38 Best Hotels in Madrid, Spain

This economical and somewhat dated property is set in an 18th-century building that once housed the Ateneo, a club founded in 1835 to promote freedom of thought. Rooms are basic but well-lit, and some have sloped ceilings and skylights. Small groups can spread out in the triple and family rooms. At these prices, it's a privilege to be minutes from the historical sights and throbbing discotecas (even if the latter may keep sensitive sleepers awake).

Worthy of an empress, as its name implies, this sumptuous property on a tree-shaded block offers knowledgeable concierge services, healthy breakfast options, an updated gym, and an extensive pillow menu. Even entry-level Deluxe rooms feature king-size beds. Hardwoods, oversize mirrors, and comfy divans add to the opulence, as do private terraces and in-room hot tubs, perks you’ll find in the suites and Premium Empress categories. 

A jewel box of glowing lights, harlequin furniture, and gilded mirrors, the soaring Barceló Torre de Madrid opened in 2017 and remains one of the trendiest hotels in town. Jaime Hayón, the Madrid-born designer behind the property’s idiosyncratic interiors, strikes a balance between playfulness (zebra-striped bear sculptures) and drama (photos of flamenco bailaoras with piercing eyes). Guest rooms are as striking as the public areas, and many feature views over the newly renovated Plaza de España. 

Whether you're a solo traveler looking to make friends or a cash-strapped couple (or group of friends) trying to do Madrid on a budget, consider holing up at Bastardo, a designer hostel with communal and private rooms that doubles as a cool-kid hangout. Steps from all the action in Chueca and Malasaña, it has industrial-chic rooms with funky backlighting and exposed brick; upgraded digs add wrap-around balconies. 

The regal cobblestone corridor leading to the reception desk, the atrium with granite ashlar walls, and the magnificent wooden staircase (presided over by a lion statue) reveal this building's 18th-century origins. Other common areas, including the restaurant and a reading room with a small library, have less character. Dark wood paneling, parquet floors, and charcoal pillows and throws lend hotel rooms an air of corporate blandness, though you can overlook a little blah for spaciousness (rooms start at 225 square feet; some can sleep a family of four) and value.

The splashiest new (2018) hotel in this part of town is situated at the northern edge of Lavapiés, five minutes on foot from both Sol and Antón Martín market. Occupying a 19th-century palace—private courtyards, grand wooden staircase, baroque crown molding, and all—the hotel also boasts extremely here-and-now perks like proprietary electric scooters (driver's license required) and white-tablecloth breakfasts (served until a cool 1 pm) by the already-Insta-famous pool.   

Catty-corner to Plaza de España, Dear Hotel is a sleek urban property with an exclusive feel. All of its homey minimalist rooms—think blond woods, blindingly white sheets, and square wall molding—look out onto Gran Vía and flood with natural light; some boast street-facing patios with lounge chairs. The hotel is the backdrop for C. Tangana's award-winning 2021 music video "Tu me dejaste de querer." 

This DoubleTree may appear corporate, but any stuffiness is mitigated by a warm staff eager to help with every need. Perks include a state-of-the-art fitness center, a location two blocks from the Prado Museum, and a phenomenal Japanese-Mediterranean fusion restaurant. Rooms are minimally decorated with flinty blue headboards and marble-walled bathrooms. 

Generator Madrid might be a budget hotel with shared (up to eight-person) rooms, but it runs circles around most of the city's big-name hotels in the design department, and guests can't get enough of the rooftop bar, plush towels, and Instagram-ready interiors.

This legendary hotel, inaugurated in 1853, is the oldest in Madrid—and after a long, painstaking renovation by Rockwell Group, it reopened in 2018 to great fanfare. The soaring lobby and cocktail bar are now suffused with plush fabrics and calming earth tones; other new perks include private dining rooms, a literary salon (with hand-picked titles by renowned publisher Zenda), and a fitness center decked out with all the latest Technogym equipment.

