As my second time at the Westin and my second time in Madrid, I found the evolution of the Palace to be quite interesting. I’ll be excited to see the full transformation once it’s done - it’s not a perfect hotel, but the folks here seem like they have a lot of heart. Here are my updated impressions of my (mostly) renovated room (seems like they kept some things, like portions of bathroom and, thankfully, the crown moulding):

Note: I was not upgraded at all - I had previously seen a move from Deluxe Courtyard View to Premium Exterior View the night before - but as I arrived at 7 AM (after landing at 6 AM), I was offered the one available empty room (which was not occupied, but not clean) - which was ready around 10 AM (since Housekeeping didn’t arrive until a bit later). I really didn’t mind the courtyard view - not the ugliest courtyard, and I could open the window without too much extra noise. No suites were available online - I believe they all might be in the renovation process.

Another Note: A large portion of the rooms, at least on floor 1, are being renovated in walled-off sections. It doesn’t appear that any work has been done on the ground floor yet (but based on the renderings, will occur at some point). I would assume at this point that you would receive a renovated room by staying there now. I didn’t notice any out-of-the-norm noise.

Another Another Note: I am assuming further changes will still occur in the rooms as the old Westin bedding and linens are still in place - along with the use of Westin toiletries. The fire map has the new branding, though.

Pros:

• Renovated design is really nice - I really enjoy the tile art in the shower and the wall paneling in the bedroom
• Bed is comfortable - mattress is just-right, pillows are a bit Westin soft, but nice if you layer two of the right ones - covers are relatively thin (but this wasn’t an issue because of climate control - more in Cons)
• Shower pressure from the wand head is quite nice
• Service is very friendly and personable - had great experiences with Andrea, Elena, and a friendly male associate at the front desk - Jose called my room to check on my liking of it
• Delivered welcome gift of wine and berry-flavored popcorn
• No issue with 3 PM late checkout I requested
• Elite Breakfast from 7 to 11 is good - very good ham and cheese omelet, good churros, smoothies weren’t as good as I remembered from 2022

Neutral:

• Turndown service was attempted at 9:30 PM - hah, I’m too much of an old man for Spain!
• Rate adjusted up at some point in the process (likely upgrade then downgrade) - adjusted without issue when I noticed it and pointed it out to them

Cons:

• Climate control system was wonky - system seemed very sensitive on motion and seemed to reset frequently to 22, which turned on heat - even set at 16, I’m not sure the AC ever worked - at least, opening the window would turn the system off - but you still wouldn’t stay cool if you kept the curtains closed to keep the room dark (in contrast, the JW seems to have working AC in this season)
• They didn’t seem to add any streaming or Chromecast options to the TV

I will definitely still return, but I hope that they don’t go crazy on rates with the rebranding.

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