Santo Mauro, a Luxury Collection Hotel - Madrid, Spain [Master Thread]
Oct 13, 2011, 12:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: aa advantage, marriott rewards
Posts: 63
Santo Mauro, a Luxury Collection Hotel - Madrid, Spain [Master Thread]
Just returned from a European trip. My vote goes to the AC Santa Mauro in Madrid. It was built as a palace, converted to an Embassy and now it's a hotel. Hands down the most luxurious hotel I've ever stayed in. Free breakfast every day for Plat's, fantastic gardens to sit and have a cocktail, about four fantastic sitting rooms with the most opulent decor I've ever seen in a hotel.
Did I mention the cocktails? I ordered a Gin & tonic when we first arrived. The waiter comes out to the garden where we were sitting with a tray full of items. The usual cocktail nuts and a bowl of absolutely delicious olives. Then I noticed he brought out a small stemmed vase. I was wondering what he was going to do with that because he didn't have any flowers and there already were flowers on the table. He fills up the vase with ice and proceeds to fill the vase halfway up with Gin. I had to ask for another bottle of tonic to mellow it out a little.
Did I mention the cocktails? I ordered a Gin & tonic when we first arrived. The waiter comes out to the garden where we were sitting with a tray full of items. The usual cocktail nuts and a bowl of absolutely delicious olives. Then I noticed he brought out a small stemmed vase. I was wondering what he was going to do with that because he didn't have any flowers and there already were flowers on the table. He fills up the vase with ice and proceeds to fill the vase halfway up with Gin. I had to ask for another bottle of tonic to mellow it out a little.
Aug 10, 2012, 11:56 am
#2
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Join Date: Aug 2002
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AC Santo Mauro, Autograph Collection - Madrid, Spain
I'm starting this thread because we only have 1 trip report buried in another thread & having a dedicated thread will make it come up easier in the search results. This is a Cat 7 property.
The other reason is that the following Marriott Elite Benefit exclusion has been added to the property's website.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
Here's a description of the property from their website.
"The hotel occupies the premises of an elegant late nineteenth-century building, which was once the residence of the Duke of Santo Mauro; a highly influential member of Madrid society in his time. The impressive premises of this urban hotel in Madrid house luxurious rooms, a restaurant, meeting rooms, and all the facilities and luxuries that AC Santo Mauro Hotel is renowned for. We inform all our guests that the hotel AC Santo Mauro, Autograph Collection, has been fully renovated and reopened its doors on September 6th 2011."
BTW - if someone has stayed at the property recently, please do a 'trip report'. Your fellow FTers would appreciate it. I'm also going to ask the mod to move the 1 trip report we do have from the other thread to this one.
The other reason is that the following Marriott Elite Benefit exclusion has been added to the property's website.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
Here's a description of the property from their website.
"The hotel occupies the premises of an elegant late nineteenth-century building, which was once the residence of the Duke of Santo Mauro; a highly influential member of Madrid society in his time. The impressive premises of this urban hotel in Madrid house luxurious rooms, a restaurant, meeting rooms, and all the facilities and luxuries that AC Santo Mauro Hotel is renowned for. We inform all our guests that the hotel AC Santo Mauro, Autograph Collection, has been fully renovated and reopened its doors on September 6th 2011."
BTW - if someone has stayed at the property recently, please do a 'trip report'. Your fellow FTers would appreciate it. I'm also going to ask the mod to move the 1 trip report we do have from the other thread to this one.
Jan 10, 2013, 7:32 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Silver, MR Plat Prem & LT Plat, Hyatt Plat,SPG Plat, Hertz PC, National EE, UA 1K
Posts: 3,407
The other reason is that the following Marriott Elite Benefit exclusion has been added to the property's website.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
Can you please tell me where you found this?
These hotels are COMPLETELY sold as AUTOGRAPH and NOT AC! Other than having "AC" in the name, they are AUTOGRAPH.
I have looked on the webpages-and can not find it. I have also asked MC for clarification. If they truly do not offer breakfast I consider this NON-guaranteed elite benefits.
