small ring

Finished 2 night stay last week. The staff is still working through the kinks of opening. a few comments:

pinniped

Honest question for those who have done this: how normal is this request, and is it something most Marriotts would accommodate without question?

I have a basic expectation that the hotel will hold luggage on day of arrival and departure. I was highly annoyed when the Lexington (Autograph) in NYC refused to do it without being paid something like $3 a bag, but most Marriotts I've stayed in over the course of 20+ years have never had an issue with holding bags on arrival or departure day. That's a basic courtesy, and then you tip the guy who brings you the bags a buck or two per bag.

Asking them to hold for several days before/after a stay seems like it's a little beyond the basic courtesy, or maybe something they'd do for a repeat guest who was coming back to the hotel for another stay, but not necessarily for everyone.

But I don't really know. What's the norm here?

GalaxyChris

To stay on topic I did not book Aloft for next week because the price seem too high.

about luggage for few days, never get a problem in Asia.

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lucycan

Booked 2 rooms for March 2020. Looking forward to keeping track of this thread.

1353513636

I've never had a hotel say no to holding bags for a side trip, although I've only done it at non-Marriott hotels before (Conrad BKK, CP Queenstown, IC Adelaide, PH Hamburg). Exception is the same hotel mentioned above, the Lexington in NYC; when I stayed I opted to just take my bags and go to the airport earlier.

seanp7

Stayed three nights late June 2019.

This is a charming Aloft. Possibly the best I've seen. Large bright room facing the street (but sound protected).
PROS:
- Rooftop! Stunning views of Madrid, most notably Gran Via and the Royal Palace. Pool is decent (went in all three days) and a pleasure to be at during the hot Madrid summer sun. Note: We had glassware / drinks while in the pool. Staff didn't seem to mind. There is a lifeguard on duty. Note that the pool closes (and they rope it off) at 7pm daily (which is too soon, IMO).
- Rooftop Bar - great service; interesting cocktails and it's a nice place to hang out.
- Reception Area - nice couches, better than usual breakfast. Games tables etc.
- Room was large and clean. Comfortable bed, but typical Aloft decor.
- Location! So close to Gran Via and plenty of mini markets nearby to stock up, or restaurants if needed. You can Metro from the airport to Plaza de Espana and walk (1 change) or change a 2nd time at Plaza de Espana to Callao.
- Security (guard at front at night)
- GYM: Solid gym! Good AC and great equipment. Impressive for European hotel gyms.
- Charm: They've gutted a Spanish building so parts of it have the old building features and it's only really once you are in your room do you realize you're in an Aloft.
- Ice Machines! In Europe?!?!? The one of my floor was broken but Level 3 (Reception) had one. Ice buckets in room.
- Storage: More storage than usual for an Aloft
- If you can get a patio room, those look amazing - large patios (you can see them from the pool; I didn't stay in one).
- Staff: Opening kinks have been ironed out - the staff are young, enthusiastic, and happy to help. No "W" attitude noticed here.

CONS:
- Was a bit pricey for my stay (but it was Madrid Pride).
- No mini bar.
- Ugly entrance. Needs a makeover / ground floor bar or restaurant to tidy things up.
- Pool closes too early.

**NOTE: on the bag discussion above, Aloft Madrid did hold my friend's back overnight while he went to Grenada.

lucycan

SeanP7 - any noise from the nightclub?

seanp7

I was out until 4/5am all three nights so I don't know! (I stay on US EST when in Madrid )

The bus noise complaints I saw on TripAdvisor were not noticeable to me. There is a bus station right out the front but on the 8th floor, I didn't hear a thing.

It was Madrid Pride too so there were people out and about late (myself included) and during the day. Other than a few whistles blowing, I couldn't hear anything loud.

jpdx

We spent 4 nights here in early August. I can only echo the positive reviews above.

We arrived at 8am and were immediately given a 6th floor room. It was fairly large, and (as has been said above) felt more like quirky a European hotel than a cookie-cutter aloft.

Our view was limited, so we asked (and the hotel happily obliged) for a higher floor. We ended up with a great view of the city on the 10th floor. Since there's no cookie-cutter standard room, our 10th floor room was a lot smaller than the initial 6th floor room we had.

We chose breakfast (in lieu of points) as amenity. It was quite nice for a hotel of this category -- good scrambled eggs, meats, cheese, delicious guacamole. There was no daily variation, but by aloft standards, it was quite delicious.

The night club noise has been brought up in a bunch of posts. We didn't have any problems, but we heard that people were going home at 6am on our last day, when we had an early flight.

Overall, excellent value on a EUR85 BRG.

hotelfanatic

Had a 2 night stay and must say this was the best Aloft I've stayed at. The room we stayed in (8th floor) was very nice. It faced the side street (not Gran-via) so was probably more quiet (we actually don't know what street the other side face but assuming is Gra-Via). If you want a view of the Palace, try to get a high floor room with 12,13 or 15. Those are at the end of the hallway closes to the Palace. The roof top was very nice with a small pool. The roof top bar gets a bit busy in the evening. The location is perfect for tourist as is less than 5-10 mins walk to most attractions. The breakfast was also very good and is well worth the Plat checkin amenity. Is just enough to start your day + more. Here are some photos of the breakfast and roof top. I would return to this property if we return to Madrid.

Used 25K points per night - before the flex points was introduced. It would have been 30K during the time we went. If you travel in Jan or Feb is only 20K.

oliver2002

Stayed there for 3 nights last week. Madrid is slowly coming back to life and the aloft reflects that. The breakfast resumed this week but we skipped it for many of the eateries around the hotel that offer a more authentic breakfast for almost nothing.
The pool and rooftop bar are open from 3 to 8 and 10pm respectively. Hardly any guests or patrons up there in the two nights we visited. Booked two twins in the cheapest category (95€/night) and got two twins, one with the city view in the corner. Could have been higher up but didn't mind. The location of the property is very good, you are right in the middle of things and everything is walkable.

Madrid was completely empty of tourists, only Madrileños and maybe a European tourist here and there. No lines anywhere, Gran Via was nearly deserted . We were glad we visited and managed to enjoy the city without the crowds.

TravelingZoomer

Any recent stays at this hotel? Also does anyone know the email?

beltway

The GM is Gonzalo Maggi Bescos, [email protected]. I can confirm that this address works because I corresponded with him about an elevator issue during a stay in 2019.

I’m afraid I don’t have a general inbox address for the property (which was very good IME). Google suggests that it’s [email protected], but I can’t vouch for that one.

TravelingZoomer

Just used the second one and got a response very quickly. Asked if I booked two rooms would platinum benefits be applied to both and they said it was not a problem. If the email is indicative of the hotel (plus it seems many vouch for it) seems like a great value hotel for the location!

GalaxyChris

I stayed there in june, I find the room small, I was looking for 2 rooms in November, but the price is ridiculous high for what is it (163€ pp). Will go to another hotel instead.
Location not bad, but prepare to fight as Taxi dont want to stop in front (no logic reason) and want to drop you in Grand via instead.