In a late-18th-century palace formerly owned by the Duke of Noblejas, this hotel, a few yards from Plaza de Santa Ana, still bears traces of opulence and grandeur. It has a gorgeous winder staircase, painted Ionic columns, ethereal frescoes, and stained-glass windows, but the classic feel is neither ostentatious nor overwhelming. Rooms are cozy and classic with taupe walls, white wainscoting, and sturdy hardwood furniture. There's nothing trendy about these digs, which ooze self-assured old-world elegance.

A Madrid institution that has played host to the likes of the Beatles, Cary Grant, and Rita Hayworth, this hotel has an impressive lobby with marble floors, antique furniture, and a stained-glass dome ceiling. Spacious rooms, decorated in reds and golds, evoke a bygone era with satin wallpaper, stately bergères, and polished wood desks. Also on-site is a happening indoor-outdoor cocktail bar overlooking Plaza de Colón and a renowned Latin-fusion fine-dining restaurant in Hortensio, which relocated here from its Chamberí location in 2021.

The towering NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding, located blocks from Real Madrid's home stadium, is a state-of-the-art luxury property with large, airy rooms and an enormous pool and gym complex. The property also houses the award-winning DiverXO (operated independently), arguably the best restaurant in Madrid. Though staff and housekeeping could be friendlier and more attuned to guests’ needs, overall this hotel is a dependable and affordable bet.

On a leafy residential street, this 1886 town house bearing the Relais & Château fleur-de-lis feels more like a country estate than a city-center hotel. It was originally the residence of a well-to-do family, and the current owners continue their legacy in touches like pretty flower arrangements, silver platters, and period furniture purchased from French and English castles. Keys come on tasseled keychains, and fine-threaded pillowcases are embossed with Orfila's logo. Upgraded rooms feature balconies (garlanded with tinsel come holiday season) as well as whirlpool tubs and sound systems.

In a 19th-century building on the quieter edge of one of Madrid's main shopping districts, Preciados is a charming midrange hotel ideal for travelers who value space and comfort. Though the rooms skew more modern than traditional, the purple backlighting and opaque glass make certain rooms feel dated. A number of (slightly more expensive) rooms have skylights and wrought-iron balconies.

A five-minute walk from Puerta del Sol and Parque del Buen Retiro (El Retiro Park), Hotel Urban blends buttoned-up business aesthetics with tropical accents in the form of Papua New Guinean artifacts and other rare museum-grade works. Public areas are distinguished by alabaster pillars, tile-and-gold-inlaid walls, and art deco banisters. The newly renovated rooftop pool (summer only) and cocktail lounge are decorated with palms and banana trees and make for chic sunbathing and photos. Rooms are decidedly more dated and less polished than public spaces, with green-marble bathrooms, dark-wood floors, and wispy charcoal curtains. Note to sybarites: don't miss the hotel's Michelin-starred CEBO restaurant serving exquisite regional Spanish cuisine.

This airy, playfully decorated hotel with larger-than-average rooms occupies a converted palace on Calle de Serrano, Salamanca's main shopping corridor. Tarruella Trenchs Studio is behind the 2018 renovation, which blends marbles, woods, and colorful dividers in the lobby and more sedate velvets, leathers, and white linens in guest rooms.

Whites, grays, and dark woods define this boutique hotel on Salamanca's most opulent street, Jorge Juan. The gentlemanly, austere British-esque design is a welcome reprieve from the ersatz Art Deco aesthetic that invaded the city's restaurants and hotels in the 2010s. A quiet and comfortable lobby and excellent breakfast add to the appeal.

Chauffeur-driven town cars snake around the block day and night at the Intercontinental Madrid, a classically decorated hotel frequented by dignitaries, diplomats, and other international bigwigs. Situated on the skyscraper-lined Castellana mall and removed from the tourist hubbub (you’ll need to take the metro to most attractions), the property is a dependable option for business travelers, families, and other visitors who favor comfort and service over centrality and trendiness. A fine-dining restaurant, sunny terrace, and an above-and-beyond concierge service round out the offerings.

This reliable hotel situated between Gran Vía and Puerta del Sol was renovated in 2021 and has comfortable, Scandi-minimalist rooms awash with whites and grays as well as spacious bathrooms with marble walls. Some areas, like the grand old lobby, retain their original opulence. 

