Critical acclaim for ARCHITECTURE and DESIGN
THE GRAN MELIÁ PALACIO DE LOS DUQUES AND GRAN MELIÁ DON PEPE
The Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques in Madrid and the Gran Meliá Don Pepe in Marbella, both part of the Meliá Hotels International group, received a double dose of praise at the latest Spain Luxury Hotel Awards. Álvaro Sans and his architectural firm were also recognised for their creativity and artistry in the hotels’ architecture and interior design.
The aim of the Spain Luxury Hotel Awards—organised by Grupo Vía—is to recognise the efforts that hotels put into being the best. They reward excellence in everything from design and atmosphere to customer services and management. Meliá Hotels Inter- national is proud of both the acclaim they have received for their hotels and of Álvaro Sans, who has helped the hotel position itself amongst the top luxury hotels in Spain.
A key player in the company’s most outstanding projects, Sans was also the driving force behind the magnificent renovation of the Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques. Now a member of the exclusive ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ club, this landmark hotel has become one of the three best luxury hotels in Madrid after opening less than a year ago. In Sans’ eyes, ‘It was an extraordinary challenge to modernise and adapt this former neo-Renaissance palace by enhancing its architectural features, in order for it to become a destination imbued with history. To give some examples, I would point to the successful symbiosis between Velazquez’ works and the latest trends in contemporary hotel suites, bathrooms and furniture design by major architects. Of course, I have to mention the conversion of the old stables into the restaurant, as well as the restoration of the historical garden and fountain which, thanks to exhaustive archaeological and restorative work, was able to respect the original structure’.
Because of the building’s historic value, some of its original 19th-century features were retained, including the Elizabethan facade, the spectacular central staircase made of wood and wrought iron and the original arched cloister with its glass ceiling, which today houses the hotel lobby. The Velazquez-inspired interior design and decoration was led by Adriana Sans, who gave some of the painter ’s most famous works a modern twist.
The Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques received architecture and design awards in the Best Luxury City Hotel category.