Review of the Westin Palace Madrid Spain

Westin Palace in Madrid has established itself as one of the city’s top hotels, receiving of numerous travel awards and accolades. Located on the prestigious boulevard Paseo del Prado in front of the world-renowned Prado Museum and across from the Thyssen Museum, the Hotel could not have been any more conveniently situated for sightseeing. Needless to say, we were excited to be able to stay there and had high expectations for the establishment and the level of service offered. I had requested two feather free connecting rooms–a king-size bed and two singles–on a high floor to minimize our exposure to city traffic and noise and received an e-mail confirmation to that effect from the hotel reservation desk.

Our rooms

Our connecting rooms, 5451 and 5453, on the fifth executive floor, were ready when we checked in, but we had to call housekeeping and remind them about the feather free request that was mishandled. The rooms were designed in neutral colors and faced a side street away from the city’s noisy traffic. Both rooms were beautifully furnished with a mahogany dresser, end tables, and chairs, not to mention Westin’s famously heavenly beds. The closet, which boasted multiple drawers and hanging areas, was encased in a mirror façade, as was the short and narrow corridor that led to each room. The walls were mostly wallpapered, but they also had several areas upholstered in fabric, which was not only aesthetically pleasing but served as somewhat of a noise buffer between the rooms. The sand-colored bathroom, covered in marble tiles, featured ample countertop space and a state-of-the-art dual showerhead.  

Public areas

The hotel’s public areas—from the magnificent staircase to the soft blue velvet sofas in the lobby, shining marble floors to the opulent cupola in the main restaurant—were quite impressive. Built in over a century ago, the property had its own mini-museum, right by the restaurant, with souvenirs from famous people who have stayed there over the years. The main restaurant features an elaborate but pricey breakfast buffet (approx. $35) and an opera Sunday brunch (approx. $85). For budget conscious guests; there is a VIPS (an upscaled AM/PM ) fast food restaurant/mini mart that offers breakfast items for about $3, as well as the quintessential Starbucks.

How the hotel accommodates autistic travelers

When I sat down for a brief chat with a hotel PR person, he told me that his hotel motto is flexibility; they try to accommodate all special needs and take an interest in the growing autistic community in particular. Furthermore, he mentioned that the hotel staff is very involved in many community-based charities like ALADINA, a children’s cancer hospital, to which they donate a portion of the brunch opera proceeds. The hotel offers quiet, allergen-free, comfortably large rooms as well as casein/gluten-free foods in their dining room upon request. They even treat man’s best friend kindly: they offer a dog version of their heavenly bed.

How we liked it

We did encounter several snags during our week-long stay–some were language misunderstandings while others could be attributed to cultural nuances in matters of time and customer service.All in all, we would stay again at the property and recommend the hotel because of the central location and amenities it offers.   https://youtu.be/QSKIts99qpI https://youtu.be/s37Dc0VTxs0 https://youtu.be/WF4yldptQIY [mappress mapid=”22″]  ]]>