The Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, newly restored, is an ideal, luxurious base for exploring the Spanish capital
- Painstakingly restored to its early 20th century glory, The Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid offers Michelin-star food, champagne and raved-about afternoon teas
- Near the Prado Museum in the heart of the Spanish capital, the hotel offers guided tours of historical attractions and a VIP football experience
What’s the story behind the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid? It is the coming together of two renowned brand names – César Ritz’s four-letter surname and Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental (MO) – in an edifice that was built beside Neptune’s statue in Madrid more than a century ago, when King Alfonso XIII was keen to have the Spanish capital catch up with the likes of Paris and London in the hospitality stakes.
On October 2, 1910, a notice announcing the opening of the Hotel Ritz appeared in local newspapers: “In the best, cleanest area of Madrid, near the Prado Museum, Stock Exchange, Bank of Spain and Congress. 200 rooms and salons. 100 bathrooms. Rooms with light, toilet and heating from 7 pesetas. Full board from 20 pesetas a day.”
When the MO bought the hotel, in 2015 – in a joint venture with Saudi multinational The Olayan Group – it remained a favourite haunt of Madrid high society but, as any of the 200-plus employees who were retained will tell you, it had begun to look tired, as a grande dame of more than 100 years might.
In came the MO with plans to renovate and go “back to the future”.
What do you mean? The shell of the property has, as far as possible, been restored to how it looked in 1910.