The building housing the NH Collection Madrid Suecia was once home to Ernest Hemingway and Che Guevara; today’s guests are decidedly tamer, but the retro aesthetic lives on in the hotel’s brown velvet couches, towering tropical plants, and suave concierges. Renovated rooms feel fresh and sumptuous with evocative wall art and neutral tones. Get a bird’s-eye view of the city from the expansive rooftop bar, a destination in itself.

One of the better values in Madrid hotels at the moment, this modern property off the Castellana thoroughfare offers bright, streamlined rooms with starched white linens and understated furniture. White-tiled bathrooms have overhead showers and plush towels.  

Situated between Malasaña and the restaurant-lined Plaza de Olavide, this One Shot outpost has an ideal location for those looking to stay in a true-blue Madrid neighborhood with few tourists around. Colorful headboards and chairs pop in rooms that are otherwise minimally decorated (think white linens and walls), and bathrooms have towel warmers and wide shower heads.  

Opened in 2020, Pestana is the newest outpost from the Portuguese boutique hotel chain and the only situated directly on the Plaza Mayor. It has a pool, spa, fitness center, architectural elements from the original 17th-century Casa de la Carnicería, and—crucially—double-paned glass to keep out ambient noise. Leisurely breakfasts in the ground-floor solarium are a highlight.

More like a modern village inn than a metropolitan hotel, this refurbished late-19th-century property was built atop the remains of a stone wall that encircled the city in the 12th century, which you can see through glass floor panels at the hotel entrance and in the casual restaurant. Rooms have white-tiled floors, headboards with historical prints of the city, and high ceilings with exposed wood beams. There is a tapas bar facing the street that pours more than 300 wines by the glass. Enjoy a breakfast buffet in the restaurant, or opt for a more basic breakfast at the hotel bar-café. The owners have another, similarly priced, hotel next door called Posada del Dragón.

Surprisingly boutique-y for a Radisson, this hotel has a streamlined urban feel that suits its middle-of-it-all location. Cross the street and you’re gazing at Goyas at the Prado. Walk three blocks and you’re catching rays in El Retiro Park. Of course, such central real estate comes with its usual trade-offs—in this case, occasional street noise, compact rooms, and a tiny lobby—but perks like in-room espresso makers, pool and spa access, and lavish breakfasts outweigh the property’s faults.

Room Mate Alicia's all-white lobby with curving walls, backlit ceiling panels, and gilded columns oozes early 2000s, but its prime location and competitive rates make up for the passé aesthetics. Carpeted rooms are modern if compact; the black-slate bathrooms, most of them shower-only, are separated only by a glass door. For a few more euros, upgrade to an executive room with a terrace or to a mini-suite with large windows overlooking the action on the plaza.

A newer addition to the Room Mate chain, Macarena opened in 2020 smack on the Gran Vía thoroughfare. The decor is colorful, textural, and geometric with bold wall tones, patterned tile floors, and undulating ceiling panels in public spaces; guest rooms, on the other hand, vary widely in design and hinge on monochrome color schemes (e.g., royal blue, flamingo pink, emerald green) that make a statement. The crown jewel is the rooftop terrace complete with a cocktail bar, sundeck, and swimming pool.  

In the city center, steps from the Palacio Real and Teatro Real, Mario is small with limited services but provides a welcome alternative to Madrid's traditional hotel options at a good price. It has a bold quirky style: original silk-print headboards highlight the white, gray, and black color scheme. There's no restaurant or bar, but complimentary breakfast is ample.

Barrio de Salamanca's most distinctive hotel, which reopened in late 2021 under the Rosewood umbrella after a yearlong eight-figure renovation, is now one of the swankiest properties in Spain. What's new? Virtually everything—from the gold-edged facade to the sprawling lawns and gardens to the tranquil courtyard and marble-walled hammam. Guest rooms, which pop with patterned rugs and textiles, feature thoughtful amenities like a DIY gin-tónic kit with fresh rosemary and made-in-Madrid gin.