Feb 21, 2013, 11:57 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DTW
Programs: DL 2MM, Marriott LTT, Hilton Gold, United Silver
Posts: 223
Santo Mauro February 2013
My wife and I spent three nights at the AC Santo Mauro in Madrid this month. I am a Platinum Marriott Rewards member and was using MR points for the room.
SHORT VERSION: Very nice hotel, reasonable location, superior accommodations. Probably would select it again for a trip to Madrid, although that is a toss-up with the AC Palacio de Retiro also in the same general vicinity.
PLATINUM BENEFITS OFFERED:
Welcome Gift and Recognition: The front desk clerk immediately acknowledged my Platinum status, thanking me for being a loyal Marriott customer. The welcome gift was a choice of 500 points or a drink in the hotel bar.
Room Upgrade: Not sure we received a room upgrade. The room was large by US standards and vast by European standards, which seemed to represent an upgrade from the standard room as shown in pictures on the hotel Web site. However, no one mentioned it was an upgrade (I find they usually like to let me know I received the benefit) and it is difficult to tell whether it would have been Standard or Superior. Regardless, it was a good room and more than adequate for our needs.
Breakfast: Continental breakfast is offered at no additional charge to Gold/Platinum members. This consisted of toast, a tray of pastries (for two people, this consisted of two regular croissant, two whole grain croissant, one chocolate croissant, one muffin, one palmier), coffee/tea/chocolate, and orange juice. On the regular menu, full breakfast was offered at the astronomical sum of 32 euro.
Internet Service: Wireless Internet service was available at no cost in the lobby and public areas and for a fee in the room. Gold/platinum members had access to wireless Internet in their room without paying the fee, which was noted as 24 hours free access on log-in, but could be renewed every 24 hours throughout the stay.
Concierge Lounge:
There isn’t one.
GENERAL IMPRESSION OF THE PROPERTY:
The hotel location is good, a few blocks off the Paseo de la Castellana main road and just north of Plaza de Colon (also known as Christopher Columbus to Americans). Walking to the Reina Sofia museum is possible, but it is a fairly substantial distance for those who do not normally walk everywhere. The Alonzo Martinez metro stop, where three lines intersect, is within a few blocks of the hotel. The neighborhood is quiet, but a lively area with restaurants, bars, and entertainment is within a kilometer or so. Walking to the Plaza Mayor covers about 2.5 kilometers on the most direct route, while the Museo de Prado is slightly closer in a little different direction.
The first impression of the hotel is great, with a walled courtyard facing Calle Zurbano as the hotel entrance. The building served as the residence of a duke and has the outside appearance of a wealthy person’s home. Common areas, the Chinese Lounge and Red Lounge, are provided with multiple intimate seating arrangements and opulent decoration. The garden/rear courtyard area also provides outdoor seating areas, but was a bit chilly during February. Breakfast was served in a library, with several tables around the room and walls lined with bookshelves. Wood finishes and marble fireplaces throughout the common areas gave the hotel a tangible sense of lushness. We felt like rich people in the surroundings, even though we were spending points and not currency to stay there.
The room was large, as noted above, and adequately comfortable for two people. Along with a king-size bed, the living area included two comfortable chairs and a table (adjustable height from about 30 cm off the floor up to about 50 cm high), a desk with chair for a working area, and a large television with two channels in English. Storage included a walk-in closet. The bathroom had two sinks, an interesting selection of bath amenities (e.g., a package with shaving cream, razor, and aftershave), and a separate tub and shower.
Our room was on the ground floor, with large windows facing the courtyard near the hotel entrance. The windows were mirrored on the outside, such that with the drapes open and lights on inside the room, I could stand outside gazing into the windows and still not see anything in the room. It was great for privacy and for providing some entertainment as we sat in the room for about an hour one day and noted that everyone who passed the windows stopped to look at themselves, assessing their appearance in the mirrored surface.
The only complaint about the room was that to go from our room to the front desk and public areas (lounges, bar, restaurant) or pool/exercise room required going outside and walking through the courtyard. For the most part, this was not an issue, but twice on leaving the room, there was a light rain that required us to either carry an umbrella to access another part of the hotel or to get wet in the process. An umbrella large enough for two was provided in the room, so this was not a great problem.
