7Continents

Any opinions on the following: 3 nights in the Westin Palace Madrid for $782 Euro all in vs. a lower quality hotel (the Emperador) at $512 Euro. I'll be there this winter and while I like my luxury, I'm not sure that $270 Euro extra with the weak exchange rate is worth it. Having only stayed in a Madrid hotel for one night once, I'm counting on FT experience. I'm flying LH in business for a ridiculously low price to get there.
Thanks

elsie

Well I stayed there and paid maybe EUR 199 a night through the SPG website.
I don't really think it is worth more than 250. I liked it there, though, I felt like I was staying at my grandmother's.
I am Starwood Gold, so at check in they moved me to a higher floor, outside facing room (why did they make me ask for it?)...you could hear the street noise a little, but it was tolerable.
Moulton Brown soaps... don't know if that is in all the rooms. The Bfast Buffet was good. (included)

Anyway, The Palace often is available through Priceline (5* Old Madrid).
I was thinking of going this coming weekend and I lowballed a $135 bid and they countered with $192......which means that maybe you can get it for $155....but hey...don't quote me, but we're talking dollars here, not EUR!

Anyway I have to stay home this weekend, so I'm glad my bid was rejected.

Kagehitokiri

you might consider other luxury properties, i seem to recall previous discussion here, but not of the Westin..

Raffles

Public areas are very impressive. The Villa Real and the Urban are smaller properties with better rooms - the suite we had at the Urban last year was impressive, although only overlooking the internal lobby. Never stayed in the Westin but pop in when in town - the Real and Urban are literally 2 minutes walk away.

graraps

Not true luxury or even five-star, but I'm going to MAD in two weeks, and the variety and pricing of quality upscale places was jaw-dropping.
I am staying at the Rafaelhoteles Atocha, paying a grand total of �255 for four nights incl. free internet and buffet breakfast (my rez was through flightnetwork, but other sites like booking.com also have similar deals for similar properties), and places like Arturo Soria Suites and the Ayre Gran Hotel Col�n were similarly inexpensive (well under �80 per night).

Notwithstanding the above, if you feel like spending more, I would rate the hip Puerta America (take your pick from �175 per night for a standard room to �3200 for the presidential suite) above an old-school luxury property like the Westin.

mktozd

I had a very good experience at this hotel, but was able to get a better rate. If you have enought starwood points you might get a a 50% off or free night.

aa4ever

Despite what some have said, I really like the Ritz Madrid. Very small, old-world, boutiquey. Beautiful public areas that are very intimate. I've generally had excellent service with the exception of pre-arrival (concierges can be a bit slow getting back). But overall, I really like it. They get the "you are special" feeling right there. It's now Orient Express; I'm staying there at the end of the month and will try to report back.

Oh, and it's FHR and presumably Virtuoso then. You can sometimes get the Ritz for as low as 250euros which is essentially what you're paying for the Palace.

ddavault

I will be in Madrid for 6 nights in March 2008, I've been agonizing over where to stay, I have it narrowed down to the Westin, executive Suite for 875 euro per night or the Gran Melia Fenix, Executive Penthouse Suite, 1,250 euro per night. The exchange rate is killing me, and I'm only SPG Gold.

There seems to be a lot of information available here about the Westin, not much on the Fenix. I'll probably go with the Westin due to location, my partner has a hard time getting around, he has two artificial knees, and the rate. The downside is that there may be too many American tourists in the hotel, I like to get away from them when I am in Europe and the hotel is fairly large.

Can anyone comment on the suites at the Fenix?

Thanks

graraps

Well can't you just see the correlation? Most people on these boards are Americans and/or belong to US loyalty progammes- I'd be mildly surprised to hear anyone here is a member of MaS.
Never stayed at the Fenix, but the service I've received at Sol Meliá properties the few times I've stayed with them (LIS, SVQ, and probably another one that I can't remember) has always been top-notch. Mind you I'm a youngster travelling on my own, quite content in a 4* room, and reasonably fluent in Spanish, so your expectations may be higher than mine.

spainflyer

First -- Its the Palace. Westin runs it (now) and some other management company may run it in the future. But the hotel dates the the 19-teens, and is always called the Hotel Palace ("Oh-t�l Palas") in Madrid.

Second -- you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The Fenix is no sow, but it is no Palace, either. As noted by other posters, the Palace has history, lovely common rooms, a wonderful Rotonda with harp or piano music in the evening, etc. The doormen wear frock coats. If the Fenix has doormen, they wear Corte Ingles suits.

Third - Location, location, location. The Palace is in the "Golden Triangle" bounded by the Reina Sofia, Thyssen and Prado Museums, and is across the street from the Ritz. If you are interested in oak and marble, rather than steel and glass, you can't get a better area in Madrid. The Fenix is next to Plaza Colon. And so is the Hard Rock Cafe, Madrid's largest car park and a couple of discotheques.

"You pays your money and you takes your choice." If you are going to spend a lot of time in your room, you may prefer a penthouse suite at the Fenix. If you come to see and do all that Madrid has to offer, take the Palace.

speedbird001

The Palace AND The Ritz are hardly true luxury. Madrid is really lacking in the 5* hotels in find in other European capitals. The only cities that have a worse selection of luxury are the Nordic countries. I have not stayed but hear that the Intercontinental has been completly renovated and is not the nicest hotel in town. It's a little out of the way.

My last stay at The Palace I found that the jr. suites were adequate but the place was very poorly maintained. I then moved over to The Ritz and stayed in a suite which was a notch up from The Palace. I have bounced back between the two for the last 20 years depending on the current owner and how disgruntled I was with the previous visit.

ddavault

graraps and spainflyer, thanks for the comments, it reinforces what I already was thinking, I'll stick with the room at the Palace. We will be there to explore the city, so the location is perfect.

What is the current state of affairs when it comes to indoor smoking? I requested a non-smoking room, do you think I will actually get one?

Raffles

Unless you REALLY want old-school, you may want to save some money and look at Villa Real or the Urban as I mentioned above. Same location as the Palace.

spainflyer

Yes, the Villa Real is just across a small plaza and the Urban, (great restaurant, by the way -- get the tasting menu with accompanying wines -- is just up the street).

The Villa Real has some nice suites, but they are duplexes, and this might not be good for your partner's knees.

By the way, you are paying top euro for the Palace. Don't know your dates in March but I just checked Hotels.com for 11th - 18th and found

Palace 269 Euros
Ritz 286 Euros
Urban 217
Villa Real not showing

Of course, these are run of the house rooms, but you are paying quite a premium for an executive suite.

As for a non-smoking room, I'm afraid US-style rules haven't taken hold here, and most places permit smoking. You can sometimes find ashtrays on the tables in "non-smoking rooms."

bmitchell

7Continents-

We will also be in Madrid in late Dec (27-31). Got the Westin Palace on Hotwire for $250USD/night