Comfortable bed, clean room, and convenient location - close to the Atocha station, Reina Sofia and other museums on Paseo del Prado, easy walk to Retiro Park and central Madrid neighborhoods. The hotel itself is extremely bare bones - the phone didn't work (couldn't even call reception), no room service, no electric kettle or coffee maker, no trash can in the main room, no tissues, no stationery or pen, no maps or area info, limited outlets - literally just a bed, an empty mini fridge, and a pouch of conditioning shampoo. Didn't even try the wifi. Definitely no pool or even a terrace or roof access. If you're just looking for a clean room in a central location, this gets the job done.
My biggest complaint is the lack of Covid protocols. Breakfast is only offered in an indoor dining space with no windows or doors to the outside (despite being next to a garden, and despite the rooftop terrace being closed "due to Covid"). I asked if I could take a plate with a few pastries and a coffee to my room so I could eat safely without my mask, and was told by the head of the dining room that the manager doesn't permit it. I politely asked two different front desk staffers at different times about it, and they were dismissive of my concerns, saying there was nothing they could do.
The dining room was totally enclosed, hot and filled with unmasked groups of travelers, during a time (August 2021) when Covid cases are skyrocketing in Spain due to the delta variant. I wasn't asking staff to prepare anything special for me, simply to allow me to take a plate to my room so I could eat in safety, and their unwillingness to make this simple concession during a pandemic is reckless and nonsensical. read more