One of my frequent complaints in hotels is the inability to either open the window or turn on the air conditioning to cool the room down upon arrival and for sleeping. In this hotel room, opening a window proved to be easy, but the HVAC system was set only to provide heat. Fortunately, the outside temperature was such that we could leave the window open for a couple of hours before getting ready for bed and the room stayed adequately cool for sleeping through the night (with the heat turned off, of course) with the window closed against outside noise. Note that there was very little outside noise in this quiet corner of Madrid.
I have been told that AC Hotels had not charged for drinks in the minibar. With this property becoming an Autograph Collection, that is no longer true here. There was a cost sheet for drinks, with charges of a few euros for soft drinks and a half-bottle of wine. There was, however, ample empty space in the minibar refrigerator to store one or two full bottles of wine, which can be purchased for a few euro each at one of the mercados in the area (El Corte Ingles department store and supermercado is about five blocks away).
We did not try the restaurant, other than continental breakfast, so cannot say anything about the quality of food or service there apart from our experience. In general, the servers were polite but perfunctory, leaving large gaps of time between visits to the table. Once on asking for a second cup of coffee, my wife was brought what was obviously instant coffee rather than the brewed beverage the first cup had been. Our guess was that it was the decaffeinated variety that was intended for someone else, but it proved impossible to get the server’s attention to fix the problem. In general, the hotel staff were helpful but did not appear to go out of their way to provide exceptional service, settling for being merely good.
The exercise room was small and sparsely equipped, consisting of two stationary bicycles, a treadmill, stair-climber, and a full set of dumbbells. There was an attached area with a sauna and steam room, both of which were normally locked and required the front desk to provide access. The shower/ changing area was accessible through the exercise room, so that one was able to change for the pool after using the equipment.
The exercise room and indoor pool are in the basement, evidently beneath the entrance courtyard, so tend to be rather grotto-like. The pool was a uniform depth, approximately 1.4 meters, with steps down into the pool at two corners. An interesting design element was the presence of six supporting columns in the middle of the pool, giving a rather definitive and immovable separation of lanes for swimming laps.
SHORT VERSION: Very nice hotel, reasonable location, superior accommodations. Probably would select it again for a trip to Madrid, although that is a toss-up with the AC Palacio de Retiro also in the same general vicinity.
PLATINUM BENEFITS OFFERED:
Welcome Gift and Recognition: The front desk clerk immediately acknowledged my Platinum status, thanking me for being a loyal Marriott customer. The welcome gift was a choice of 500 points or a drink in the hotel bar.
Room Upgrade: Not sure we received a room upgrade. The room was large by US standards and vast by European standards, which seemed to represent an upgrade from the standard room as shown in pictures on the hotel Web site. However, no one mentioned it was an upgrade (I find they usually like to let me know I received the benefit) and it is difficult to tell whether it would have been Standard or Superior. Regardless, it was a good room and more than adequate for our needs.
Breakfast: Continental breakfast is offered at no additional charge to Gold/Platinum members. This consisted of toast, a tray of pastries (for two people, this consisted of two regular croissant, two whole grain croissant, one chocolate croissant, one muffin, one palmier), coffee/tea/chocolate, and orange juice. On the regular menu, full breakfast was offered at the astronomical sum of 32 euro.
Internet Service: Wireless Internet service was available at no cost in the lobby and public areas and for a fee in the room. Gold/platinum members had access to wireless Internet in their room without paying the fee, which was noted as 24 hours free access on log-in, but could be renewed every 24 hours throughout the stay.
Concierge Lounge:
There isn’t one.
GENERAL IMPRESSION OF THE PROPERTY:
The hotel location is good, a few blocks off the Paseo de la Castellana main road and just north of Plaza de Colon (also known as Christopher Columbus to Americans). Walking to the Reina Sofia museum is possible, but it is a fairly substantial distance for those who do not normally walk everywhere. The Alonzo Martinez metro stop, where three lines intersect, is within a few blocks of the hotel. The neighborhood is quiet, but a lively area with restaurants, bars, and entertainment is within a kilometer or so. Walking to the Plaza Mayor covers about 2.5 kilometers on the most direct route, while the Museo de Prado is slightly closer in a little different direction.
