looked inwards, I saw the reflection of the autumn trees swaying outside. The hotel occupies nine floors of the landmark tower, with residences above.

During our visit a photo exhibition on a ‘New York in Madrid’ theme was held in the lobby, whose design showpiece is a tall black-and-white bear; in a nod to the city’s emblem, the bear reappears on bath mats, room service menus and even the spa’s walls. We had welcome drinks in the Garra Bar off the lobby whose central bottlestacked column echoes the tower’s design. WHERE IS IT? On the corner of Plaza de Espana, this district is undergoing a hotel renaissance with the large Hotel Riu Plaza Espana coming up next door and VP Plaza Espana Design opposite. The metro is steps away from the hotel entrance and it’s a short walk to Gran Via and Royal Palace.

ROOMS Room numbers are on the floor and I stayed in a Deluxe Room on the ninth floor which had a narrow terrace overlooking the Plaza. The bathroom had convenient switches for turning on the shower but no bathtubs (suites have them). Facilities included safe, iron and board, kettle with teas/coffees, water in 50cl glass bottles, a rotating 42-inch Philips TV and desk with enclosed minibar. There are 258 rooms and the Royal Suite, with its large terrace, provides the best aerial views – which you might expect for €3,800 a night. FOOD AND DRINK The BLikeEat buffet breakfast serves up a broad range of local flavours, augmented by dips (guacamole, hummus), pastries, breads and good coffee from the Lavazza machine. We had two dinners at Somos where personal highlights were the cod balls (bacalao con alioli) and roasted sea bream with vegetables.

MEETINGS The first floor meetings area contains nine rooms, wide corridors and large desk for checking in groups.

LEISURE There is a small indoor pool, adequate gym and two doors close to the two massage rooms which isn’t ideal; it disturbed my 40-minute back massage (€70). Local specialists in photography, fashion, music and art (Pilar was our informative guide at Museo Reina Sofia) are available.

VERDICT It’s hard to predict what we’ll see in the UAE, as Barceló is rolling out different brands, but its strength in Spain and experience managing in other international cities make it a welcome addition.