Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport (Master Thread) - no longer a Holiday Inn Express
 

The hotel is new - but it is in a very heavy construction area. After I dropped of the rental car and found out the shuttle recommended by the hotel didn't go to the hotel (so said the driver), we got a taxi and he dropped us off on the frontage road, he wouldn't navigate all the construction.
There was no restaurant in the hotel and none within walking distance. There was a food delivery service menu. But in spite of the hours open on the menu the receptionist said not before 8 pm. I couldn't call because I don't speak Spanish. Fortunately there were vending machines.
We got a 4 AM wake-up call (actually it was a knock on the door).
The hotel was fine, indifferent staff, almost no parking because of construction, unless you parked at their underground parking for 12 Euros/night. We were charged 10 Euros for taxi from airport and 17 Euros back to the airport.

Hi JMC
Thanks for the report. I suppose it will eventually get better as the construction work is completed and other things open up.

regards

Has anything changed on the airport transfer front at this hotel and have any food options appeared in the last year?

Thanks

stayed here a few weeks ago and the only food option is a 'telepizza' which delivers to the hotel.

Taxi driver managed to find the exit off the motorway that leads to the hotel, so didn't have to get off at the side of the highway. To my knowledge no shuttle exists...

Thanks kaiflyer for the info

Stayed here in May and had mixed reactions. Hotel was new and clean, nice bath and shower. Was shocked to find 9 euros for airport shuttle. No mention of this anywhere on priorityclub.com nor their own website. Appalled that staff are not instructed to mention price but not allowed to credit. Priority Club customer service just as indifferent.

Have lots of questions for this hotel.
1) Is 9 euro for airport shuttle still the case? Do I have the other option to get to/from there other than shuttle or car rental? Is airport shuttle just running between hotel and airport? Or I need to call for pickup?
2) Do they charge for internet?
3) What is the best way to get to downtown?
Thanks a lot.

Answer my own questions by emailing the hotel.
1) The shuttle cost 9 euros per person per way.
We have a shuttle service that runs from 6am until 9.30 pm Monday to Friday and from 6am until 1.30 pm Saturdays and Sundays.You will need to call the hotel for the driver to pick you up.
2) Internet is 3.75euros one hour or 10.70euros for 24 hours.
3) To go downtown you will need to take first a bus and after the underground.

9 euro for airport shuttle and 10.70 euro for Internet?:td:

By the way, what is going on in Madrid this weekend? There is NO ROOM for all IHG properties in Madrid area.

Recommend Madrid HIX "San Sebastian"
 

As a near-airport alternative, I would suggest a different Madrid-area HIX than the so-called "Madrid Airport" HIX. The "San Sebastian" HIX is just as close to the airport by taxi as the "Airport" HIX. Either way, the fare will be about 25 euros or more. (I did not take the taxi myself.)

The advantages of the San Sebastian HIX are these:

1. Accessible by Madrid Metro -- The HIX is about a ten minute (max) walk from the Hospital Infanta Sofia metro stop. This is the end-of-the line stop for that metro line (runs AT LEAST until midnight, perhaps later). Exit the subway, walk towards Madrid to a corner gas station, look to your left and you'll see the sign for the HIX another block towards the east. The metro requires a 1 euros supplement in addition to the normal 1 euro central-Madrid fare. It takes a full hour to travel by metro from that HIX to the airport because you have to go most of the way back to central Madrid and transfer (at estacion Nuevos Ministerios) to the airport line.

2. Restaurant -- There is a quite decent Spanish restaurant around the corner open weekdays for the local workers. I ate a nice complete steak dinner on el Menu del Dia for 20 euros. The restaurant seems to not be open really late at night and on weekends according to their customers' working hours. Nothing else around the new industrial neighborhood though.

3. Staff -- Nice enough and helpful. I stayed two separate nights in mid-November, 2009. I stayed because of Points Breaks. Their net rate is 52 euros, which for me is worth the cost savings over the central Madrid Holiday Inn or Intercontinental.

ok.
Just checked out this hotel and am waiting for the shuttle.
1) From my point of view, this hotel is in the middle of nowhere. The closest restaurant is at least 15 minutes walk. And there is a shopping mall for about 50 minutes walk. If you don't have car rental, the location is not good. And it is difficult to get to this hotel from downtown. I will say either take Metro back to airport and call for hotel shuttle, or take Metro to Canillejas and take taxi for about 10 euros.
2) As everyone mentions before, 9 euro for one way airport shuttle.
3) Housekeeping is not so good. My ice cooler even has a lip print on it....:rolleyes:
4) Internet is expensive(10,10 Euro), but I think it is typical in EU.
5) At least the hotel employees are nice.

yuchung5

So the taxi from MAD for E10 is not much different than the shuttle for E9? But taxi from MAD should be faster.

Taxi from MAD is 20 Euro.
Taxi from Canillejas Metro station is 10 Euro.
Hotel shuttle from MAD is 9 Euro.

Checked in this morning.. relying on earlier posts and called and inquired about the shuttle for 9 euros... no shuttle... and standard fare from airport is 25 euros... nothing else to do but to take the cab... earlier posts about pizza are correct except they've added some burgers pasta and salads.. all call out...

for that money (transfer)
u can go to HI or IC in MAD

Update and Beware
 

Hi all -- Just a property update / severe warning on here for the HIX @ Madrid Airport (so it's branded :rolleyes:) future guests.

We booked our one night stay with PC points and I frankly did not do my ususal FT and tripadvisor.com check of the property as it was only for an overnight before an AM flight. What a huge mistake. Trip advisor lays it out very clearly to avoid this place, but here are the details...

This property, while sold as an "Airport" property no longer runs a shuttle to/from MAD at all as of our stay in mid June 2011. So, you are stuck with the ~E25 cab ride each way. The Crowne Plaza across the street does run a shuttle for a fee for their guests only, but will no longer pick up or drop off patrons of the HIX even for a fee.

When I complained about this policy to hotel staff, mangement and IHG customer service (maybe an issue for IHG Care to research?), they explained that the properties were owned by different management companies and did not cooperate. So much for IHG brands working together?!

I strongly recommended that branding this property as an airport hotel with no shuttle and a E25 private taxi hire is misleading to the consumer. IHG should step in an demand airport shuttle service commence to keep the airport designation.

Needless to say, we dropped off the rental car before our stay, so incurred E50 in taxi hire charges (from/to MAD) for a room which was offered for about that much for the night...it really destroys any value proposition of this hotel in any way.

On a better note, the hotel restaurant was acceptable (good thing as the neighborhood construction has come to a grinding halt with the economic slow-down and the hotel is surrounded by empty lots and not a safe walking environment). The CP across the street also had a bar/restaurant.