The first impression of the hotel is great, with a walled courtyard facing Calle Zurbano as the hotel entrance. The building served as the residence of a duke and has the outside appearance of a wealthy person’s home. Common areas, the Chinese Lounge and Red Lounge, are provided with multiple intimate seating arrangements and opulent decoration. The garden/rear courtyard area also provides outdoor seating areas, but was a bit chilly during February. Breakfast was served in a library, with several tables around the room and walls lined with bookshelves. Wood finishes and marble fireplaces throughout the common areas gave the hotel a tangible sense of lushness. We felt like rich people in the surroundings, even though we were spending points and not currency to stay there.
The room was large, as noted above, and adequately comfortable for two people. Along with a king-size bed, the living area included two comfortable chairs and a table (adjustable height from about 30 cm off the floor up to about 50 cm high), a desk with chair for a working area, and a large television with two channels in English. Storage included a walk-in closet. The bathroom had two sinks, an interesting selection of bath amenities (e.g., a package with shaving cream, razor, and aftershave), and a separate tub and shower.
Our room was on the ground floor, with large windows facing the courtyard near the hotel entrance. The windows were mirrored on the outside, such that with the drapes open and lights on inside the room, I could stand outside gazing into the windows and still not see anything in the room. It was great for privacy and for providing some entertainment as we sat in the room for about an hour one day and noted that everyone who passed the windows stopped to look at themselves, assessing their appearance in the mirrored surface.
The only complaint about the room was that to go from our room to the front desk and public areas (lounges, bar, restaurant) or pool/exercise room required going outside and walking through the courtyard. For the most part, this was not an issue, but twice on leaving the room, there was a light rain that required us to either carry an umbrella to access another part of the hotel or to get wet in the process. An umbrella large enough for two was provided in the room, so this was not a great problem.
One of my frequent complaints in hotels is the inability to either open the window or turn on the air conditioning to cool the room down upon arrival and for sleeping. In this hotel room, opening a window proved to be easy, but the HVAC system was set only to provide heat. Fortunately, the outside temperature was such that we could leave the window open for a couple of hours before getting ready for bed and the room stayed adequately cool for sleeping through the night (with the heat turned off, of course) with the window closed against outside noise. Note that there was very little outside noise in this quiet corner of Madrid.
I have been told that AC Hotels had not charged for drinks in the minibar. With this property becoming an Autograph Collection, that is no longer true here. There was a cost sheet for drinks, with charges of a few euros for soft drinks and a half-bottle of wine. There was, however, ample empty space in the minibar refrigerator to store one or two full bottles of wine, which can be purchased for a few euro each at one of the mercados in the area (El Corte Ingles department store and supermercado is about five blocks away).
We did not try the restaurant, other than continental breakfast, so cannot say anything about the quality of food or service there apart from our experience. In general, the servers were polite but perfunctory, leaving large gaps of time between visits to the table. Once on asking for a second cup of coffee, my wife was brought what was obviously instant coffee rather than the brewed beverage the first cup had been. Our guess was that it was the decaffeinated variety that was intended for someone else, but it proved impossible to get the server’s attention to fix the problem. In general, the hotel staff were helpful but did not appear to go out of their way to provide exceptional service, settling for being merely good.
The exercise room was small and sparsely equipped, consisting of two stationary bicycles, a treadmill, stair-climber, and a full set of dumbbells. There was an attached area with a sauna and steam room, both of which were normally locked and required the front desk to provide access. The shower/ changing area was accessible through the exercise room, so that one was able to change for the pool after using the equipment.
The exercise room and indoor pool are in the basement, evidently beneath the entrance courtyard, so tend to be rather grotto-like. The pool was a uniform depth, approximately 1.4 meters, with steps down into the pool at two corners. An interesting design element was the presence of six supporting columns in the middle of the pool, giving a rather definitive and immovable separation of lanes for swimming laps.
