60 Best Hotels in Madrid, Spain

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 Ibizan owners of this hotel bring that island's mix of glamour, energy, and cutting-edge music and design to one of Madrid’s most happening neighborhoods. The Mediterranean-blue palette, interspersed with dashes of colonial style, shows up all over the hotel in studded velvet headboards, floor tiles, and wall art. All 10 room categories boast natural light; the most distinctive among them is the Suiteheart, distinguished by a sloping beamed ceiling and tiled sundeck. Breakfast is à la carte and includes lactose- and gluten-free dishes.

Minimalist industrial design—think polished concrete floors, Edison bulbs, and workbench stools—mixes with eye-popping original art at this independently owned hotel one block north of Gran Vía. What the property lacks in facilities, it makes up for with unexpected perks like rentable bikes, complimentary yoga mats, and MALIN+GOETZ bath amenities. The ground-floor bar specializes in house-macerated spirits.

The Hat epitomizes the fast-growing category of "designer hostels," affordable properties geared toward the younger set with sleek multiperson (and some private) rooms, bumping weekend events, and generous breakfasts. Though you can find cheaper beds in the city, the Hat remains a steal considering its location just steps from the Plaza Mayor.

This towering hotel, located blocks from Real Madrid's home stadium, is a state-of-the-art luxury skyscraper with large, airy rooms and an enormous pool and gym complex. Though staff and housekeeping could be less robotic and more attuned to guests’ needs, overall this hotel is a dependable and affordable bet that stands out for its varied breakfasts.

The gargantuan alabaster spiral staircase, blue-felted billiard table hewn from solid marble, and rooftop infinity pool—the largest in Madrid—are the splashiest features at this Marriott property, even if the architect, minimalism mastermind John Pawson, put as much care into the guest rooms, which have all-white furniture and ceiling-height curvilinear headboards mirroring the hotel's 17th-century doorway. There are two celebrity-chef restaurants on site (Mexican by Enrique Olvera on the ground floor; Peruvian by Diego Muñoz on the roof), plus a lobby bar and a lounge where you can order a punch bowl in a pony-hair Jean-Michel Frank armchair. It's all scintillatingly current—and worth peeking into, even if an overnight stay isn't in the cards.

A €99 million renovation in 2021 by Mandarin Oriental breathed new life to this grande dame overlooking the Prado, replacing mustard-colored drapes and faded carpets with bright whites, gold accents, and stunning contemporary art. The glass canopy ceiling crowning the Palm Court restaurant was restored after being hidden for 80 years. Alfonso XIII commissioned and supervised the construction of this hotel—then perhaps the most exclusive in Spain—ahead of his wedding, and it opened in 1910. More than a century later, it remains synonymous with the upper crust, thanks to suites that fetch top dollar and sought-out restaurants (including the two-Michelin-star Deesa) overseen by Quique Dacosta.

In an unbeatable location, this historic hotel used to play host to visiting bullfighters (hence the bulls' heads hanging in the lounge), but it's decidedly more hip these days under the management of Meliá's youthful subdivision, ME. Guest rooms boast memory-foam mattresses, and international outlets. The hotel has a popular (if somewhat unremarkable) plaza-side restaurant, Ana La Santa, and its top floor boasts a notable rooftop bar in Radio, where you can enjoy eclectic tapas and cocktails to the backdrop of 360-degree views.

Barrio de Salamanca's most distinctive hotel, under the Rosewood umbrella since 2021, is one of the swankiest properties in all of Spain. Its gold-edged facade looks out over sprawling lawns and gardens, which feel like an urban oasis, and the charming courtyard and marble-walled hammam add to the tranquility. Guest rooms, which pop with patterned rugs and textiles, feature thoughtful flourishes like a DIY gin and tónic kit with fresh rosemary and made-in-Madrid gin.

This high-end apartment-hotel offers great value on a quiet street just a couple of blocks from El Retiro Park, the Prado, and shopping areas. The large lobby, with marble floors and a wood-paneled ceiling, adjoins a café, restaurant, and private outdoor garden. Rooms are ample and feature modern middle-of-the-road furnishings, and they all have a sofa bed plus a kitchenette with a microwave, stovetop, and refrigerator (with complimentary bottled water and soft drinks). Pillow menus are a nice plus.

A stone's throw from Madrid's "Golden Triangle" of museums, Artrip is a little-known gem of a hotel ideally suited to art-loving travelers. There's usually a small art or photography exhibit on the premises; other perks include a well-stocked breakfast buffet and updated bathrooms.

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 tucked behind Paseo de la Castellana offers knowledgeable concierge services, health-conscious breakfast options, an updated gym, and a pillow menu. Even entry-level Deluxe rooms feature king beds. Hardwoods, oversize mirrors, and comfy divans add to the opulence, as do private terraces—a perk 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. 

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) and value.

The splashiest hotel in this part of town, CoolRooms is situated 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 courtyard 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. Fun fact: The hotel was the backdrop for C. Tangana's award-winning music video for the song "Tú me dejaste de querer."

This DoubleTree is a corporate outpost, sure, but any stuffiness is mitigated by a warm staff eager to help with every need. Rooms are minimally decorated with flinty blue headboards and marble-walled bathrooms, there's a state-of-the-art fitness center, and the property is ideally located two blocks from the Prado.

Everybody feels like a VIP stepping into the grand lobby—with its gilt-topped columns, enormous central skylight, and sleek spiral staircase—at this Four Seasons, which opened in 2020. The bright high-ceilinged rooms and suites—the most luxurious of which cost five figures a night—are decorated in muted creams, whites, and beiges. Celebrity chef Dani García is behind the rooftop haute-Andalusian restaurant, Dani Brasserie, which has swiftly become a power lunch spot; Isa is its Asian-inflected loungier counterpart. The hotel is part of the Canalejas complex, renovated to the tune of €600 million including 40 stores and 15 restaurants spread among seven historical buildings.

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, trendy vibes, 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.

The Relais & Château–approved Heritage lies north of Salamanca's commercial hubbub in a stately residential area. It's housed in a Belle Époque mansion that embodies the kind of quiet luxury favored by celebrities and high-society types with its low-profile location and tranquil atmosphere. Balconies (in upgraded rooms), spacious showers, and wallpaper with plant motifs make you want to stay awhile. 

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.

Rooms in this inexpensive and cheerful hotel overlooking Plaza de Antón Martín have turquoise walls, crimson sofas, and multicolor headboards. Some have skylights and wrought-iron street-facing balconies.

A colorful and casual hotel off the bustling Gran Vía thoroughfare, Indigo is best known for its rooftop lounge and outdoor infinity pool, rare features in Madrid. Guest rooms are comfortable yet rather passé, with colored backlighting, satiny throws, and outdated iPod docks—minor quibbles given the great location and reasonable price point.

This bright budget option is situated in the heart of residential Argüelles, steps from the bustling shopping street Calle de la Princesa. The hotel's colorful rooms pop with patterned textiles, vibrant throw blankets and pillows, and modern light fixtures. Smart TVs, in-room Nespresso machines, a contemporary Spanish restaurant, and a (rather basic) gym round out the offerings.

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.

An early-20th-century palace built for a noble family with extravagant habits (the elevator carried their horses up and down from the rooftop exercise ring), this Marriott mixes old-world elegance with modern bells and whistles. Relics of a grand past include baseboards and fountains covered with ceramics from Talavera, Parisian stained-glass windows, and full-size Lichtenstein silkscreen prints. Most accommodations feature king-size beds, and some upgraded digs have original parquet floors and intricate fretwork. All rooms have superb views of the nearby El Retiro Park.

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.