Dec 21, 2016, 10:19 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,078
I completed a stay here on December 11, 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed this property. Very beautiful hotel in a quiet upscale neighborhood. The common rooms are very palatial, which makes sense since this is a former palace. Hotel staff was very attentive, friendly and helpful. I'd definitely stay here again. Warning: watch out for the Opera cake at the Patisserie catercorner form the hotel; it was oh so yummy on couple evenings.
I did walk by the AC Recoletos while exploring Madrid and went inside to take a look. Also in a great location a block away from Parque de El Retiro. Nowhere near as beautiful as the Santo Mauro, and I did not see any of their guest rooms but would guess they are smaller (more normal size). It is in a more bustling neighborhood, but might consider it if I wanted to save some Euros.
PLATINUM BENEFITS OFFERED:
Front desk clerk immediately acknowledged my Platinum status and I took welcome gift of 500 points.
I was upgraded from a Guest Room to a Premium Room int he new wing which was huge.
My rate include full breakfast so I was not limited to the Platinum continental breakfast offering.
As usual Wifi was included and speed was excellent.
Only downside is only MR points for incidentals and the Platinum 500 points posted to my account. A week prior to my stay on Marriott.com I changed my AAA rate to an advanced purchase pay with Visa rate that included breakfast which was a few Euros less expensive. I will need to take care of getting the points corrected once I return home in the next few days.
I did walk by the AC Recoletos while exploring Madrid and went inside to take a look. Also in a great location a block away from Parque de El Retiro. Nowhere near as beautiful as the Santo Mauro, and I did not see any of their guest rooms but would guess they are smaller (more normal size). It is in a more bustling neighborhood, but might consider it if I wanted to save some Euros.
PLATINUM BENEFITS OFFERED:
Front desk clerk immediately acknowledged my Platinum status and I took welcome gift of 500 points.
I was upgraded from a Guest Room to a Premium Room int he new wing which was huge.
My rate include full breakfast so I was not limited to the Platinum continental breakfast offering.
As usual Wifi was included and speed was excellent.
Only downside is only MR points for incidentals and the Platinum 500 points posted to my account. A week prior to my stay on Marriott.com I changed my AAA rate to an advanced purchase pay with Visa rate that included breakfast which was a few Euros less expensive. I will need to take care of getting the points corrected once I return home in the next few days.
Jul 27, 2018, 11:54 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: ATL - DL DM/3MM - HH Lifetime Diamond - Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 3,117
The other reason is that the following Marriott Elite Benefit exclusion has been added to the property's website.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
"COMPLEMENTARY BREAKFAST ELITE BENEFIT DOES NOT APPLY AT THIS HOTEL WHEN REDEEMING POINTS INCLUDING SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM"
This new exclusion seems to have been added to the Spain Autograph Collection properties recently.
Jul 27, 2018, 4:00 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 323
Yes! When I was there in March I had a choice of three types of Continental breakfasts. It was excellent. You won't get eggs though, unless you upgrade to a full breakfast. Never asked how much that was as the continental was lovely.
Apr 5, 2019, 4:10 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,982
Do top-tier elites on paying rates get full breakfast? or only three types of Continental breakfast?
Feb 16, 2020, 8:03 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,982
Does the hotel still use Natura Bisse toiletries in bathrooms or have they switched to a new brand? There don't appear to be many reports lately on this hotel.
Oct 26, 2021, 1:46 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, AS MVP Gold, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 269
Any recent stay on this property? I have a 5 night stay early Jan 2022 and would like to know what’s it like.
Also, do Platinum status still get free continental breakfast? If not, I’ll consider rebooking back to Hyatt Regency/Hyatt Centric Madrid for free breakfast as Glob.
Also, do Platinum status still get free continental breakfast? If not, I’ll consider rebooking back to Hyatt Regency/Hyatt Centric Madrid for free breakfast as Glob.
Nov 8, 2021, 8:19 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 119
Any recent stay on this property? I have a 5 night stay early Jan 2022 and would like to know what’s it like.
Also, do Platinum status still get free continental breakfast? If not, I’ll consider rebooking back to Hyatt Regency/Hyatt Centric Madrid for free breakfast as Glob.
Also, do Platinum status still get free continental breakfast? If not, I’ll consider rebooking back to Hyatt Regency/Hyatt Centric Madrid for free breakfast as Glob.